The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1921-12-03
ERMONT HAS
| POOR SHOWING
is One Of Five States Hav-
ing Over 10 Per Cent of
Bovine tuberculosis
SAYS DIR. DE FOSSET
|. BACK FROM CHICAGO
But Vermont Has Been
Making an Improve
ment

y tilC dlndal liiCttth6 ~
4 States Live Stock Sanitary associa-
| ton. He announces the conference the
most important of its kind ever held
! in America. The attendants numbered
about 450 and included practical Held
men. sanitary officials, investigators,
and scientists Of both the veterinary
and medical professions. Tuberculo-
sis was discussed for three days from
| its various angles. Prevention and
control measures we're given the most
thorough discussion at this particular
conference. The preventive measures
related to human protection as well
as to bovine and other animals.
investigators Of national prominence
| discus sed the disease in its relation to
| the public health. Notable among
these were DIR. Isaac Abt, professor OF
pediatrics, department OF medicine,
Northwestern university, Chicago, HI,
4 who spoke on clinical studies relative
to tuberculosis Of children, and DR.. w.
A. Evans of the health department OF
/ the Chicago Tribune and former health
commissioner of the city of Chicago,
who spoke on the subject, why
/ health departments are interested in
! the eradication OF bovine tuberculosis. Z
Dr. L. c. Schroeder, superintendent OF
i the experimental station OF the United
| States bureau of animal industry,
Bethesda, Md, spoke on his obserya-
| tions from experimental work done
over q period of almost thirty years.
These men were very positive IN
their assertions as to the possibility
Of the transmission of bovine tubercu-
| losis to children who consume milk
containing bovine tubercular bacilli.
They advocate milk that is free from
! the bacclllus obtained from the tuber-
culin tested cows. As to the extent OF
tuberculosis in the human for which
| the bovine type is responsible, 1t Is yet
| mooted question 1t was evidenced,
however, that the Investigators hold
| the view that the situation is quite
serious and that it is not good policy
to withhold information on the subject
longer BY permitting the unsuspecting
public to fall prey to a dangerous germ
that does cause disease and death in
Young children, let alone the many
thousands that it leaves MANNED and
crippled for life with bone and joint
affection.
The chief of the tuberculosis eradi-
cation division, United States bureau
of animal industry at Washington,
| from careful observation made by him
over a long period of years, pointed
out in convincing manner that pas
teurization alone has not prevented
infection of the human from the bovine
source. Pasteurization is not pyacti-
cal on the farm and in some municipal
| tiles is carried on with such laxity as
to render ii ineffective as a preventive
to the human. He pointed out that
herds of cattle supplying cities which
depend on pasteurization and in which
no tuberculin testing has been done,
are diseased to very alarming extent.
This is due to the fact that there Is
no control measure in the herd itself
and the economic loss TO the live stock
| Industry on dairy cows is tremendous.
The thought of consuming milk from
such herds with the disease rampant
in all stages of its existence is, TO say
the least, nauseating.
IL was brought out very clearly at
the conference that aside from the
public health question that the eco
nomic loss Is a tremendous issue
and viii run up into many millions OF
dollars annually for the condemnation
OF meat from tuberculous animals.
A nationwide campaign has been
waged now for brief period OF only
four years and already there has been
slight reduction of the losses sus-
tanned by condemnation as evidenced
by reports gathered by the National
| Live Stock exchange. There are only
five states in which tuberculosis ex-
lists to greater extent than 10 per
cent and Vermont is one of these
states. In eleven states the disease
exists to less than two per cent. There
are some regions where swine tuber-
culosis exists 20 the extent of 25 to
40 per cent; alo il was stated that tu-
berculosis in fowls existed to an alarm
| ing extent in some of the western
states.
Il was the unanimous opinion of one
committee on tuberculosis that the dis
ease be controlled and eradicated by
the present method which = the ac-
credited plan The committee prepared
lengthy and very detailed report,
making recommendations as TO the
manner in which the campaign shall
be directed in each state. In analyzipg
these recommendations il is found that
Vermont already had carried out these
recommendations in principle and has
in reality taken a forward step from
the education and cooperation meas
IRE on down the list TO the financial
aid given BY its citizens in the form
Of appropriation. From many sources
there were expressions Of satisfaction
and confidence from other states as
to the program that Vermont has
adopted. Our regulatory measures are
regarded by come a. approaching the
IDEAL and which accounts for the prog
ress Vermont has already made.
DIR. DeFosset. inspector in charge Of
the work in Vermont, viii speak on
the subject Of bovine tuberculosis at
various places in the state Of YER
mont and give in more detail some Of
the essential things that are neces-
sarv 10 be observed to make possible
the ultimate determination Of this
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