Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1908-12-11
MILK AND IT'S RELA TON
TO THE PUBLIC HEA LTH

from diseased cattle.
7 THAT negligence must now be branded
as criminal which allows animals suf
fering from tuberculosis to contribute
to the supply OF milk destined for hu.
man food. 1t is ridiculous at this late
] hour to bubble over any possible diff
| ference there may be between bovine
and human tuberculosis.
kock. the discoverer QS90) of thu
| specific germ of the disease, had at frs
| no doubts whatever as ITO it's identity
in man and in animals. Ten years
passed before he asserted the contrary
! G90D, and the assertion has now beer
disproved by means of extensive ex-
periments undertaken at the instance
OF various governments.
Englishmen will probably be con-
tent with the verdict of the British
Royal Commission on tuberculosis as
to this matter. but the doubters in
selves have been forced to the same
conclusion. viz: That tuberculosis
whether In animal or man. is essentially
the same disease, and is communicable
from animal to man in milk.
This I hold to be a reason of para
mount Importance for insisting on pub
lie control Of the milk supply, or at
least on precautionary measures for Sc
curing non -tuberculous milk for the in
nocent children who must have milk
and who cannot protect themselves.
Tho Tuberculin Test.
"One of our greatest debts to Koch
Is the invention to the tuberculin test
for ascertaining, In cases where merely
rot an animal is tuberculous Tuber-
culfn, itself product of the growth
of tubercle bacilli in the laboratory
Is injected hypodermically and pro-
dGces in tuberculous individuals q
marked rise of temperature, and this,
under proper precautions, becomes an
almost infallible index of the I'M
healthy condition which 1t is desired to
recognize and eliminate. The veterin-
airy surgeon can thus say precisely
which Of the cows in a herd are to be
considered tuberculous. and ninety
seven times out of 100 he is right.
Now look at the results OF the tu-
berculin test as applied i'm America.
milk to the city of Washington were
tested last year, and nearly
II per cent had to be pronounced tn
berculous. This inspection was neither
universal nor compulsory, so 1t is fair
to assume that only owners who were
confident of the healthy state of their
herds submitted them to the test. Had
all the cows in all the herds been ex-
no doubt the percentage would
have been much higher. say 25 per
cent. The figures are first hand, and
speak for themselves.
The Danger From Dirt.
"The bulletin mentions incidentally
an estimate made in 1906 that at least
is the product of tuberculous cows.
The American evidence, however. just
lfies us, l think, in assuming that one
COW out of every four is, slightly at
least, tuberculous. 1t is possible per-
haps, for some Of these cows to give
perfectly healthy milk. This point is
not yet definitely settled, but it is per-
fectly certain that the dung of such
cows may contain the bacilli, and this
IS a point OF great Importance. Peo-
pie do not realize the quantity Of SOL
ID dirt that gets into the milk pail in
he course of milking.
ut is not only that dust flies about |
n the air of the stall, but the mixers
hands or clothing may easily detach
portions of dirt from the skin of the
animal, unless those ideal regulations
ire observed which at present are only !
highest class and which add so con-