Arizona republican., 1909-03-01
TUBERCULOSIS TEST
 PLEASING RESULT
Forty-Five Dairy Cattle From Six Different Herds Found to. Be With out Infection.

The following recital is of consid- erable general interest for two req sons. One is that it marks the grow ing industry of raising fine dairy cat tie in this valley for the rapidly de- veloping market in old Mexico. The other is that it demonstrates the comparative freedom of the valley cattle from disease, especially the disease of tuberculosis.
 William E. Gray of Fl PasO came here about six weeks ago to look over the local dairy herds with a view to buying for later sale in Mexico. He went on to California and looked over the dairy herds there in comparison with the result that his impressions were in favor of this valley, so he came back and bought forty five head. securing some of them from each of six different dairy herds. Before shipping to Mexico he desired to not only have the cattle inspected accord ing to law, but tested as to their general health, particularly in respect of tuberculosis. which is dreaded ev anywhere. He was especially partic ular about that because he expects to sell more cattle in Mexico and he would not care to endanger his repu- tation, even if he had no moral scruples against such a proceeding which it is very fair to assume that he has He therefore requested the territorial veterinarian to test his cat tie with tuberculin, which is conceded to be the nearest a perfect test that
 is now known to the veterinarians
 The cattle were all placed in the Santa Fe stock yards and kept there during Friday and Saturday while the testing was in progress. The test consisted of taking the temperature of each animal at least three times. during Friday. before the injection of tuberculin, in order to determine the normal temperatures of the re- spective cows. each COW being mark ed as tested and the temperatures recorded each time. Then between 8 and 10 o'clock Friday night each animal was given an injection of tuberculin This hour was chosen for the injections as the effect of the tuberculin. if any, begins to be man. fest between twelve and eighteen hours after the injection, a rise of from 212 to degrees in temperature. indicating that the animal is infected with tuberculosis to some extent.
 On Saturday the temperature of each of the forty-five cows was taken every two hours, beginning at o'clock am. and until or o'clock pm, and in one or two cases even later, just to be doubly sure. It was great source of satisfaction to the sellers of the cattle, to the buyer, to the veterinarian. and it surely will be to residents of the valley generally, to know that not a single animal was found to be infected in the slightest degree
 This by no means demonstrates that there is no tuberculosis in the valley herds. On the other hand there are undoubtedly some infected cattle in the valley according to opinions ex- pressed by those who ought to know best about these things. The disease seems to be quite common among cattle as it does among the human family. and it has existed here before and probably does now, in fact some cattle have been killed from time to time. But to know that of forty five cattle picked at random from six different herds not a single infected COW was found, is to lend weight to the idea that the condition of the herds is not nearly so bad as some of the more hysterical have imagined, and shows the good results of the careful work of the live stock sani- tary board for years past in enforc- ing the regulations against the i'm portation of stock not shown by in spection to be perfectly healthy.
 Doubtless there should be better measures for dairy inspection and doubtless some infection could be found if rigidly sought for. but it is quite likely there is as much room for improvement along the line of general sanitation, clean water for dairy stock and clean practices for dairymen, as there is in the search for tuberculosis.
 It is fortunate, too, that that par ticular disease in cattle. the same as in the human family, does not spread rapidly in this climate, even when there is infection, due not only to reason of the mild weather the cattle are not punched and huddled together in close quarters as they necessarily are in the winter stalls of the cold countries. for in this valley few cows know what a shed looks like or would get under one if they could except during a rainstorm.