Gloucester County Democrat., 1909-04-15

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country, he was bound to say that in
many cases it was impossible without
a very great sacrifice.
But something short of secure, com
plete and immediate relief from the
disease might be done. If a farmer
made up his mind that he could not
make the sacrifice, and the building
accommodation would not admit sep
aration of the diseased and the heal
thy, then following the advice given
by Professor Bang in Denmark, he
ought at least to try and take advan-
tage of the fact that the great majority
and in most cases the whole of his
calves, would come into the world free
of tubercular disease, and if possible
he ought to effect complete separation
between the young stock and the old.
In the course of years a farmer could
work himself out of the disease in the
the old stock, and gradually work in
a new stock that was entirely free.
But the farmer must not be guided by
the healthy appearance of the young
stock in the belief that they were ac-
tually free. He would need to have
them tested twice year. If that was
impossible there was another offer.
In his own interests the farmer should
get rid of the COW the moment he saw
the slightest sign of tuberculosis in it.
AS to ventilation as means of
keeping down tuberculosis, what he
wanted to say about that was that
the matter of ventilation, and what
one might call general sanitation in
the cowshed, had been immensely
over estimated as means of keeping
down tuberculosis. 1t was a perfect
ly illusory hope that tuberculosis in
this country would be materially re-
duced by increasing the cubic area
of the shippon. The more they kept
cows in the open-air the more could
they reduce the infection. Provided
they had one or two diseased ami
mails the disease would spread in spite
of the most palatial premises.
Danger to Man-Meat; Milk
He was not going to discuss at any
length the question whether bovine
disease was danger to human beings.
He regarded that as a question which
was settled beyond controversy. 1t
was only non-scientific people who
wrongly accepted what they believed
to be the views of scientific people,
and held that there was no such risk.
One heard Professor Koch's name in
this connection as if he had said there
was no risk from tuberculosis in cat
tie. He had recently put himself to
the trouble of most expressly denying
that he ever thought it, but Sir John
did not wish it to be understood that
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between Professor Koch and himself.
Some had seriously exaggerated the
danger to the human beings, but that
exaggeration had been mostly on the
part of non-scientific persons. He did
not hesitate to say that the immense
majority of cases in human beings had
nothing whatever to do with tubercu-
losis in cattle. He was prepared to
maintain quite strongly on evidence
which he believed Professor Koch
accepted as cogent, that certain pro-
portion of cases of human tuberculosis
were actually originated from infec-
tion with cattle, and if that were adj
mitted the question arose whether any
reasonable measures could be taken
to reduce or abolish the risk. The
risk was in two different connections.
L
admitted on all hands was compare
lively small, because in this country
we did not eat our meat raw; but
while admitting that, he would not ad-
NIT that any butcher had the right to
sell meat in any shape or form that
contained tubercle bacilli.
The question of milk arose. He
| would not discuss on that occasion
what the Government ought to do in
order to deal with the disease, but
what should the COW owner do that
he might, on his conscious, say that he
had done all he reasonably could to
| limit the danger.
| He ought not, in the first place, to
| sell milk from any cow that was Wis
| IDLY affected with tuberculosis or
| showing any symptoms which suggest
ed to him that the COW might be affect
ed with tuberculosis; and if he was
! in doubt he had the veterinary pro-
| fession to consult. At one time it
was thought that if they could exclude
| the consumption of milk from visibly
diseased udders there would not be
much risk, but Investigations had al
tered that opinion, and he was bound
| to admit that COWS which suffered
from advanced tuberculosis frequently
| yielded milk that was dangerous, al
though the udders appeared to be
perfectly healthy. So the attitude of
a conscientious farmer or dairyman
was not to sell for public consumption
the milk of any COW that had dis
eased udder, or any COW showing
symptoms which were suggestive of
tuberculosis.
Sir John, replying to questions, said
one woud never get rid of tuberculous
herds unless he used the tuberculin
test, and no Government would ever
stamp tuberculosis out of the country
with any less rigorous means.
Answering Mr.. Sadler, Secretary Of
the Cheshire Milk Producers Associa-
lt tion, who asked if the third interim
report of the Royal Commission, OF
uai nh Cir Tnhr wac a rnay,hoy M r.