TUBERCULOSIS AMONG CATTLE.

Te Aroha News, Volume VII, Issue 384, 13 July 1889, Page 8

TUBERCULOSIS AMONG CATTLE.

The Stock Department have i"<?u<»d a circular to rattle nwn^r', Giving di'-ections for the prevention of the pptpnd of tuberculosis. The fhief recommendations are the destruction of " -waste? s" the •spaying or castration of young: nnimate of donhtful health, the frequent weeding of dnirj r herds, selection of pasture and extra foor and shelter in poor district*! in winter. Appended to the circular is " the report of t^e Departmental Committee appointed to enquire info tnbeicnWis in the United Kinerdom, I8 Q B." This treats veiy ex haustively on the subject of the nature of the disease, II «nve. this disease, technically known by the term tubeiculosi" or tubercle, is so called because it produce" in the ti^nes of most warm-blooded animals small inflammatory lumps or knots, the latin word for which, as originally applied by Celsa", was " tnbercnlum." The disease is known in the United Kingdom by different name", according to the part*! of the body it may happen to attack, or according to the kind of lesions it produces, or, finally, according; to its genera 1 effect on the body. Thus it is commonly railed phthisis or consumption, pinincr, and wasting (the animal being- called a " waster "), scrofula, strnmous disease, •fcheesy inflammation of the lungs, caseous pneumonia, caseous bronchopneiimonia, tubercularpleurisy, the grapes, the grape disease (German perlsucht), consumption of the bowels, tabes mesenterica, tuber%uljw meningitis. . . . The tubercle nUteillus does not attack all domestic animals equally. Arranging them in order of respective liability of the disease, they are as follow : Man, milch cows, fowls, todenta, piga, goats, sheep, horses, car nWora, i.e., dogs, cats, etc. (very rarely). From this it appears that the organism grows irioßt readily in those animals which are omnivorous or herbivorous. In all cases the female sex suffers more than the male ; and in certain foims of the malady, as is common to all microbe diseases, young animals are more sensitive and more easily attacked than adults. Further, certain unhealthy conditions cause a predisposition to contract the disease and receive the poison. Such are (I) Starvation ; (2) Deficiency of oxygen by bad ventilation ;'3) Exhausting secretion", e.g.. prolonged lact'ition ; (4) Possibly hereditary (vide infra Modes of trans mission of the vims, Art. 29) ; (5) Certain foods (asserted but very doubtful), It is pointed out that the virus may enter the body by many ways, by heredity, inhalation, swallowing and subcutaneous introduction, adding that '• Further, although the bacilli may be found, but rarely in the flesh, still the chance of their being present either there or in the blood is too prob-ible to ever allow of the flesh of a tubercular animal being used for food under any circumstances, either for man or the lower animals." A bint of the greatest impoitance is also given in nection 51, thus :— {t It is obvious that the fact of miJk being infected is of primary importance to the health both of animals and of men, since milk has been proved both to contain the bacilli and to infect the lower animals, e.g., calves, pigs, etc., while- unfortunately, it is becoming abundantly clear that by the same method of transmission of the virus the disease is cotnmunieated to .the human being." In section 56, a rather startling statement is made, which cannot be too earnestly impressed upon the public. ''Now that the unity of the various pioceases which the luberciriar bacillus sets up is known, it phould be clearly understood that it has been calculated from the statistics of the registrars of various countries, that to this poison alone are due from 10 to 14 per per ■tent of all deaths among human beings." Tiie report then deals with remedial measures, exritpation, compensation, etc, and ifc will ix? found well worthy of peroeal by stoclt-owner?.