WORK OF THE “VET”

Manawatu Times, Volume LIV, Issue 6863, 19 March 1929, Page 8

WORK OF THE “VET”

Food Supplies Inspected, v Stock Diseases Combated ROTARY CLUB ADDRESS B Y MR J. Me LINDEN The valuable work done by the veterinary profession in carrying out a careful inspection of food supply services and in combating disease amongst domestic stock was stressed by Mr. J. McLinden, veterinary officer at Massey College, who was yesterday’s speaker st the Palmerston North Kotary Club luncheou. In the course of a veterinary surgeon’s travels, said Mr. McLinden, he frequently found that many persons were quite ignorant of the functions and uses of the veterinary profession. This, however, was in a way due to the attitude of the profession itself, for no publicity was sought, but rattier quiet service and research. Tho speaker divided the profession of veterinary surgery into three groups —the private practioner, tho public health officer, and the research worker. All these performed very important services in safe-guarding the health and welfare, of the country’s domestic stock. Diseases Eliminated. The spcakc£ first referred to three dangerous and well known diseases which, in past days, had been transmitted from animal to animal and had constituted a scourge. These were anthrax. rabies, and glanders but owing to the exhaustive research work of the veterinary profession, these three dreadful scourges had now been almost eliminated from all countries of the world, with the exception of India. Tuberculosis, however, appeared likely to ravage the world * for many years yet, for so far it had not been success’ fully combatted. At present, governments set aside a fen' thousands of pounds annually for the purpose of providing sanatoria and treatment for tubercular cases but, so far preventive measures had not been discovered and tbc methods adopted, appeared to the speaker to be a ease of ‘‘shutting the stable door after the horse had gone.” However, America had already taken a lead as far as stock was coneedned and was forming “islands” of infected stock, where all diseased animals were gathered together. Every month more and more infected animals were bc-ing drawn to these islands, until tho day -would come when whole states would be able to boast that they had not a single tubercular animal among their herds.

Inspecting Abattoirs. Another important avenue of the veterinary surgeon’s work was that of inspecting freezing works. This work meant tho detection of various parasites and diseases which would render meat unfit for human food. One of the chief of these parasites was the tapeworm, which infected pork, and beef and rendered it unfit for food. The presence of tho tape-worm in the dead animal was hard to detect and constituted a distinct danger to consumers. Beef and pork discovered to be thus infected was rejected as “measlev.” Careful cooking alone could minimise the danger iu the rare instance of inferior moats passing the inspector. Another important work performed by the veterinary surgeon was the inspection of abattoirs and slaighter houses. The expert by carrying out the inspection performed a great service through ensuring absolute cleanliness in all killing operations, as well as by insisting that stock should not be slaughtered when hot and tired and in other conditions which would render I,lie meat unfit for human use. A careful watch had also to bo kept for malignant tumours, cancerous growths, anaemia, and debility which all gave grounds for the rejection of slaughtered animals. Milk Supplies. Yet another sphere of the veterinary surgeon’s activity was the inspection of public, milk supplies and the examination of the dairy herds from which tho supply came. This inspection included the working conditions of employees. their physical condition and the health of the dairy cows supplying the milk. It was necessary for the inspector to order the destroyal of all diseased animals and to prevent workers with infectious diseases from being employed. Contagious Mammitis.

There were a number of dangerous and very damaging diseases prevalent amongst dairy cows. Cue of which a great deal was heard, was mammitis and in this respect he wished to make it clear that there was only one class of mammitis and that was contagious mammitis. All mammitis was contagious and the disease could not be divided into two classes, of wbich one wss infectious. With a friend, the speaker had for many months pursued a course of research, in an endeavour to discover a vaccine for the provention and combating of mammitis. In the course of this research, mar.y days and weeks of labour and thought had been spent, only to result in an abandonment of the plan as impracticable. Nature could not immunise animals from mammitis for more than three days, so what hope had man to do more, by artificial methods? Obviously it \vas not practicable! to inject vaccine every three days and for this reason, lie was of the opinion that tiie only viay of combating mammitis was by the old clinical methods.

In proposing the club’s vole of thanks to the speaker, Eotarian F. E. B. Chin, stressed the importance of the public accepting only inspected meat, or in other words, only meat which had passed the examination of a government inspector. These officers were most thorough and conscientious in their inspeetiou and let nothing past them.