The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1914-09-11
THE BAN ON TuBERCULAR MILK.

THE BAN ON TUBERCULAR MIiK.
which the people of Topeka and their
children ere entitled is being accorded
them In the plans that have been made
by DR.. Rowles. the city milk Inspector
for q rigid enforcement Of the city ofdi-
nance that seeks to assure Topeka the
best possible milk supply. or. at least,
to make it poss..,s. fo- people to know
just what kind Of milk they are buying.
That the milk supply is far from be-
ing what 1t should be IL shown by the
necessity for the order that DR.. Rowles
has just issude. and which will compel
dairymen whose cows have not been
submitted to the tuberculin test to label
their bottles: This milk or cream IL
not from a tuberculin tested herd
1t is insisted by DR.. Rowles that not
more than one-third of the cows that
furnish the Topeka milk supply have
been given this essential test. And the
rather alarming situation as to the milk
supply which this indicates is demon
strated by the facts that were found
among this third of the cows that have
been tested 1t comprised ], 103 cows, d.
vided into 108 herds. And it was dis
covered that five per cent Of all the
cows could not stand the test. and were
condemned. and that they were dis
tributed among IL per cent of the herds.
The conclusion Is reasonable, therefore.
that a similar percentage Of tubercular
affected cattle. are among the two
thirds of the cows hereabouts that have
not been tested.
Because the experts declare that fully
"a per cent of all, tuberculosis among
children is of the bovine type" and Is
transmitted through the milk from dis
eased cows, 1t can be readily seen what
a menace to the children Of Topeka is
present in a considerable portion Of the
city's milk supply.
And while the enforced labelling of
the bottles containing milk from nom
tested cows as such will be some meas
ure of protection against this exceed
ingly undesirable variety of milk. a bet
ter one would be found in the testing Of
all the cows that contribute to the milk
supply. This testing is done by the
state. through its live stock inspection
department and under the supervision
u CITY IIlllk inspectors. But the state
pays the bills and as the appropriations
for activities Of this sort are never as
large as they should be, 1t borders on
the impossibi1ity for the state live stock
inspectors department with the limited
force and funds at it's command, to test
all the cows in the state that are con-
cerned in furnishing the public with it's
milk supply.
There is nothing, however, that pre-
vents a dairyman from having hts cows
tested on his own hook, and the expense
is not prohibitive. Most of the dairy
men in and around Topeka and all over
the state, as well, are reputable men.
and it is a certainty that mighty few Of
them would Intentionally and willingly
folst milk on their customers that il
contaminated with tuberculosis germs.
And 1t would seem to be no more than
q wise business move, as well asa safe
guarding Of their patrons, for those
dairymen whose herds have not been
tested by public authority to see to 1t
that the necessary tests are made.
Otherwise their milk will be discrimi-
mated against by the telltale labels that
! must now be placed, as far as the milk
sold in Topeka is concerned, on all bot
ties containing milk from cows and
herds that Lave not been given the
tuberculfn test