Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1910-12-10
SO COWS FOUND
To Be. INFECTED
tuberculosis Plays Havoc With
Fine Herd at Tri- City
Milk Farm.
OWNERS ORDER A TEST
Diseased Cattle to Be Shipped to Chi.
cago and Destroyed Under Di-
rection of Health Board.

1t has been discovered that SO cattle
in the herd maintained on the farm of
the Tri-City Pasteurized Milk company
four miles southwest of Milan, are af-
fected with tuberculosis. The diseased
next week and destroyed under direc.
ton of the state board of health
DR.. A. N. Mueller, city health com.
missioner, when asked for a statement
today, said: The tuberculin test as
means of diagnosis of tuberculosis
in domestic animals has been thor
oughly Investigated by various depart
ments of the United States government
and has been declared of positive value
when made by capable persons 4
number of states have adopted this
test, especially those in the northwest
containing the dairy centers. Illinois
has been backward in this regard until
lately. when the last legislature au-
thorized special committee. headed
by Speaker Shurtleff, to investigate the
tuberculin test and report to the next
general assembly. This committee has
held meetings this fall in Chicago.
where cattle dealers vigorously fought
the recognition of the test.
Requirements in Chicago.
'The city of Chicago requires all its
milk supply TO be either from tuberculin
tested cattle, or pasteurized. Accord
ing to their regulations, after date
in the near future only milk from
the city of Chicago. A year ago the
Rock Island board of health thought
1t advisable to adopt the tuberculin
test for this city. However, a question
of its legality caused the subject to bs
dropped until the tuberculin test is
made a legal standard for the entire
state.
1t is reasonable at present to be-
heve that we have two great sources
from which tuberculosis germs are
disseminated in a way that is dan
gerous to public health-tuberculo
IS patients and tuberculosis dairy
cattle, DR.. Mueller continued. THE
former is, no doubt, the more i'm
portant source, but with regard 10
the latter we must not forget the
significant fact that tuberculosis
germs in milk, cream, butter and
cheese are not on floors. or on pave
merts, or in places from which they
may or may not enter our bodies
Are Located in Food.
They are located in articles of
food commercially distributed among
persons to be eaten, in most instances
IN a raw state, and also in large
nFI
of bovine Infection should not be
belittled as negligible quantity.
Every state should make the tuber-
culin test compulsory is done in
Pennsylvania, where 20 per cent of
the appraised value of the condemn
ed stock is paid to the owner. Bo-
vine tuberculosis should be eradicat-
ed, if for no other reason than to
protect noninfected live stock"
Under the present laws OF I'LL
nois, the tuberculosis test is not COM
pulsory, and is applied only upon re-
quest of the owner of suspected
stock. DR.. John Scott, assistant
state veterinarian, conducted the test
at the Tri-City Pasteurized com
pany's farm upon invitation of the
management of the company. There
are 209 cows in the herd. OF this
number SO were found to be affected
The remaining 100 were pronounced
in healthy condition and free from
the slightest suspicion of the pres
ence of infection. DR.. Scott also
Z conducted a test of the herd of 27
cows on the Deere farm, near Mo-
line. These cows were found to be
in perfect health.
Supplying 1000 Families
The Tri-City Pasteurized company
has been whOlesaling its milk out
put to Lawrence Strayer of South
Rock Island, who has been operat-
ing five wagons, supplying 1000
families in this city. AS a result
of the loss of the SO cows, unless he
can make arrangements to be sup
piled from other sources, temporar-
lily will have to withdraw two of his
wagons. Fred Strayer, who also has
a route in this city, receives his milk
from farmers, and has never handled
the Tri-City product. 1t is under
stood that the diseased cows at the
Tri-City farm will be replaced by
healthy ones The Tri-City milk
farm has from its inception been in
the nature of a public philanthropy,
having been operated constantly at
a loss II has been largely an ex-
perimental enterprise carried on by
tri-city capitalists. The danger or
the communication of infections even
under the most sanitary conditions