SPREAD OF T.B.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 17219, 10 December 1923, Page 1

SPREAD OF T.B.

INFECTION FROM IMPURE MILK. DR BLACKMORE’S WARNING ' ' " Further reference to the question of tuberculosis in cows and the need of a pure milk supply was made to-day j by Dr G. J. Blackmore. Director of the Cashmere Sanatorium, in an interview with a ‘‘ Star ” reporter. “ Since mv previous interview was published,” said Dr Blackmore, ” the : superintendent of Agriculture for Can- j ter bury lias been in touch with me. j and he has given me particulars of the work of the Department. From what ' he told me, there appears to be no j doubt that the dairy inspectors are keen, capable, and enthusiastic men who are doing their best to protect the public from bovine tuberculosis. He j informed me that he had never re- I ceived any order to relax the reguia- j tions with regard to the inspection and | supervision of dairy herds. and that that inspection and supervision are , going on just the same now as they ! always have done. In regard to the inspection of country dairies, the Dis- j trict Superintendent of Agriculture; says that he is responsible for the in- ! spection and examination of the cows in the country, but he is not respon- ; sible for the sanitary conditions under j which the milk is produced. The inspectors, lie contends, have become so j expert at examining cows’ udders and the glands connected with them that | disease in that part of the cow’s body ! seldom escapes their notice.

THE TUBERCULIN TEST. “ I may point out, however, that 1 some years ago it was shown that the | germs of tuberculosis sometimes make j their way into the cow’s milk in the j udder when the udder is not diseased j at all- The best method known at j present of showing up obscure disease ; in the cow’s internal .organs is by j means of the tuberculin and it i appears to be doubtful whether all the j tuberculosis in dairy herds can be definitelv ascertained excepting by this test. That the test is efficacious is shown by the fact that the herd supplying milk to the Hospital Board’s institutions and which have been tested and re-tested several timer? has undergone the most marked improvement as regards the number of cows re-acting 1 positively to the tuberculin' test- since | the hoard first insisted its milk j should come from tested cows. . A DEFINITE INCREASE. V- “ When I said that the milk supplied is apparently less pure than what was supplied ten years ago. T was. of course, referring to bacterial contamination, and I judged by the result*, he- i cause it appears to be a fact which \ cannot be gainsaid that bone and joint tuberculosis, that is. milk-born tuberculosis, has definitely increased of late years in this district- _ Dr Fox tells ,pie- -that .the number of such case* now coming into the hospiial is beyond anything that used to He sknown in years gone by. and the fact that the British Medical Association has drawn attention to the increase shows that his opinion is shared by doctors working both inside and outside hospitals. “ How the increase has come aboutis a matter requiring closest investigatin''’' -« ith a view t.o finding a remedy.”