The Ypsilanti daily press., 1944-04-14
due to meat and live stock inspee-
ton is in tuberculosis.

due to meat and live stock inspee-
ton is in tuberculosis.
As everyone knows the rate Of
incidence Of tuberculosis in this
country has been steadily declin-
ing. This comedies in general with
a world wide decline, and that
world wide decline has probably
been due TO more stable living con-
ditions, especially a more regular
and adequate food supply. When
one thinks Of the famines that pre-
vailed all over the world at regu-
lar intervals in civilized countries
down to 1850 the contrast between
those and the conditions prevail
ing in the United States in our
time should make US grateful.
Irish Potato Famine
The last widespread great fam
inc in the western world was the
Irish Potato Famine of the eigh.
teen-forties. Famines in India and
China have kept the tuberculosis
death rate in those countries high.
We may expect on the basis Of past
experience, an increase in tuber-
culosis in all European countries
following the famine conditions OF
this war.
While general food supply par
allels the incidence of tuberculosis,
the incidence of tuberculosis in
live stock is a special condition
which keeps up the incidence in
humans. And here the United
States experience has shown a
great improvement over the Eu-
ropean. Here the vigilance of
United States inspection has
played the major role. 1t was de-
finitely established that bovine
and swine tuberculosis could be
transmitted TO humans in approxi-
mately the early years Of the pres
ent century. The Agricultural De-
partment Of the United States and
Great Britain Ito make a control
based on known fgures) started to
eliminate infected live stock.
But whereas the United States
officials were ruthless in slaugh-
tering and removing from market
all infected animals all in which
the diagnosis could be made, the
British authorities adopted a half
hearted procedure depending on
whether the animal showed elm
lcal symptoms Of being sick or not.
The results were evident to the
British authorities who found
themselves with still infected
herds about 1925, and they adopt
ed more vigorous procedures.
Opposition to Rules
The United States action was
not accomplished without opposi-
tion. Members of Congressional
Committee in 1918 when told that
progress could not be made with
out reimbursing farmers for their
slaughtered cattle asked why
should the Federal Government
pay farmers for their sick cows"
The answer to that question is
evident in the statistics.
/ said that the decline in tuber-
culosis has been gradual all over
the world. But note the sharp de-
cline in the United States incl
dence parallel with the testing and
slaughter Of infected cattle.
In 1900 the death rate of human
lung tuberculosis in the United
States was 1905. In 1941 it was
4o.s.
In 1917 when cattle testing be-
gan there were 10000 cattle tested
and 645 slaughtered in the United
States and the tuberculosis death
rate was 124. In 1927 there were
3 million cattle tested, 285,0OO
slaughtered and tuberculosis
death rate was IL. In 1887 there
were 13 million cattle tested and
$4,000 slaughtered and the tuber-
culosis death rate was 40. In the
twenty years Of cattle testing the
human tuberculosis rate improved
nearly half again as rapidly as be-
fore tuberculosis in live stock was
investigated. This certainly can
not be accounted for by improved
living conditions alone. The cam
paign against tuberculosis in live
stock has iusti6ad ,t.a1f - Ill