The Hawaiian gazette., 1910-08-05
And 0ne-Third Of the Cows That
Have Been Producing 1t Are
Diseased.
NORGAARD MAKES REPORT
Is Reluctant to Kill Sick Cows
and Suggests System Of
Pasteurization.

No less than one.third of the dairy
cattle that supply Honolulu with milk
have been found to be infected with
tuberculosis, according to the report of
DR.. Norgaard that was submitted to
the board of agriculture and forestry
yesterday afternoon. And it also APP
pears that very few of these infected
cattle have been killed, only forty.two
out of the entire 455 head that reacted
to the tuberculin test having been dis
posed of, although most of them have
been segregated. DR.. Norgaard is
anxious to protect the dairymen, say
ing "that tuberculosis was prevalent
among the dairy animals of the Terri
tory was well known fact, but that
such a large percentage should be
found infected proved a great surprise
and has caused somewhat embarrass-
ing situation, which, however, must be
met and dealt with in such a manner
as to cause the least economic loss to
the dairy owners, and at the same time
to safeguard the public health.''
Manure in Milk.
DR.. Norgaard also says that he finds
the milk sold in Honolulu to be very
dirty.
"The fact that Honolulu milk con-
tains a very high percentage of dirt
cannot be Denied he says. "Accord-
ing to some authorities the citizens of
Berlin consume 300 pounds of cow
dung in their milk daily Ind while 1
am not in position to state how
much the inhabitants of Honolulu abb
sorb per day of this commodity, it is
safe to presume that each individual
of the drinking public at least
gets o share equally as great as the
citizens of Berlin, a ely which is not
ed for its clean dairies.
In spite of these fact however, Dr..
NOTgaard does not favor the slaughter
ing of diseased animals, in view sof the
fact that tbere is no appropriation
from which to pay their owners for
the loss sustained. He thinks that, in
stead of that, the milk might be pas
teurized, which he thinks would render
it innocuous. Then instead of swal-
loving live tuberculosis bacilli, the
milk drinkers of the city will only
have to assimilate dead ones. Whether
pasteurization would also destroy the
| spores is a matter with Itch DR.. Nor
| gard repolG does not deal. He
| thinks the public might be educated
up to boiling the milk. 1t might some
day.
Up To Supervisors.
1t is now up to the board of super
visors as to whether or rot the work
of testing the dairy herds shall be cor
tinued The board of agriculture and
forest y feels that it can no longer
afford 10 lend to the city and county
for nothing the services of DR.. Nor
gard and his assistants and pay their
expenses, and if the supervisors want
any further aid, they must come
through with an appropriation to pay
for i DR.. Nolgaard, it was explained
at the meeting yesterday, has other
work that requires his attention,
though he has for two months and
more devoted nearly all his time to the
testing of the dairy heldC. However,
if the city wants 10 pay for it, he will
get another assistant to carry on the
tubeIculin tests. NorgaaId is going to
the Coast August 81 for NORTH = va
cation, but will try TO fipish up the
examination CT the herds supplying he
city before he goes away.
455 Diseased.
The following are some of the more
important paragraphs in NoIgaard s re-
port to the board of agriculture and
forest y:
Gin the city of Honolulu and viei-
nifty, including Waialae, Moanalua and
Nuuanu Valley, there has been tested
1891 animals belonging to ffty-twO
| different owners, as per the itemized
statement hereto attached. This num-
Der includes 81 bulls and about so head
of calves, while of the remainder about
% per cent. are dry COWS and heifers.
A total of 455 head, or 1924 per cent.
of these animals have reacted to the
tuberculin test, that is, have been
found to be affected with tuberculosis.
OF this number 40 head have been
destroyed and have been found on post
norton examination to exhibit the
pathological alterations Characteristic
of tuberculosis-to a greater or less
Internationally confirming the value
Of tuberculin as a diagnostic agent for
tuberculosis.
Prevalence of Tuberculosis.
''The number of animals which have
reacted to the test, that is, approx.
mately every third animal, is not sur.
prisingly great when it is considered
that with very few exceptions nothing
has been done for years in the line of
controlling the disease. Since the at
tempt in 1897 to eradicate tuberculosis
from the dairy herds of Honolulu and
vicinity, and when in the neighborhood
of 1000 head of cattle were tested and
about $50 head destroyed, there has
been a decided reluctance on the part
of the dairymen as well as of the of
fcials to approach the tuberculosis
question.
1t may be mentioned that during
the past several years only two cases
OF tuberculosis have been found among
the thousands of heads of beef cattle
shiUned IN TIonolst1u from tho parlrar