Manchester Democrat., 1921-06-15
DAIRY CATTLE TO
be I. B. TESTED
COUNCIL TO PASS ORDINANCE
PERMITTING ONLY TESTED
MILK TO BE SOLD.
STATE MAN ON THE JOB soN
Citizens Asked to CO-Operate Will
Those who are Backing Move
ment for Pure Milk.

4
| ordinance requiring all cattle supply
ing milk for city consumption to be
tuberculin tested. AT the council
meeting Monday night a committee
was instructed to draw up such an
ordinance This is a move in the
right direction and in taking this
stand Manchester is not only follow
ing the example of neighbOring up
to-date cities but safeguarding human
lives as we'll.
A lamentable commentary on the
lack of supervision over city milk
supply is found in the experience of
Iowa City this spring. Two babies
were critically i'll with tuberculosis
and at least two others reported to be
suffering from this disease, with every
reason to presume that the infection
was acquired from tuberculOus herd
of cows upon whose milk the babies
fed. The eleven cows all reacted to
the tuberculin test and showed tu-
bercuIous LESSONS upon slaughter.
The city is now taking action on q
thorough system of inspection.
Our county is not free from tbs,
same experience. Also in the few
herds tested here there has been quite
little reaction to the test. In one
herd thirteen out Of fourteen were
condemned.
Cities will no doubt continue to
spend large sums of money on pro-
jects' of lesser Importance than that
of public health and to balk at the
small sum asked for in the interest OF
clean food. Stringent banking laws
guard our savings; builders must
compley with certain regulations in
erecting building or a bridge, but
thousands of small towns and cities in
the United States are spending not one
penny to have their food guarded. Is
the health of our children of less iln-
portance that we know something. of
the wholesomeness of our meat than
that we secure full weight when we
buy a ton of coal? Must we put up
with milk coming from herd owned
by poor man, because he is poor
and cannot afford sanitary buildings
and equipment, while we refuse tc,
license the banker to care for our
paltry dollars unless he has certain
amount of capital with which to start
his business?
Tuberculosis cannot be detected in
cattle by appearances until far ad-
vaneed For instance. In Cedar Rap
ids "model dairy" of twenty-six cows
was recently tested. Nineteen out of
the twenty-six reacted to the tubeT-
culin test. Yet this dairy had for
years been regarded as model OF
cleanliness and sanitation, recon-
mended by physicians and trusted by
mothers with, babies.
This tuberculosis not only lessons
the usefulness and productivity OF the.
cattle and infects the calves, pigs and
chickens, but it is a recognized fact
that bovine tuberculosis is transmit
ted to humans. A recent report from
the research laboratory of the depart
ment of health of New York City
shows that 10 per cent of all fatal
cases t. b. in infancy is due to bovine
tuberculosis and much greater per-
centage under poor conditions. Twen-
ty-five per cent of all glandular tubcr-
culosis in children is due to bovine
infection.
Radical methods of eradication are
impossible. What is needed is the
hearty cooperation of all cities and
especially those interested in public
health and our live stock Industry, in
demanding tuberculin tested cattle.
Now is an opportune time to test.
There is federal appropriation avail
able July first, the money appropriat-
ed being used to reimburse owners Of
reacting cattle. the state and federal
agents doing all the work of testing
free. The early applications are the
ones which will receive this aid as 1t
is limited. If Delaware county wants
some of this money spent here the
cattle owners should apply at once.
DR.. Strong, the federal inspector for
this state, is here now and can give
these applications immediate atten.
ton. All interested should get in
touch with him either through DR..
C. NJ. Morgan or the County Agent,
Robt. Combs.