many deaths from glanders yearly occur in our city, and the causes given are mistaken diagnoses. It is about time, Mr. President and gentlemen, that the proper authorities, as well as the people, should realize the importance of the role of the qualified veterinary surgeon in sanitation and prophylaxy, and I hope and feel that, with proper legislation, before many years San Francisco will in that line equal, if not surpass, the principal Eastern and European cities.

Discussion of Paper Read by Dr. F. A. Neif.

DR. SAMUEL O. L. POTTER: Seeing that nobody else wishes to talk, I might say that this is a matter that I have been interested in for many years. Some four years ago, in London, I made a special effort among the physicians of the Royal College of Surgeons and other prominent men to add information which would give me a knowledge of some standard work or treatise on this subject; that is to say, on the subject. of the communicability of disease from animals to the human family. I found that no one was able to direct me to a book dealing with that subject, but everybody said, "Oh, go to the "Vets'; they know all about that." Well, I went to them. I went to Professor McFadden, the President of the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons of England, and I have a letter from him, now in my possession, in which he states that there is nothing on the subject in a systematic form; that there is something scattered here and there all through the books of his department and branch, but that he cannot refer me to anything in a systematic shape on this subject. Now, it is a matter of very grave importance, and it ought to form, in some shape, a part of the teaching in every one of our medical schools. A short time ago, down at Monterey, I was speaking with Mr. Shoenwald, of the Hotel Del Monte. He showed me a beautiful pheasant that he had there, and he said this pheasant was ill, and he wanted me to examine its throat, and we went together to see it. He said it would not eat; he thought there was something the matter with its throat, from the way it breathed. We went and opened the mouth of this beautiful bird, which any of you who have been there has seen. I think it came from Japan. We found a false membrane filling the throat. It was plainly a case of pheasant diphtheria. We came to the conclusion to treat it with carbolic acid on the end of a match, and the result was that the pheasant got over its trouble. But it brought the subject again to my mind, and occasionally I come across something else to show me that, with cats, and dogs, and chickens, and animals all around us, our children are liable to get diseased at any time, and we ought to have a great deal more information on this subject broadcast than there is. I am extremely glad to hear it brought out in this place, and hope that this will only be a commencement, and that in future years the subject may receive more attention than it has heretofore.

DR. C. A. RUGGLES: The suggestion that has been made by the gentleman in regard to animals contracting disease, and the communicability from animals to man, has brought to my mind one considerable point, and that is cats and dogs in families. I know of my own personal knowledge of diphtheria being carried by dogs, and I have very good reason to believe that it has been communicated from dogs to children. I know of a family that had a case of diphtheria. They had

a pet cat, and the cat was allowed to be in the room, and in a short time afterwards I am just as well satisfied that that cat had diphtheria as I am that the child had it, and that it contracted it from the child. It has been my object and my aim from the time that I have had anything to do with sanitary matters, especially with diphtheria, to kill every cat and dog on the premises where there is a case of diphtheria. That is the way I get rid of the cats.

DR. J. T. MCLEAN (of Alameda): As to the communicability of disease from animals to the human race, of course there can be no question. The City of Alameda, where I live, has passed an ordinance, and is strictly enforcing that ordinance, that every cow owned in the City of Alameda, as well as every cow owned in any dairy that is supplying milk to Alameda, must be examined with reference to its condition and state of health, particularly in regard to tuberculosis. The city employs, and pays by the month, a veterinary surgeon to do that work; and regularly every year, once or twice, that surgeon examines every cow in the City of Alameda, and last year there were twelve of the cows belonging to individuals, and used for the supplying of milk to the homes of those families, destroyed, because they were proven, after proper tests, to have tuberculosis. Out of the dairies which supply our city, there were quite as many more cows killed, proven to have been diseased with tuberculosis. Now, in this way we eliminate the animals which are tainted with this disease and which supply us with milk. As a result, our city is so much better off by reason of being saved from this danger and certainty of disease; not only danger, but certainty. I am not aware that such a stringent sanitary rule exists in any other city or State. If it does I would like to know it. But we regard it as very important, and I mention it with a view to the fact that it may be known and that other communities may take example from us in this regard and be benefited, as we think we are, in this direction. We all know how extensive the use of milk is; how important it is to infant life, to young life, and how important it is to the invalid who may be in mature life; and by reason of this fact, how important becomes its character in regard to the saving of a community from the danger of tuberculosis, which would grow seriously and widespread if tuberculous cows were allowed to give milk and that milk fed to the community. Now, in regard to the unscrupulousness of people who are selling milk; it is astonishing to what extent they will allow their viciousness to go. It came to my knowledge several years ago, that a milkman, who was supplying us with milk, had a cow which was seriously afflicted with cancer, and that cow grew to be very seriously ill, of course, and it was only a question of time when the cow would die. He sold that milk to the people in our city until almost the time the cow was ready to die, and we were not aware of it, of course. But when the cow died he sold the carcass of that cow to a person who was making bologne sausage in Oakland, and the community there ate the meat of that cow; showing a most reprehensible proceeding on the part of that man. He ought to have been sent to the City Prison for doing it. But that is what people will do, and there is a necessity for such stringent rules as we have adopted in our town in the matter of milk.

DR. REGENSBURGER: While on the subject of this paper, I think it is a question that should be thoroughly discussed this evening. It is one of the most important questions that has been brought before this meet

ing. It is more important than the discussion brought up this afternoon regarding the importation of tuberculosis into this State, because we have it right here, and we are taking it into our systems right along. I will make this matter brief, and will simply bring up the question of milk, for the purpose of offering a resolution to go before the State Legislature of course it would have to be formulated in the legal way-that each and every individual, community, town, or city should be compelled to employ an inspector to inspect the milk that is sold in that vicinity, wherever it may be; and, if you will allow me, I will write out a resolution to that effect. I think it is an important matter, and I should like to hear the ideas of some of the gentlemen on that question.

DR. MCLEAN: The very suggestion made by Dr. Regensburger we also act upon. Our inspector is authorized by our ordinance to stop any milkman in the street and take a sample of his milk from his wagon, and he does it; and the contents of that sample are carefully scrutinized by him in his scientific processes, and if it does not come up to the standard of fats and milk solids, his milk is condemned. I ought to have said this much before.

DR. REGENSBURGER: The same thing has been done in this city, and the reason why I bring this matter up to make it a State law is for the very reason that we had as good a proposition before the Board of Supervisors of this city, recommended by the Board of Health. The following recommendation was made: That the different health inspectors of the city, if they should happen to meet a dairy wagon, should take a sample from his milk wagon. This bottle of milk should be sent to the Health Officer, marked Exhibit A, B, C, D, etc., and given to the Health Officer, with the name of the dairy. It was then turned over to the bacteriologist or chemist, simply as Exhibit A, B, C, or D. The result of the examination should be made known at an open meeting of the Board of Health. In case the result showed poor milk, this man would be published all over the city, and the newspapers would take hold of it and announce that that man's milk was tuberculous, or contaminated. We tried our best in every way. The matter was brought up. I went before the Supervisors as one of the members of the Board of Health, and there were about fifty milkmen who had one cow apiece, and probably the milk of that one cow was diluted three or four times to make as much as possible. They clubbed together, and the result was the whole matter was laid on the table, and we had no milk law. And for that reason I say there should be a universal law in the State, which should regulate this matter and prevent, not only the sale of this milk, but prevent collusion between the dairyman and the man who examines the milk.

DR. J. R. LAINE: Animals may have other diseases as well as tuberculosis. We all know that ring-worms are very frequently conveyed from animals, such as the dog or cat, to children, and from children to those animals. The fact that diphtheria is conveyed in that way is unquestionable. There are very few men in active practice who have had much experience with that disease, but what have noted instances of that character. That tuberculosis may be conveyed in that way is almost proven. That tape-worm may be obtained from dogs no one will dispute. So there are a variety of diseases that may be conveyed in that way.

DR. M. REGENSBURGER: I think the best way to do is to refer this whole matter to the State Board of Health, and let it come as a suggestion from this convention that the State Board of Health take this matter in hand and formulate a law which they will present to the State Legislature.

DR. J. R. LAINE: In December there was, at Washington, a national conference of State Boards of Health. Dr. Ruggles and myself were the delegates from this State. That question arose and was very ably discussed by gentlemen from different States, some advocating the killing of the animals, and that the State should pay for the animals, at various stages of the progress of the disease, they having a commercial value for which the owner of the animal was to be indemnified by the State. We, as delegates from this State, took the ground that when an animal was discovered to be affected with tuberculosis it had no commercial value at all; that the animal should be killed and should be a dead loss to the owner. I believe that to be right. The only practical solution that I listened to with reference to the entire matter of dairy and milk inspection was by a gentleman from St. Louis, Mo., who stated that his municipality proposed to issue licenses to the different dairies that supplied milk to the city. They would reserve the right to inspect the dairies, not necessarily the milk, because he claimed that in an inspection of the lacteal fluid the only thing that you would probably find would be an excess of water, and that need not necessarily imply that the milk was impure; but that when the milk was obtained. from cows afflicted with tuberculosis, there was positive danger, even though under the microscope it showed nothing. Therefore, they reserved the right to inspect the animals and to discriminate and decide that when an animal was found to be in a diseased condition it should be removed and put out of the way, or they would revoke the license for bringing milk to the city. That seems to be the only practical solution of the difficulty; that a municipality had a right to impose such regulations as were necessary to protect itself, regardless of the general law. A law was passed at the last session of the Legislature, such as Dr. Regensburger suggests, and is now in effect, nevertheless it remains for the municipalities to regulate their own affairs and insist on them. DR. M. REGENSBURGER: That don't prevent us. There is only one. way to achieve anything, and that is to keep on kicking, and I am one of that kind, and that is the only way you will get anything, and therefore I wish to bring this matter to an issue, to get a simple recommend to the State Board of Health that they urge this matter again before the next Legislature, and if I can aid them and help them I will do so. I move that the State Board of Health be requested to formulate a bill covering the grounds discussed this evening on this paper, and bring it to the attention of the next Legislature.

(Motion seconded.)

DR. C. A. RUGGLES: Upon that subject you must consider, first, that two years of valuable time is going to be wasted, if you leave it to the State Board of Health to formulate a bill. The Legislature meets only once in two years. It has only just adjourned. Now, to wait two years before anything is to be done to protect the community from poisoning by tuberculous milk, looks to me very foolish. The State Board of Health has only advisory powers. It can advise, and is ready to advise, and does advise the local Boards of Health to enforce this

matter as against tuberculous animals. I believe every city government and every municipal government in this State has the right to frame such ordinances and laws as are self-protective. are self-protective. The State Board of Health will advise you to do it. It is your privilege, and your right, and your duty to do it. I do not believe in putting it off two years; I am in favor of immediate action. As a member of the State Board of Health I will say that the State Board of Health is with you in this business, thoroughly and unanimously, and I hope that this subject will be thoroughly discussed, and that every member of this convention will have an opportunity to express, through himself or somebody else, his opinion on this matter. It is a very important question, and it is one that I hope will be thoroughly discussed, and that we will arrive at some conclusion, so that when we go home, each to our little old town, we will know just what to advise people to do. Only a few days ago a gentleman who is largely engaged in the selling of milk in my town, came to me on that proposition. He said, "Doctor, ought not the Board of Health to enforce the purity of the milk supply?" I said, "Yes." Then he said, "I, as a man engaged in the sale of milk, am in favor of it. I believe that every person who sells milk in this city should have a certificate, from a proper examining person, that his cows are free from tuberculosis. Other matters, as the cancer and such things, will take care of themselves. It is tuberculosis that I am after." I told this man, "The Sanitary Convention of the State of California will meet next week, and this matter will be thoroughly discussed, and when I come back home I will tell you just what to do, and as Health Officer of the City of Stockton I will vow to you there will be something done."

DR. M. REGENSBURGER: It is all very well for the Health Officer of the City of Stockton to talk, but when it comes to San Francisco it is a different question, for the reason that the milk supply of San Francisco is from the surrounding counties. Very little milk comes from San Francisco itself. We have milk from Marin, Contra Costa, and San Mateo Counties, and how in the world are we to make an inspection of the dairies and the cows, unless it is a State law? It certainly should be a State law, and that is the only way to get around it. The community of San Francisco, which gets its supply from so many different places, cannot inspect it. We have no right to inspect the cows in San Mateo and Marin Counties; it is none of our business. If we had a State law, which would make it a misdemeanor for any man to sell milk from a tuberculous or a diseased cow, or have in his possession a diseased cow, matters would be remedied very much quicker than they will be in any other way, even if it does take two years; we are very slow in this country, but when we make up our minds to go ahead, we go ahead. I am sorry to say it is two years until the Legislature meets, but that makes no difference. The State Board of Health is here for that purpose. They are not only advisory, but they should recommend to the Legislature what sanitary laws to pass. They are the body to do it, and nobody else.

DR. GEO. W. DAVIS: I am quite in harmony with the suggestion of Dr. Regensburger and also of Dr. Ruggles. They anticipated my idea about premature action. It is two years before the Legislature again convenes, and we perhaps will have two meetings of the State Sanitary Convention before that time; doubtless will; and it seems to me that we would