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is not wholly unattended with difficulty ; happily, however, it can in
most cases be detected with certainty in the udders of milch cows.
Provided every part that is the seat of tuberculous matter be
avoided and destroyed, and provided care be taken to save from
contamination by such matter the actual meat substance of a tuberculous
animal, a great deal of meat from animals affected by tuberculosis
may be eaten without risk to the consumer.
Ordinary processes of cooking applied to meat which has got
contaminated on its surface are probably sufficient to destroy the
harmful quality. They would not avail to render wholesome any
piece of meat that contained tuberculous matter in its deeper parts.
In regard to milk, we are aware of* the preference by English people
for drinking cow's milk raw, a practice attended by danger, on account
of possible contamination by pathogenic organisms. The boiling of
milk, even for a moment, would probably be sufficient to remove the
very dangerous quality of tuberculous milk."
(The administrative part of the subject is not dealt with in the Report )
The foregoing summary is naturally divisible
into two parts, namely, that dealing with milk, and
that with meat. It is unnecessary to refer to
the prevalence of tuberculosis among animals beyond
saying that of 300 milch cows slaughtered in
Edinburgh in 1890, in consequence of an outbreak
of pleuro-pneumonia, 40 per cent. were found on
post mortem examination to be tuberculous.
"With regard to the milk supply, there is ample
proof of the danger of conveying the disease by this
channel, in the frequency of tubercular disease of
the bowel and mesenteric glands of young children,
whose food is largely made up of milk. The Commission
say "happily it (tuberculosis) can in most
cases be detected with certainty in the udders of
milch cows." There are, however, cases of