Norwich bulletin., 1921-08-23
30 PER CENT. OF cows

=
 IN STATE TUBERCULAE
 As a public health factor at least 30 per cent. of the COWS owned in Connecti- cut should be destroyed in order ot wipe out an important source of tuberculosis, particularly in children. As an economic factor any such program of destruction is impossible and work will have to pro ceed far more slowly than that That is a summary of the situation in Connech- cut under policy of attacking bovine tu- berculosis which has been adopted in ac- cordance with latest beliefs as to that disease. 3
 It has been theory until very recent years that milk from tubercular cows is made safe for human consumption by pasteurization. The latest. theory is that ordinary, pasteurization does not entirely remove the element of danger and that the only safe way to remove 1t is to de stroy animals which react under the tu- berculin test
 It is estimated by authorities of the federal public health service today that 25 or 20 per cent. of child tuberculosis which exists is of bovine origin and is acquired from drinking milk Of affected cows This applies to glandular and bone tuberculosis and the related disease af- fecting the spinal cord. +r
 Instead therefore of permitting the sale of milk from tubercular cows under conditions calculated to protect health, the state is nCtw embarked upon a policy of destroying all such cattle The last l legislature appropriated S140,0 900 for the purpose in the current bienniun. to which 1 is added s25 ,o0o annually from the fed eral government. Moreover. about 30 per cent of the value of destroyed animals 1 is saivaged through the sale of hides ] 1f led fot usabla. The state's money will therefore 20 much further than might be expected i The process of -eimbursing a farmer fol | a COW destroyed T. to have an appraisa | made by state nr federal officers, the l farmer being pai0 the amount they fix al the animals valuation.
 l The domestic am. -le commissioner department now has 30Us ..ards under ob servation and the available funds will en able it to continue the work with thes and to take on 500 additional herds. II view of the fact that there are estimated to be more than 10000 herds of cattle il the state it will be seen that the stock o cattle is not going to be depleted in fey
 weeks A herd, in the eyes of the stat
 department. consists of five or more cat
 tie Nothing less than that is rated a
 a herd.
 The work is being conducted unde
 what is known as the area plan; that is
 one section is taken at a time and ths |, cleared of tubercular cattle as thorough
 as possible before, another area is under l taken. Just at present most work is be
 ing done in the vicinity of Hartford. ]
 is necessary to work with an entire her
 at time since if all tubercular cows ar
 not eliminated at once little is gained b
 removing an occasional individual COW.
 Cattle Commissioner James NJ. Whit
 tlesey said that the pasteurizat ton of mil
 has been considered sufficient for th
 protection of the public, and If that fai
 it is hard to know what can be done z the present time to se~ure for the peop of the state an adequate supply of pui l milk. Dairy and Pure Food Commi, sioner Thomas Holt when spoken to c [ the matter said that pasteurization va z an adequate safeguard when it was proI . erly done
 l Commissioner whittlesey was given s l appropriation of s14o, 900 at the last ge
 sion of the general assembly to be use in the eradication of bovine tubercuios s from the state Governor Lake has at
 vised him to spend the. money principal for pasteurization and for securing f, } the consumers of milk and meat throuEI 1 out the state food that is absolutely if, from everything prejudical to the publ health.
 v Commissioner whlttiesey has receiv,
 from pr. David R. Lyman of New Have
 a former member of the state tubercul l sis commission, letter in which il
 doctor states that from 25 to 30 per cer . of tubercular children are suffering fro 2 bovine tuberculosis.