INFECTION FROM INHALATION OF DRIED SPUTUM, ETC.

This is considered, I believe, to be the most common source of infection from man to man. If this be a fact, and I do not doubt it, how great must the danger be from animal to man. Just reflect on the hundreds of tuberculous cattle that are constantly in our midst. At least 15 per cent of our dairy cows are affected, and possibly a larger per cent in this city, and say that 8 per cent of all cattle taken to your slaughter-houses, and they are discharging five times as many bacilli, each, as an ordinary phthisical person. Besides the discharges from the mouth and nose, there are the pharyngeal and submaxillary glands, and other external glands that frequently suppurate and discharge externally large quantities of tuberculous pus. When it is estimated that 50 per cent of infection in cattle occurs by inhalation of the bacilli, it would suggest the necessity of extreme care and cleanliness on the part of attendants of cowsheds and yards, lest they themselves contract the disease. The emanations from the ox are transported from place to placeby the dairy-man, by the dairy-wagon, by the winds that sweep through the sheds and yards, and by the cattlemen and the butchers. The freight cars that have transported tuberculous cattle to your slaughter-houses are sidetracked and cleaned of their excrement, and again the wind does its part in distributing the contagion. Thus we might continue, indefinitely, to show the possible and probable sources of infection from cattle to man; but since the fact of the identity of this disease in all animals, always caused by the same bacillus, has been established, and as we show that the avenues for contagion are open on every hand, we are forced to give the bovine family credit for a large per cent of the cases of consumption in our own race. Gentlemen, I thank you for your kind attention.

THE ROLE OF THE VETERINARIAN IN HUMAN
PROPHYLACTIC MEDICINE.

By DR. F. A. NEIF.

A couple of years ago, during a session of this convention, held in this city, I was requested to prepare a paper on a topic relating to the connection existing between human and veterinary medicine. In this paper I brought forth some forcible arguments in relation to the vital role of the comparative physician in regard to the public health. This field of relationship is so wide that it was an impossibility for me to do full justice to my task at that time, and I now take this opportunity to bring before this convention facts which, a few years ago, were entirely discarded, or, to be more accurate in my statement, forgotten. University of California, having realized the importance of this branch of medical science, has lately added a veterinary department to its affiliated colleges. This much needed addition will, we hope, bring this medical branch to the standard to which it is justly entitled; and by its influence eradicate that pest which infests all professions, that class of individuals which pollutes a noble object and brings each hard learned science into disrepute among the non-educated public; I allude to the quack.

The

I have not the time, nor is it my purpose, to discriminate between the two kinds of individuals that may be classified under that heading; but let me say that I do not refer to self-educated men, who, not having had the advantages of a collegiate medical education, were, nevertheless, students, and diligent ones at that. I will only allude to that species which, with unscrupulous means and unbounded, ignorant cheek (the most dangerous element of all), enters into the good graces of the unsuspecting public and brings to bear influences which place them in position to injure and throw disregard on a profession which, on this side of the Rockies, is, as a rule, not appreciated by the laity and a portion of a certain medical public. A comment on this last paragraph is not to be considered in this paper, as I am not reading a dissertation on medical education.

I will now enter into the subject proper, i. e., the role which the veterinarian plays in human prophylaxy. This role is, to the human family, of the utmost importance; and should this fact be realized by the politically appointed authorities, thousands of lives, in our State alone, could be saved yearly. It is not my intention to criticise the knowledge of the persons appointed to examine the different animal foodstuffs sold to and to be consumed by the people of the State of California, for the merest tyro in sanitary science has already realized the fact that under the present system of appointment a knowledge of veterinary pathology, hygiene, sanitary medicine, bacteriology, and kindred scientific branches is far from being necessary to be appointed to the position of public custodian of the lives of our wives and children, let alone of that of the breadwinner. But I contend that it is imperative that the State authorities appoint men having the requisite knowledge of food inspection, as well as of the different diseases communicable from animals to man, and of those which are contagious between animals. It is not my purpose to enter into a minute description of the numerous diseases originating from the domesticated animals, and from which humanity suffers. I will only cursorily mention a few that are most commonly met with in California.

The most dreaded of diseases emanating from animals, which a veterinarian is called upon to attend, is that which originates in the dog; namely, rabies. But fortunately this fatal malady has not, as yet, been found in this State, although reports have been made of a few cases. It was my good fortune to be called upon to hold post-mortem examinations on the bodies of four of these so-called rabid canines, and the results of the autopsies, as well as the experimental inoculations which followed the necroptic observations, were entirely negative. Therefore, we will not dwell on this particular disease.

Tuberculosis, a disease which originates in an animal the veterinary surgeon is called upon to attend―i. e., the cow-is, as you are all aware, the permanent plague of the nineteenth century. Seeing the number of papers that have been prepared on this subject and advertised to be discussed during this convention, I will not, in order to save time, attempt to discuss, but will state that a proper corps of qualified veterinarians should be regularly appointed to inspect the dairies, slaughter-houses, and herds, and to test, by means of Koch's tuberculine, any suspected case or cases which may come under their notice, and upon an affirmative reaction, condemn and destroy the germ-bear

ing animal, thereby preventing the use of the flesh, milk, and other contaminable mediums of infection.

Another disease which is found in the bovine, and which has in many instances created havoc in the human family, is anthrax in its two principal forms. Still another (actinomycosis) is very common in California. I have on different occasions seen herds afflicted with this infectious malady.

Now, what do the owners and the present health inspectors know about these pests? Nothing whatever. And who, may I ask, should be the proper person to inspect herds so afflicted? Again, I will answer, the qualified veterinarian.

Would it not be folly, to be mild in expression, to have a man who knows nothing but the butcher trade, for instance, inspect, on behalf of a Board of Health, a house where smallpox, diphtheria, or cholera reigns, in order to quarantine the exposed or infected human beings inhabiting the premises?

Still, if we study the modes of inspection, other than the principal ones, we will find that in many instances it is carried on in a proper and scientific manner. In order to illustrate this fact, allow me to call your attention to an event which occurred a little less than two years ago, and which was published in the daily papers: A wealthy lady residing in the western portion of this city, had asked a friend who went to Japan, to send her some rare species of lilies. The party readily complied, and soon the lady, who was very anxious to take possession of the botanical gems, was notified that the steamer carrying them had docked. She summoned her carriage, and immediately, on arrival at the dock, was allowed on board, a servant accompanying her to help to carry off the Japanese flowers. But, to the dismay of the lady, a gentleman who introduced himself as an "Inspector of Horticulture," stated to her that the lilies were infested with certain insects, which fact would prevent her taking the flowers off the ship. Therefore, the plant had to be returned to its native land. This instance goes to show, by comparison, the want of judicious legislation.

In the case above mentioned a most commendable action was taken to prevent the infection of a certain species of our flora; but the principal factors of human health and life-that is, animals and their products used as food articles—are abominably neglected, and the people are daily supplied with a portion of their subsistence, which they, knowing the quality of the same, would not feed to a favorite dog.

While attending to several animals located in the northern portion of our city, I have, especially latterly, often passed through the Chinese quarter, and on numerous occasions, for my own satisfaction, visited several Mongolian butcher-shops, and in these found a number of white people buying a dark, slimy, and acid meat called, by the dealer, beef. It is a burning shame to see these fleshy masses hanging in the shops, to be sold to the poorer families.

Besides the condemnable food and the animal diseases communicable to man already alluded to, other maladies of a fatal and loathsome nature emanating from the horse have on numerous occasions been observed in San Francisco and vicinity-I allude to glanders or farcy. The City and County Hospital has several cases on record. In Petaluma there are also records of several deaths occurring from this horrible disease. It is my opinion, based on sound proofs, that a great

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