The Colville examiner. [volume] (Colville, Wash.) 1907-1948, 1921-01-01

|
slight infection is serious and why
diluting the infection by adding pure
| milk to that which contains the
germs does not materially lessen the
dauger of drinking such milk, after
| it has stood while.
Diseases that man contracts from
milk are of two classes, namely:
Class Diseases of animal origin
--(a) Definite diseases, tuberculosis,
foot and mouth disease, Malta fever
and anthrax. (b) Indefinite ailments,
diaIrheal infection and possibly con-
tagious abortion.
Class 2--Diseases of human origin
Typhoid fever, diphtheria, scarlet
fever, tuberculosis, septic sore throat,
and possibly others.
OF all the diseases transmitted by
milk. tuberculosis is the most I'M
portant, both because of the fire.
quency with which is is conveyed and
because Of it's serious nature. The
tuberculosis that is derived from milk
may be either human or bovine in
origin. Human infection of milk is
rarer than bovine, and in practically
every case except conceivably from
the air, or from flies, comes from
some one that is handling the milk,
and has the disease--a tubercular
mixer who spits on his hands and
has every opportunity 10 wash the
germs in the milk or in the spray
| tha. may be elected in the cough OF
a consumptive mixer and falls in
the milk and thus infects it. Figures
complied by Park and krumwiede
show that of a grand total of 1,5ll
CASE. of human tuberculosis that in
the adults 10 years and over, $40
were Of human origin, 15 OF bovine
origin or 1.5Gt; children 5 to 16
years, l3i we're Of human origin, 46
were of bovine origin 26@s; children
unCer years. 292 were of human
origin, rs were of bovine origin 20.6ft.
These figures would indicate that
about a quarter of the cases of tuber-
culosis in children under 16 years OF
agn are due to the infection with
the bovine type Of tuberculosis bac-
illus, and that the number of cases
of bovine origin among adults is very
small.
The relation OF tuberculosis Of bo-
vine origin TO tuberculosis in general
is hard to define. 1t has been es-
timated that in the U. S. tuberculosis
Is the cause of 9cG of the deaths, and
in Germany 1877. If only Ia Of
these in this country were due to
bovine infection, it would mean
los4 of over 1000 lives a year, but
the percentage is believed TO be con-
sidcrably greater, being placed at
7@t by many authorities. 1t is recog-
nized that in all probability none of
the pulmonary tuberculosis is due to
the bovine bacteria.
On the other hand is is becoming
evident that tuberculosis of bovine
origin is largely responsible for sur
gical and abdominal tuberculosis,
especially among children; further
more it is to be remembered that
practically all bovine tuberculous
bacteria isolated from infection to
man were acquired from the ingestion
of dairy products.
The milk of tuberculous cows is
likely to contain the germs of the
disease and so unless heated to a
high enough temperature to kill
them is a potent factor in spreading
the disease.
Evidence shows that tuberculosis
has a firm hold wherever dairying
has become an important industry.
In some places the disease has been
but recently introduced. Many herds
in the U. S. are free from it. The
problem is to keep them so and to
eradicate the plague from the herds
that are so affected. The task Is a
stupenduous one but it must be per-
formed because infected milk and
dairy products menace the young and
also because the disease cuts deeply
into the profits of the producer, and
greatly increases the cost Of living
to the consumer. The emphasis that
has been laid on the public health
aspect Of the problem has probably
tended to make breeders and dairy
men feel that the principal way in
which they were concerned was in
preventing measures, designed to de-
bar the marketing of infected dairy
products, from being drastic. The
welfare of all demands that the
disease be attacked not in hap
hazard fashion but in a carefully
thought-out campaign. Many cities
in our state now have laws requiring
that all cows supplying the city with
milk be tested for tuberculosis by
government or state veterinarian, OF
else that the milk be pasteurized;
this is the only safe course that can