T.B. AND MILK

Hawke's Bay Herald-Tribune, Issue 140, 30 June 1937, Page 7

T.B. AND MILK

-Press Association. )

Bovine Sotirces of Infection EFFECT ON THE PUBLIC

(By Telegraph-

WELLINGTON^ XasOJiffhU j Interesting coimnents on tubereuiosiaj as it aft'ecta huiiians and animau wer6 mado by Dr. '1'. D. Stout, presidsnt oi the New Zeaiand Braucli oi the Britisil iiedical Association, iu his address to ! the New Zealand Veterinary Association to-day. Dr, Stout xeferred to the important part a pure niiik supplyi piayed in maintaiuing the health of the community. "In dealing with tubercuiosis as it, aft'eets both iiuinan and animal pathol* ogy, ene naturally treats the disease soieiy from the point of view of the; incideuce of the rnfectioa and its pre-j vention, ' ' he said. "As iar as tio in-| cidence of infection is concOmed, I1 think it is xommonly agreed bone joint' and glandular infection is largely bovine in nathre, and that tubercuTosis of the lung is only really due jto bovine infection, though certain authorities do not entirely agree with this distinction. We are iortunate in New Zealand in having a relatively low rate of; incidence in uone joint and glandular; tubercuiosis, and this may be due to the generally high state of well-being iu the community, of a vetfy adequate' food supply, fairly good housing, and particiilarly absence of densely crowded' areas of population. Mixing of Milk. "On the other hand, it may be due to the lesser incidence of tubercuiosis in cows in New Zealand, ahd the moro careful handling and preparation of the milk. I think there can be little doubt that the mixing- of the inilk of rnany cows, which inust lower the xisk of infection, is of course, an e.lfective preventive. .From one;s own experien«e, the risk of infection is run by. ,tbe. country child, for whom is possibly reserved the speciai milk of (let me say) a prizc Jerscy Cow, and who is therefore ied with a concentrated dose; of What may be fubercuie infected milk. In Ihe' towa where the milk is a mixed quantity from a wkoie iierd, or may be herds, the risk of getting a conceu-i tration of tubercule is obviously iess, and where the milk supply is pasteurised as well as being mixed, the risk must be nph-existent. 1 am well aware i that the tubercuJin test as applied to J cows is very efficient and very sensitiVe, ! and one cannot btit feel that all infect- j Cd cowS from which milk is utilised j for human consumption should be ! periodicaliy tested by this method, and - j preferably destroyed, or at least not : used as milk suppliers. "I foel that if this were carried out throughout New Zealand bovine tubercuiosis could be eiiminated, and human tubercuiosis much omeiiorated. When ail milking herds are dealt with, then Lthe rest oi the country could be similariy freed from tuberiillosis. We cannot deal withr the human race by such drastic methods, but we can deal with the animal kihgdom, and if on.ee ffeeci, there is not the shme inter-commiinica' tion between animals of diflerent countries, which would prevent the same s'atisfactory result iu the hnman race. If disease could be eiiminated from the cow, perhaps our eiaborate method of pasteurisation may not be so necessary for the protection of health in the human element of the population. a "There are other diseaees, however, which are spf^ad by means of milk, and from which pasteurisation acts as a preventatiVe. Value of Pasteurisation. "I refer particularly Lto undulant fever and epidemics of sore throats which have been traced to infection through milk. It may be that pasteurisation does lcad to some deterioration iD milk from the point of palatability, and possibly slightly in the food bala&ce, but its pre-eminent value ih the prevention of disease is infinitely more impcrtant to the health of the community. It can only be cohsthntly applied, however, When millc is conSumed in bulk, and its application in this manner does not render unnece3saiy tho eradication of the disease itself in the cow, as quite apart from the reaction of the human being, is tho cffect on the health of our dairy stock, As cattle are not housed in this country, and as the climate should have a natural benclicihl Oftect in coUhterhcting tubercuiosis, eradication of the disease should be a practical issue."