Arizona state miner., 1925-09-19
THE MENACE Of
TUBERCULAR COWS

Yuma is the only city IN Arizona
which has an official municipal in
spector of animal foods, including
meats and milk from dairy herds.
There are no such inspectors in Phoe-
nix to represent the city. Federal
Inspectors Johnston and Robertson
are now over in vicinity of Yuma in
specting cattle herds for tuberculosis
"reactOrS".
Two weeks ago U. S. Inspector c..
E. Johnston called on the Five Points
Star by request of the Bureau of Ami
NAL Inspection at Washington. In
the interview which followed, we
were informed that 70 per cent of the
cattle and dairy herds of Arizona
turned out reactOrS-in various stages
of tuberculosis.
This is a startling situation if true.
To protect humanity from infection
of the dread T. B. disease, we were
told that if all reactors in this state
who gave evidence of being infected
were slaughtered, there would not be
a packing house in Arizona.
From pamphlets sent out by the
department, we learn that only GER
tain carcaseS of reactOrS are de-
strOyed. Many are considered fit and
sold for human consumption after the
affected parts have been cut out and
thrown away and those sold are what
is known to the butchers and meat
markets as Grade B. Meat"
Following their inspection tour of
the section around Phoenix, the in
spectors shipped carload after car
load of reactors to California. There
they are killed and sold, the owners
here in Arizona being reimbursed by
checks representing about one third
the value of the carcass, or for what
ever it was sold for, whether for food,
soap making or fertilizer.
The reasons given for such huge
percentage of reactors in Arizona are
the fact that T. B. germs, under our
mild climate, seldom die; but after
being excreted in the fields and pas
lures, temporarily dry up and become
inert, until moisture, climate and veg
citation furnish favorable conditions
for culture and re-propagation. These
conditions should call for total de-
structiOn of all affected carcasses by
quicklime, acids or crematory furn-
aces.
Heroic measures were used in Cali
fOrnia to stamp out the horrible raw
age of the late foot and mouth cpl
demic. Thousands of cattle, whole
herds, were driven into trenches and
slaughtered. Dairy herds, without
number, were totally destroyed to
check the disease, it's virulence being
so infectious as to be capable of be-
ing transmitted to the human race.
With all the efforts of humane socie-
ties for prevention of spread of tuber-
culosis in the U. S. set at naught, by
uSages of state, county and federal
governments in disposition of T. B.
infected livestock, we would opine
that the spread of tubercular infection
is going to go on ad infnitum.
tuberculosis is disease that read
lily spreads to the human race from
infected dairy cows thru consumption
of milk. One would infer that every
reactor in dairy herd at least, should
be slaughtered to prevent it from ever
coming back to the herd and her
milk and cream again finding sale to
infants or debilitated humans. Some
processes of sterilization are advoca
ted by clinical authorities, as a rem
edy against propagation of T. B
germs to humanity, but they are not
considered absolutely sure against in
lection.
One of. the best remedies advocated
to meet the growing tubercular men
ace from milk of infected COWS is tc
stop altogether the sale of Grade f
milk from which the cream has beer
separated and thorough sterilization
of all cream and milk taken from
dairy COWS designed for human con
sumption.