TUBERCULOSIS IN CATTLE AMONG ASYLUM HERDS.

Otago Witness, Issue 2368, 20 July 1899, Page 7

TUBERCULOSIS IN CATTLE AMONG ASYLUM HERDS.

(Fbom Ottb .Own Cokbespondent.J r^ WELLINGTON, July 15. * The medical superintendent of the Christchurch Lunatic Asylum makes some interesting comments on the* prevalence of tuberculosis in cattle at the asylum farm. He says : " So much importance is given in the present day to the spread .of tuberculosis and .other diseases of an infectious character, not Formerly considered so, and the necessity for checking the same, that too much attention cannot be given to the subject of overcrowding. This naturally leads to the question of the prevalence of tuberculosis in our dairy' herd, the means adopted for its extinction, and the innocuous quality of our milk supply. At my initiative about two years ago the Stock department tested our herd ' with tuberculin. Several animals reacted to the test, but the conditions under which the -examinations were conducted, as well a^ the apparently robußfc health of most of the animals, seemed to leave some doubt as to its reliability in the mind of the operator, and no further steps were taken at the ; time beyond the fitting up of a pasteurising plant as soon as possible. It was intended, however, to re-examine the cattle in the course of a few months, but this being impracticable for some reason or ofher, Was not done. Towards the etkl of the year, in December last, Mr Reakes, the Government veterinary surg eon, conducted • a very full and careful : examination of the whole herd with tuberculin, with the unfortunate result that a very large proportion reacted. Since then a large number of the condemned animals have been removed and slaughtered under the inspection of the officials of the Stock department, and the few that have been kept on for breeding purposes, not supposed to be so badly affected as the others, have been very, carefully and completely isolated. In addition "fo j the above precautions all the milk used, both fresh and skim, for ordinary dietetic ptirposes as well as for calf feed is pastuerised latterly up to 180deg, in accordance with the most recent recommendation of Mr Sorensen, late' Government dairy insprctor, in a Tecent number of the 'Dairyman.' The loss of so! many j valuable and selected dairy cows and heifers ixecessarily affected our milk supply, and will entail considerable expenditure in working up so good a herd. I was gieatly at a loss to account for the marked prevalence of tuberculosis amongst our cattle a3 compared with the stock of private individuals, which, I understand, moreover, is not confined to this asylum, but is more or less common in the herds of the other similar institutions in the colony, till my attention was recently drawn to a paper by one of the inspectors of slock in South Australia, road before the Institute of Hygieno in Adelaide. That s/entlsman proposed the theory of the direct infection of cattle by the sputum of man. and quotes several cases which seem strongly confirmatory of the .position he takes up. The work of Sims Wocdhead on 'Bacteria and Their Products,' one of the most, recent and best authorities on the subject (p.p.. 2?.5 and 216) seems, to leave, no .doubt' about the .possibility of Ibis. Assuming, then, the bovine bacillus Lo be the same as in the' human subject or capable of development from it, this direct inspection theory " would easily account for' the greater prevalence of 'the disease niiiongsfc. our herds than in those in general, for with' such a. large number of persons, many of whom ijire in different stageß of consumption, constantly employed about our paddocks, a comparatively limited acreage, and cow byres, who, moreover, are not particular in their habits of expectoration, our cattle have & much greater chance of contracting this disease than those of private persons. '