[Report 1908] / Medical Officer of Health, Cockermouth U.D.C.
- Cockermouth (England). Urban District Council.
- Date:
- 1908
Licence: Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0)
Credit: [Report 1908] / Medical Officer of Health, Cockermouth U.D.C. Source: Wellcome Collection.
14/28 page 14
![milked, as bearing on the cleanliness of the milk.— [h] The condition of the cows themselves as regards tuberculosis. The Council of this town has for several years past, given the first of these considerable atten- tion, and during the year under review have appointed on my report, a veterinary surgeon to make quarterly inspections and reports on all animals and byres of the cow-keepers in the Urban district and also the outside dairy farms, which supply the town. A point that apparently receives too little attention from the cow-keepers, is the proper grooming of the cows, the cleansing of the udders, and the hands of the milkers. In the third interim report of the Royal Commission, on Human and Bovine Tuberculosis, it has been clearly demonstrated. “ That in the case of cows obviously suffering from tuberculosis of the lungs or alimentary canal, the excrement, from the point of view of accidental tuberculous contamination of the milk, is much more dangerous than the matter dis- charged from the mouth and nostrils.” “’Tuberculous cows without disease of the udder mav excrete tubercle bacilli by the mammary gland and also cause tubercul- ous contamination of the milk, by the fcccal matter, which so frequently is introduced in ordinary milking.” Although these inspections are a step in the rig'ht direction, yet it seemed probable that after the second interim report of the Royal Commission on Tubercul- osis, that a more thorough inspection, especially of the cows was required. This report, like the third, just published is of extreme interest to all engaged in safe- guarding the Public Health. It will be remembered that at the International Congress on Tuberculosis, held in London in 1901, Prof. Koch stated, that as the result of certain investigations made bv him, he believed that human and bovine bacilli are different in kind, and the statement was made that the likelihood of human beings becoming* infected to any serious degree with bacilli of bovine origin, was so slight that it might be regarded as of little practical moment. Naturally the opinion of so eminent a Bacteriologist, was widel}” used by those interested in the matter financially, for their own ends. The report of the Royal Commission has disproved the opinion of Prof. Koch, and it is hoped will put an end to this erroneous theory, which has had such](https://iiif.wellcomecollection.org/image/b29118098_0014.jp2/full/800%2C/0/default.jpg)
