The San Francisco call., 1910-05-29
PHYSICIANS AID
THE CALLS WAR
ON PHTHISIS
Doctors Agree That Risk From
Bovine BacilIi Is Too
Great to Run
DR.. George Lee Eaton With
draws His Opposition to
inspection of Meat

and at that time, whatever the butch
ers, wholesalers, as well as retailers,
have TO say about the law must be
said. Arrayed against those who have
condemned the ordinance from a busi-
ness standpoint are practically all the
physicians of the city, who insist that
the first consideration Of the city Off
cisls is the health Of the community as
against any economic principle that
may be advanced. The fact that in
spected meat may mean a little added
cost TO the wholesaler is brushed aside
by the medical men, who point to the
great danger the public is at present
exposed to through tubercular meat
which is being consumed by the citizens
of the city.
Undoubtedly tubercle meat is being
sold 10 the people of San Francisco"
said Doctor Manning yesterday, TT is
not the intention of the butcher to sell
it, but, nevertheless, it is sold. Our
greatest trouble Is with the outside
20 the city for sale. At present the
board has but four meat inspectors and
their work is satisfactory, but under
this new law we viii need perhaps 20
more men to watch the incoming meat"
As the matter stands now, no action
has been taken by the supervisors,
though a request that the ordinance be
practically rescinded has been made by
the health board. In the meantime a
reconsideration viii be had of the mat
ter and the butchers who oppose the
measure called upon TO offer some spe-
cihc grounds for striking 1t from the
ordinances of the city.
The physicians Of the city are united
tn declaring that tuberculosis can be
conveyed from meat 20 the human
being. Doctor Manning and the butch
ers themselves admit that tubercle
meat comes into San Francisco every
day. While much of this is detected, a
Quantity Of il finds its way into the
retail shops and is subsequently sold
According TO Doctor Manning the board
is trying TO reconcile two irreconcilable
propositions
"On the one hand" said Manning,
I'VE have designed a law which insures
the health OF the community. while on
the other hand we are asked to con-
slider the possible damage that might
be done TO some small wholesale
butcher"
WORLDWIDE CRUSADE
That a determined effort will be made
before the board of health and board
of supervisors 20 enforce the ordinance
IS evidenced in the response made by
the physicians of the city to the local
phase Of the worldwide war against
the white plague. That the intestinal
tract offers a field for tubercular infec-
tion all physicians who have expressed
themselves on the meat regulations
agree. though the theory of bovine
bacilli infection is yet disputed ques-
tion in some quarters
DR.. Augustus ]. Lartigau, who has
devoted much time to the subject of
bacteriOlogy and the pathology Of tu-
berculosis, has interested himself in
the campaign for the ordinance to the
extent that he yesterday issued a state
ment covering the local situation. It
is as follows:
Until the pioneer researches of
bald Smith. the belief in the in
fectious character of tuberculous
material from cattle for man was
universal Having shown that bio
logical differences exist between
the organisms Of bovine and human
derivations, few writers, notably
the late Robert Koch, on the basis
Of certain experiments. have con-
tended that the tubercle bacillus
Of cattle does not readily find a
suitable host in man, and therefore
that infected milk and meat are
not a very great menace to the
human race. Since this work many
Investigations have been carried on
from various points of view with
far from uniform conclusions But
il has been conclusively demon
strated that bovine tubercle ba-
ciiD may and DO invade the human
body and there grow, producing
various forms of tuberculosis. To
what extent this occurs under nat
ural conditions has not been
shown. However. this should by no
means allow the economic features
Of the present problem to outweigh
the hygienic. 1t seems TO me that
in view of the evidence that cat
tie are, sometimes. at least, a source
of tuberculous infection in man, it
would be well to protect the public
from what to a few may seem an
uncommon danger.
DOCTOR RYAN'S VIEWS
On the subject of the danger of tu-
berculosis in the intestinal tract DR.
Louis X Ryan expressed his conviction
in the theory that this is a fieldNcon-
stantly exposed to the action of tu-
bercle baciln. He said:
The success which the human
race has OF late gained in the con-
test with tuberculosis has depended
on the elimination of avenues of
Impure air. laden with dust and
germs, has been fought against,
and not less important should be
the care and attention given food.
1t has come to be quite gener-
ally recognized by medical scien-
lists that the intestinal tract Of
fers a frequent point Of entry for
tuberculosis. Giandular infection
and peritoneal Involvement of
which we have examples every day,
can hardly be explained satisfac-
forily In any other way. No chance
for protection against this highly
probable source OF danger should
be neglected in any community.
EATON'g STAND OPPOSED
In support Of the position taken by
those who oppose Eaton the statement
Of Z. c Schroeder, NJ d. v. superin-
tendent Of experiment stations. bureau
of animal industry, United States de-
partment Of agriculture, is pointed to
in overcoming his theory on the per-
centage Of persons infected with tu-
be-culosis of the air passages. Doctor
Schroeder says:
Tubercle bacilh in products are
either in a fresh or in a well pre-
served state. In the case of dairy
products their introduction into the
system is direct and occurs with
the use OF Indispensable articles
of food. Tubercle bacilI IN spu-
tum which were long regarded as
the commonest and most active
cause for the propa cation of tu-