DISEASED MEAT AND UNWHOLESOME MILK.

Press, Volume XLVIII, Issue 7804, 6 March 1891, Page 2

DISEASED MEAT AND UNWHOLESOME MILK.

Weekly Press.

We are pleased to notice that ourelvjc authorities are now in earnest as regards the prevention of the sale of diseased meat and unwholesome milk. Enqulrie* are being made as to the condition of the afirburban dairies. This Is a most important matter as we shall presently anow. ine inspeefcion of dairies is much needed, but there U another matter which demands attention, and that is the jreneral supervision of the slaughter of cattle intended for human food. A public slaughter yard is what is needed, where all ammals slaughtered would be brougbc under •upervision. How important this matter U a» affecting the health of the community at large may be estimated by a perusal of a little work of 160 pages recently published oy Dr. a. A. Heron, M.D. (Glasgow). Ita title is "Evidences of the Communicability of Consumption " It is well known that tuberculosis (consumption) is pre\aleat in Australia and it is not a stranger to New Zealand ; the subject, therefore, is one of vital importance. Recent experiments made with the milk of tuberculosis cows, and several cases which have occurred, seem to point to the conclusion that such milk produces tuberculosis. in healthy animals. The travelling inspector, under the Veterinary Department of the Privy Council, recently gave evideuce before a select committee appointed to enquire into pleuro-pneumonia and tuberculosis in the United Kingdom touching this question of the conveyance of tuberculosis from the bovine animal to man. He stated that he had personal experience which pointed cleariy in that direction. lie mentioned as a port of his experience the case of a certain farm in Scotland. There, during the course of the season, they had from fourteen to twenty cases of tuberculosis amongst the cattle. Those who-worked amongst the cattle on chat farm were women, and the inspector referred to above makes the following statement concerning them. —" There was a large number of patieuts among the servants in this farm suffering from consumption, and there many mere cases of consumption in the immediate district; than at other places." The Doctor goes on to say that milch cows are more often the subjects of tubercular diseases than any other kind of stock. There seems to be little, if any. doubt but that tubercular infection is communicable by cow, stnilk from beast to man. That is of course from consumptive cows. As regards the use of flesh of tubercular animah, it is generally admitted that any pare of an affected carcass is likely, if used for food, to cause disease in those eating it. Dr. Huron remarks that this is one o£ the most important and one of the gravest points requiring to be considered in connection wicn the question of the communicability of tubercular disease. He goes on to say—"lt haa been frequently remarked by experts that tubercular bacilli have often been found in the marrow of the bones of animals which, judging of them by all known standards, would have been passed as " prime beasts" by men best able to give an opinion on the subject. This fact proven io demonstration thaw the tubercular virus may circulate with the blood stream through the body of an animal before any ' localised' symptom of that disease can be detected. Also it is matter of common knowledge amongst veterinary surgeons thut tubercular diseases in cattle used by man for food very early in its onset, snows by unmistakable signs that it has become a generalised, not merely a localised disease." And for this reason we argue that a vigorous supervision be kept bver all animals to be slaughtered for the food of man. Large quantities of the flesh of tuberculous animals are consumed daily in England, as the law there permits, under certain restrictions, of the sale of carcasses of animals obviously tainted with localised, tuberculosis. The restrictions are that the obviously diseased parts, and a certain, or rather uncertain, extent of apparently sound tissue around them, shall be cut away from the carcase, and not sold for food. It is strange that the law of England should vary from that of Scotland and Ireland inasmuch as in these countries' no animal which shows any sign of tubercular disease is not allowed to !be sold as food. It is strictly prohibited. It will be gathered from the foregoing remarks that the consumption of either the flesh or milk of tubercular cows by man will if other, conditions be present produce consumption. • This fact has been amply demonstrated by the discoveries of Paateur, Koch, and others of bacilli as the direct cause of diseases, the origin of which have for so longa time remained unknown to science. We repeat our assertions that every care should be taken by those who have the power (by the Legislature) to make provision for the detection and destruction of diseased animals.