River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1914-07-16
FACADE OF THE PALACE OF MINES AND METALLuRGY..
TURERCULlN TEST
ny J. O. EMERY
Estate Dairy and Food t'ommi, sloncr)


Estate Dairy and Food Commi sloncr)
Madison, Wis, July 10.-Accord-
ing to the best information / can
obtain, the farmers in the Southern
portion of Wisconsin are, to a
large extent, voluntarily having
their COWS tuberculin tested This
practice, however, is not SO com
mon in the northern portion of the
state.
Test Each Year
Speaking for myself, have my
herd of pure-bred Jerseys tuber-
culin tested by a competent vet
erinarian at least once each year.
| would not tolerate an animal in
my herd twenty-four hours that
When a herd of COWS once be-
comes infected by tuberculosis il
takes only a very short time for
that herd to be ruined unless the
infected animals are eliminated
from the herd. 1t is utterly be-
yond my comprehension how any
farmer with herd of COWS could
tolerate tuberculosis in his herd,
or could let year pass without
having the herd tuberculin tested
by a competent veterinarian, elm
mating therefrom every reacting
animal.
Setting aside all clubbing, the
tuberculin test is the most reliable
diagnostic known to scientists for
bovine tuberculosis. In the hands
o COP We erinl ms h pc
centage Of error is negligible. That
bovine tubs rculosis is trdnsmissible
to children is a fact no longer
questioned by the most eminent
psychologists Of this country.
The conclusions of science as to
the necessary precautiOn for the
protection Of public health should
be needed by the public and by
the producers of milk, regardless
Of economic consideration.
AS to which method of testing
is most accepted by scientific men,
interdermal or subdermal, / say
the subdermal. There is but one
state in the union that accepts the
interdermal process, as | am re-
liably informed.
Weak Points in Pasteurization Plan
Ny understanding is that sci
entiiic men regard pasteurization,
when properly done by competent
operators, as furnishing a reason
able guarantee against tuberculo-
sis germs, but the limitations
herein mentioned are to be strict
ly observed. According TO my
understanding, scientific men are
not of the opinion that pasteuri-
zation can safely be entrusted in
discriminatory to individuals. To
under the direction and control
of competent authority.
In my judgment, city that
adopts pasteurization as a sub
sfitute for milk from tuberc,ilin
tested cows should assume re-
sponsibility and control for the
proper pasteurization Of the pro
duct. For my own part, | would
prefer to take the word of com
petent veterinarian that the cows
from which given supply Of milk
is produced are free from tuber-
culosis than to rely upon any pro-
cess Of pasteurization, especially
if such pasteurization is not under
cnmT etent and efficient nuni.Ipal
81 pp- vision and control
When a city, in the interests of
public health, seek reliance upon
destroying tuberculosis germs in
milk, instead of seeing to it that
the milk contains no tuberculosis
germs, it ought to make sure that
the tuberculosis germs are in fact
destroyed Milk may be put
through process and then de-
clared to be "pasteurized," when,
in truth and in fact, the tubercu-
lous germs have not been de-
Has the dairy and food COM
missioner's office any reports Of
farmers claiming that the testing
has been inefficient? ! cannot
say that this office has any Off
ciaI records of this character, al
though that such complaints have
been made is a matter Of common
knowledge. That few incompe-
tents may have reached erroneous
through the use of the
test in no way dis
proves the thorough reliability of
49, L. Il