TUBERCULOSIS.

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 26, 25 October 1907, Page 2

TUBERCULOSIS.

j A SCATHINC REPORT. LEGISLATION URGENTLY NEEDED. • The annual report of the Chief Government Veterinary. Surgeon (Mr. :Gilruth) on the prevalent) of tuberculosis among tho Dominion's farm- stock, forms disquieting'reading, as it has: (lono annually for many years past. The statements make one feel amazed that no adequate'attempt is'mado to stamjr out this inexcusable sourco' of infection to our human beings. •.■Mr.-.Gilruth says':—

"During'the year, what work has been done by this division in connection with tuberculosis has been of a 'routine charac- , : ■ ter —the- application of tho tuberculin ' ' test, when required, Deing one feature. It may; be noted here that this test has, as in past years,.proved most: reliable as - a means ' for definitely. diagnosing the presence'of tubercular disease in cattle." Half Measures. V Conscientious stockowners and dairymen and also ; the general' public, whose lives are being jeopardised by the presence of tuberole in the meat that is reared for food and in the cattle that yield the milk they drink, wjll nb doubt wonder why the tubercle test, which is "most reliable" for discovering tuberculous disease in stock;'is. only used "when required.' 1 It almost appears as if this country placed a very indifferent value upon the lives of those of. our people who anually succumb to ,the worst of all diseases. Mr. Gilruth states that the cattle in ;some districts are far more extensively affected'.'tlian l in others. Tho average numbers of tuberculous.yanimals slaughtered for food in the' Dominion last year aro shown in the following figures:—

: ..v ...... Per Ex- Tuber- Con- cent, amined; culosis. domned. affected ■Cattlo, ;158,003 8,(3S 2,631 6,84 Swine; . ... ;100,731 5,935 877 1 .5.89 ; Tho figures vary somewhat in tho proper tion of disease amqng tlioso slaughtered for export and. those for.local consumption: ..!Tuberoulosis'is apparently most'prevalent among •the cows- ; For Export. '. .. .. : ; ' ''' 1 ! : 1 ' Per ; ' ■ Ex-'i Tuber- Con- cent. ■ ■ amined. culosis. demned., affected 'Bullocks-' 1 ... 45,860 ' ! 2,3.54 511 5.13 Cows ... • 19,330 1,804 1,046 9.33 Bulls' 3,271 '263 108 8.04 Swino 6,584 234 136 . 3.55 Per For Local Consumption. , : ■■ ' ■ -Peri . Ex- Tuber- Con- cent. ' amine'd. culosis. demned. affected Bullocks ... 71,754 2,579 464 3.5S Cows : - 17,782 ; 1,438 502 8.08 Swine .... 93,747. - 5,701 741 • G.OB

Tuberculosis not Decreasing. ' As to tlio: ineffectiveness of anything tlwt is now being dono to stamp out tuberculosis, the. following portion of' tho report- is eloquent:—. ! "It isi now several years, smco tho Stock Act came into forco, yet there is ■ i nothing to show that tuberculosis is not now as prevalent among tho herds of ■>. the Dominion as it was ton years ago, m '.•'•'.'spite of the.fact'that. the operation of that ; Act, as ' regards . the compulsory slaughter .of , animals' suffering from scheduled disease, has been principally directed against tuberculosis., ... . These measures of repression aro certainly good so far as they go when pro-, porly carried out, for they have had; the ■ effect 'of" getting rid of' many.'badly- : ' diseased animals. . i :;;But tho weak- . . ness-of this system lies. ill the fact that thero .is' np l finality' about it. Viewed ~ '.from ,a financial standpoint alone, it '' .means that if presont methods be per- , . . petuated, the Dominion must for all time '. continue to pay its annual tax in order to at least prevent boyino tuberculosis becoWing'Tnoro. widely.disseminated than ! : ai\''present'.- ' The' object ' wliicli" really • i shoum/.ho; d.imed afeis to • effectively...reducetthe.' ravages" J oßr thp'tdiseaso tq.'the : lowest jiiunimum; possible,vm:, : tho; presont stotor6fvsoieritifio:;khowledgo-concerning " it', and this is a matter demanding most sqrious " consideration. .' Evidence. rttVail- . < ablo'goes clearly' 'to. prove' that 'ono' of thp most;'jpptent factors in the dissemiria- ' ti'on ancLj,' perpetuation''; of- tubercular disease lri' 'the'.Dominion at .the present • infected cow's, milk. Proof of this ;is furnished ' by ; extensive : amountof ! tubercular infection present among swine fed upon tho by-products of dairy factors. ' . . . .'"' By far the greater. number M of.: affected/ animals are purchased in dairying districts',"S.whoro their staple • ai^ticle.of,-diet'is,. separated-milk.or whey. ■ ■ . . ,'Tlic pigs'drawn from areas wliere .dairy-farthing !is. not>'a-; staple .industry, or, ■ where'; - tuberculosis:'among ' cattle ;' .s comparatively rate,j are. themselves ; almost ' eiltirely.',;frc.o;'fr'orri 'theV.discasb.A'/. . ' I ;'a'm ceftjaini'thatvinfected--inilKj'' whole or' separated,- -and thoy- 'are; .responsible : far by ' far . the ' greater,''number, of new , caies of tuberculosis which now obviously occur evory ; year." .

Sterilise all Milk. Apart suggested earlidryiri . ; -thevVepprtvby,.4he' ; morp drastic istamping^ibufc:'.of^diseased-:;'animals, Mr. Gilrutb points-puti'that-muclr'can-be done by making it.compulsory to sterilise ;all milk beforo -it is sent out,/ ; T ■ , ' - - ;l .' ." Separated milk or whey can be rendered'innocuous,,',so far . as. tuberculosis -; is concerned,..by -,the very simple nfiothod of rondoring its sterilisation—to,;a suffi- ' cient qxtont to ens'uro ■ th'c .destruction of tho tubercle 'before it loaves.,',the, factory/.pr/'creamery;,' There cari'be; no doubt; that. sterilisation ■ ' . . is .:ah : '.absoluto.;'iieccssity . to; the ■' snccessfnl ; suppression, s6. : .;'far' ,: iis it is ; humarily- possible, of-i tubercular-, disease . ■ among livo stock." ' Effect on Human Beings. , Tho report tiien goes on'to, point out that tho same process-'.' of-/disease., infection from cows is doubtless jjoing .011 among tlio human of the Dominion: — '"A disquieting feature of tho wholo matter is,the conclusion forced upon one that a largo numbor of cows in tho . Dominion,must be producing-tubercular, milk:* 1 : This' emphasises tho. ; : iiccessity'of. ail'amondmont in tho Stock-Act '.render-, , ' iiig the" notification of: ' all '/ suspicious, " abnormal, or' recognised .' diseased "conditions of the udder, compulsory; also ror. . a 'careful oxamination ; of' tho judders of all dairy' cows coming 'under notice of jnspecto'rs;, lln this, roaljy. the,' most important' "consideration of all,' is tho question of human Health as affected -by that portion "of the : milk-supply of tho Dominion which.goes directly into human consumption. ; " • : x -would thoreford' submit that it 'is urgently nccessary that immediato steps ' should be taken to cfFectivoly deal with 'this matter of the dissemination of tuberculosis. It is futile to ■ expend •'money ' : and labour in'searching out and 'destroy- ' ing-adult tubercular cattlo, wliilo.oacli •year's crop of .'calves ls iillowed to con-' tract infection- wholesale, .practically without chcek or hindrance by legislative,and administrative methods." The Proper Remedy.,

: Mr.'- Gilruth: concludes .this -part of his report .:witli. ;tlie.''following- recommendations to tho Minister':- 1 - _ ( - (1) " A systematic periodic' examination, .so far. as'is practically possible, of all cows supplying ■ milk for human consumption, whether directly-or. through tho' dairy factories ;,this examination ,to .be earned: out by officers in overy way competent for the duty, iand to lineludo a careful manual examination of tho .uddor of eaoli individual cow. (2)' " Thb application of the tuberculin test to all cows in which the clinical indications,

while suspicious, aro not sufficiently definite to enable a positive decision to be arrived at. (3) " Compulsory notification of , all abnormal conditions of tho udder. , (4)_ " Prohibition of the sale, of any cow showing any abnormal condition of the udder, unless the animal is passed by a qualified veterinarian as freo from tuborculosis or other, scheduled disease, and certified to ingly[N.B.—This and No. 3 above would operato also in tho direction of the control of contagious mammitis, if legislation be passed to bring it within tho scope of tha Act.l

(5) " Sterilisation (so far as the destruction of tubercle bacilli is concerned) of sll separated milk before it leaves the factory or creamery." ' An Expensive Delay. _ Nos. 1, 2, 3, and 5 are practically , repetitions of rccommondations mado as long ago a3 1899. They are still not carried into law, and since that date 5295 people have died (in six years) in New Zealand from tuberculosis.