IMPORTATION OF STOCK.

Daily Telegraph (Napier), Issue 4945, 22 June 1887, Page 3

IMPORTATION OF STOCK.

THE DANGER OF TUBERCULOSIS

IN CATTLE,

Continuing the subject of the diseases of stock, and the extent to which they may affect the agricultural interest, attention to which is rendered necessary by the proposal to throw open our ports for importation of stock, wewillnowconsidertuberculo'sis in its various aspects. '•• in cattle is synonymous with , consumption in the humansubject. Authorities tell us that pthisis (consumption) cuts ; off. npt less than-one seventh of the human race. Villemin, a competent authority, wi'iting on the communioability of tuborculosis says that tnberculosis is an infectious and specific malady, capable of being transmitted, from man to animals' and from -one animal to another. It must, however, be confessed that much difference of opinion exists regarding the life history, of this particular plague. . ~.;'. Tuberculosis has. effected a firm footing amongst the herds of Victoria, ; so much so, that competent' authorities lean to_ the opinion that it is, not only, extending itself but that it will never be tlioroughly , stamped out. • Fortunately. for that colony they, succeeded in stamping out : the-fast and only outbreak 'of i'oot-and : mouth disease. .< This occurred, in 1.872, and the outbreak in that.instance was clearly traced to a bull imported from England. • The Victorian Parliament then passt d the first Act dealing with diseases-of animals, prohibiting . the importation of stock, • .from abroad. The subsequent relaxation,of this Act led to, the,introduction of .anthrax, tuberculosis and probably i of other.diseases;. '.''' '•••"•"

Not long ago a commissionof experts was appointed by the Victorian Government to enquire into and .report upon tuberculosis as it exists in that colony, with a»view to ascertaining to what extent it has spread, -whether its existence is likely to be detrimental to the public health, and what preventive means should be adopted. A large amount of evidence was taken, much of 'which was, howover, conflicting. This was to be expected from the very nature' of _ the disease, which is one of the most insidious of the fanners' plagues. The question of its eommunicability to the human subject I Was folt to be of no ordinary interest to the community, and most of the evidence taken bore upon this point. It went chiefly to prove that inoculations with the products of human and bovine tuberculosis produce the same effects. No certain proof is thereby afforded that the two diseases are identical; but the Board were of opinion that, if human tuberculosis and bovine tuberculosis are not absolutely identical, they are at any rate most intimately related to each other in respect of causation. Other evidence went to show that the flesh.of tuberculous cattle, bsidly affected, was unfit for human food, while in the earlier stages it might be used with comparative safety. The milk of tuberculous cows cannot, with any degree of safety, be used as food for children, although some of the evidence went to prove that it might, while other evidence proved that calves allowed to suck infected mothers', invariably died young. Tho Board gave it as their final opinion that the milk of tuberculous cows must bo, considered as infective when the disease has become generalised throughout the body, but not sooner; it appears to us to be rather a nice point to decide when an animal has I passed from the non-infecting to the infecting stage. This particular disease is more frequent amongst dairy cattle than any others. Tho reason is supposed to be the strain on the system from constant milking. It was also brought out that the old dairy cows were more subject to the disease than younger ones, and therefore, it was advised that dairy cows should be sent to the shambles before their system became debilitated. From the generally uniform character of tho evidence collected, the Board decided to recommend tuberculosis in cattle to_ be declared by the Governor-iu-Council to be a contagious, infective disease, so that it might be brought within the meaning of the "Diseases of Stock Act, 1872." This step was taken on tho ground that tuberculosis is an incurable disease, and is com? municable from one animal to another by llfected food, and by infected _ air._ It is due to a specific organism which is constantly present in all annuals suffering from tuberculosis, and which may be cultivated in the pure state through many generations, inoculations of the pure organisms producing a disseminated growth of tubercles in other animals, the specific organism being found in the tubercles so produced. With regard to the extent to which this disease prevails in Victoria there seems to be some difference of opinion, some asserting that 2 per cent, would cover the extent, while several veterinary surgeons and district inspectors of stock ai'e of opinion that from 15 to 20 per cent, of .the cattle sent to the Melbourne market are tuberculous. The Board, however, was of opinion that 7 per cent, would suffice as an estimate of infected cattle throughout the colony. The reflection here forces itself upon us that the use of tuberculous milk amongst the infantile population of Melbourne may have as much to do with the infantile mortality, said to be so high in that city, and at present attributed to climatic causes.

It may be well to give here some of the symptoms of this insidious disease. It is fitting that owners of stock should be familiar with the premonitory symptoms of all well defined cattle diseases; although in the disease under consideration tho symptoms are gradual, and do not show themselves till the disease is well advanced. Tho first sigh is a dry single cough, not in paroxysms, with little apparent distress. After a time the symptoms become more pronounced; the patient falls off in condition, and the cough increases in frequency and in severity, assuming a hoarse and hollow sound. The coat becomes staring, the eyes sunken and the back arched. When these symptoms appear the disease has entered upon its third and last stage, and death soon intervenes. .

We have now briefly described another of the cattle plaguos common to Europe, and, which concerns us much more, rife in Victoria. We have also shown that tho Board appointed by the Victorian Government to examine and report on tuberculosis have arrived at the conclusion that tuberculosis is " an infectious and specific malady capable of being transmitted from man to animals, and from one animal to another." The natural inference is, that while we are still free from such a scourge it is our bounden duty to take all reasonable precautions to protect our own herds from its inroads. It is a hereditary disease, that is, it may be transmitted from an infected sire or dam to their offspring, and eontiimed from generation to generation. Its infection may pass not only by touch of body or other substantial agent, but by tho air ; and against contact with infected air it is liard to take precautions. The disease was unknown in Victoria fifteen years ago : but so insidious are its approaches that* to-day the official statement" declares seven per cent, of that colony's cattle to be infected. The present loss is incalculable, and the prospective loss is equally so, for competent authorities scarcely hope to see it eradicated. Lastly, there is grave cause for suspicion that the preseuce of consumption in the cattle of a country must result in an increase of consumption among the human beings in that country, due to the use for food •of infected beef and milk. Grave responsibility will rest upon those who are called ujjon; ,to decide what are the '' reasonable precautions " the colony ought to take for its protection from tuberculosis in cattle. —Christchuroh Weekly Press.