The Birmingham age-herald., 1913-06-07

.lI1L aQl
cows In the herd tuberculous. and some
even as high as 30 per cent. The depart
ment in Birmingham tested one herd of
rs and found 10 to have tuberculosis
Another herd of so cattle showed 80 re-
actions and five suspicioned. 1t has been
reported that were all the diseased dairy
cows in the United States segregated there
would be a milk famine. tuberculosis
milk Is poisonous and has become a ma
tion-wfde menace. The day has passed
when we could laugh at the theory of
the transmission of the white plague by
and through cows milk to the infant
or adult. 1t Is estimated that 25 per
cent of all deaths of infants in New
York city can be charged up to poi
sonous tuberculosis-charged milk Burk-
hart is reported as having 6ound 81 per
cent out of nearly. 1900 adult post-mor-
TENS, affected by tuberculosis LESSONS.
charged up mainly to infected milk but
ter. cream, cheese and infected meats.
This year the department at Birming-
ham had only two men In the field test
ing cattle. From January to April 90
there were 1915 head of dairy cattle test
ed. Out of this number there were 5o
cattle that reacted to the thermal tuber-
culosis test and IA gave a suspicious
elevation in temperature. This is about
33 per cent reactions. There are about
1000 cattle in Jefferson county that sun
ply milk to the Birmingham market and
1t will require at least double that num-
Der of inspectors in the field to make
the round next fall.
Variation of Temperature
THE following show some of the va
riations in the thermal tuberculosis test
one animal showed maximum tempera-
ture the first day of 1908 degrees Fab
renheit, and 1886 the second day. This
suspicious animal was slaughtered at
the owners risk. Post-mortem revealed
tuberculosis OF the mesenteric, portal and
mediastinal lymph glands and also
showed 1t to involve the liver, peritoneum,
lungs and pleura. Another suspicious case
which came from the same herd and
was advised disposed of in the same man
ner, gave a maximum temperature of
1907 degrees Fahrenheit the first day and
1923 on the second day Post mortem
showed tuberculosis LESSONS of the pos
terror mediastinal glands only. The fol-
lowing are two cases that show how
very delicate the test may be: Maximum
temperature the first day was 1918 Fab
renheit and 103.5 the second day Post
mortem findings were tuberculosis of the
left retropharynseal lymph gland An
other has a maximum the first day of
1912 and 1895 the second day. Post NOR
tenn findings were tuberculosis of the
liver.
Another case that was considered sus-
picious an owner was advised to kill at
his own risk. had a maximum temperature
the first day of 1912 and 1896 the sec
ond day. Post mortem revealed no le-
sions of tuberculosis.
1.-The following are two cases condemned
by the test and they not only show large
difference In the elevation of temperature,
but they show that 1t is hard to deter
mine by the temperature just how badly
the animal is affected. One had a maxi
mum temperature the first day of 101.6
and 104.7 the second day. Only one pos
terror mediastinal lymph gland was found
to be involved and it was slight. An
other case was 1922 the first day and
107 8 on the second. The mesenteric lymph
gland and the lungs were found to be
tuberculous. Lung LESSONS usually show
much higher temperature in the test.
"Out of 1S reactions and four suspicious
cases slaughtered, the different glands
and organs were found to be involved
In the following number of cases: Retro
pharyngeal glands, animals affected,
mesenteric. Z; portal, l. liver, I; perito-
neun. L; lungs. s.; bronchial glands, 8;
posterior diastinanal. .712; pleura, /, and
glands of the muscle, /,
Housefly Troublesome
What we have to fear and what gives
us a great deal of trouble is the musca
domestica or the common house fly He
is commonly found in most every home
and dairy. The dangers which he alone
carries around with him are numerous.
This pest is one that has to be dealt
with In very serious manner in order
that any headway can be made at all. A
fly has no conscience. He may be found
wading around in human or animal excre-
ment one minute and In milk or somei
freshly slaughtered animal the next. 1t
is very essential that we try to screen
out the fly, but we cannot expect to
make much headway against him unless
we treat the breeding places of the fly.
The fly is found to lay her eggs prac-
tically everywhere that there Is putre-
faction of organic matter
Fly traps and fly killers made of a
piece of screen on a short stick. and fly
paper are used. Numerous preparations
of arsenic are used to kill the flies. 1t
Is well worth the time taken up by try
ing to reduce the number of flies for
by so doing the danger of disease is
diminished.
IAN inspector should feel that it is his
personal duty to protect the health of the
people. 1t is an undsputed fact ha pro-
phylaxis is far superior o treatment. If
diseases are prevented we are dssureu
of longer and happier lives If we let
disease attack us, our chances are les
sened.
inspection of meat and milk from
the standpoint of an inspector is diff
ferent from that of the layman. Meat
and milk are both liable to become
contaminated.
milk when handled in the most SAN
itary manner is not very clean and it
can be very clearly seen that careless
ness in the handling of this product is
much to be avoided. The inspector has
considerable responsibility in seeing
that milk Is handled properly.
Milk is a product which is used by
nearly all people who can obtain 1t. 1t
Is used in a raw state in most cases,
for 1t Is much more palatable, pro-
vided that it is clean milk.
Pasteurized Milk Not Always Pure
"Pasteurized milk is dangerous when
gotten from places that are careless,
In the method Of pasteurization. Pas
teurizing kills the Tactic acid bacteria
which are really the sentinels that
tell us whether the milk is old or
fresh. Pastearized milk is liable to
be old and because 1t has not soured-
we cannot tell it easily. A dairyman
is sometimes careless in the handling
be pasteurized. Furthermore, the lack
OF the tactic acid bacteria, which are
killed by the pasteurization, will allow
the-growth of the peptonizing bacteria.
AS a result pasteurized milk, If held
too long, undergoes putrefactive
changes rather than souring normally.
pa ateuriZed milk does not mean nllre