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26
a susceptible individual, who in time falls a victim to the
complaint. This fertile avenue of infection may be easily closed
by the adoption of the simple expedient of carefully collecting
all expectoration in spit bottles or handkerchiefs and never
permitting it to become dry before it has been disinfected.
The disinfection of the spit bottles and handkerchiefs can be
readily effected by placing them in boiling water for a few minutes.
This form of the disease may also be communicated by lip kissing,
more especially at the later stages of the malady.
The Report of the Royal Commission on Tuberculosis also
appeared during the year. Although the Commissioners conclude
that meat is not a great factor in the dissemination of Tuberculosis,
they urge the importance of a rigid system of inspection and of the
condemnation of all meat showing any evidence of the disease.
They strongly recommend the substitution of public slaughterhouses
in place of the existing private slaughter-houses, in which
they consider it would be difficult or impossible to carry out an
efficient scheme of inspection at the time of slaughter. There is a
proposal that such in-pection should be entirely in the hands of
those who have passed a qualifying examination before such
authority as may be prescribed by the Local Government Board,
in order that the trade should be duly protected against ignorant
inspectors.
Compulsory notification of every disease in the cow's udder is
recommended, together with powers to inspect cows at all reasonable
times and increased powers to ensure healthy cowsheds, byres, etc.
The Commissioners also recommend that funds be placed at the
disposal of the Board of Agriculture to provide for the application
of the tuberculin test to detect infected animals at an early stage of
the disease They reject the principle of compensation. Doubtless
it is one subject to many abuses and very difficult to apply in a
satisfactory manner to all cases, but whereas compensation should
always be withheld when a cow has been used for milking purposes
while presenting unquestionable symptoms of tuberculosis, it seems
only a fair step, and one which by allaying opposition would thus
promote the end in view, to give compensation in those cases where
the animal could not have been diagnosed during life to be suffering
from the disease.