Tuberculosis as a disease of the masses, and how to combat it : prize essay / by S. A.. Knopf.

  • Knopf, S. Adolphus (Sigard Adolphus), 1857-1940.
Date:
1901
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Licence: In copyright

Credit: Tuberculosis as a disease of the masses, and how to combat it : prize essay / by S. A.. Knopf. Source: Wellcome Collection.

Provider: This material has been provided by Royal College of Physicians, London. The original may be consulted at Royal College of Physicians, London.

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    “Cattle should not be placed so that their heads are close to- gether; each animal should have plenty of room (each cow should have at last six hundred cubic feet of air space) and occupy the same place in the stable at all times. These precautions will pre- vent the nasal, lung, or vaginal discharges from one animal strik- ing tlie head or soiling the feed of another. It is true that it is impossible to prevent animals licking each other outside of the stable, but it should be remembered that prevention must begm with the removal of all cases which are suspected of discharging tubercle bacilli. Stables should, furthermore, be carefully pro- tected from the expectorations of human beings afiected with tu- berculosis of the limgs. “ Cattle should be housed as little as possible. The pasture has the effect of gi-eatly reducing the chances of infection by a more or less rapid destruction of the virus, as well as by increasing the vigor of the animals through muscular exertion in fresh air. To what extent animals may pick up the virus on fields, it would be difficult to estimate. That it is perfectly possible cannot be gainsaid. A tuberculous animal may soil the grormd over which it passes, and other animals may take up the virus with the food soon after. “ It is not likely that the virus remains alive long enough on the gi’oimd to become dried and ready for inhalation. The action of sunlight, the alternate wetting and drying which goes on in nature, may be looked upon as destructive agents. Even if the tubercle bacilli became speedily dried, the great diluting effect of the open ail' would reduce to a minimum the chances of inhaling the virus. “Among the other dangers deserving attention is the infection of food and water. Drinking troughs should be so aii'anged that the sm'face water is constantly flowing away. Discharges from the nose or mouth left floating on the surface may be drawn in by healthy cattle while drinking. Each person must in such cases use his own judgment and ingenuity to prevent infection, in ac- cordance with the quantity of water at his disposal. “ To restrict the dissemination of the disease among young stock, the safest plan is to bring skimmed milk and other dairy products to the boiling point before feeding them. If the cows are posi- tively known to be healthy, this may be imnecessai’y, but where