Tuberculosis in Cattle and Humans

Review and Herald Publishing Association · Tacoma Park Station, Washington, D. C. · Oct 8, 1908

Tuberculosis in Cattle and Humans

At the international tuberculosis congress now in session in Washington, D. C., one of the principal topics of discussion has been the question whether human beings could contract consumption (phthisis) from the flesh and milk of cattle suffering from tuberculosis. Dr. Koch, the eminent German scientist who discovered the bacillus of tuberculosis about twenty-five years ago, has claimed for years, and still claims, that bovine tuberculosis is rarely transmitted to human beings. For several years his position has been challenged by other physicians of note, and during the present congress, demonstrations have been made by Dr. Ladislaus Detre, of Budapest, which seem to leave no ground of question that Dr. Koch's position is untenable, and that diseased meat and milk from diseased cows are sources of infection. On Wednesday of last week Dr. Detre inoculated twelve adults at the District of Columbia Tuberculosis Hospital with the three substances required by his theory of diagnosis: Concentrated old tuberculin (Koch's), a filtrate of a culture of human tubercle bacilli, and a filtrate of bovine culture. Concerning this demonstration Dr. Detre says:—

The inoculation of these adults was for the purpose of showing in adults, as well as in the ten children inoculated at the children's hospital, the reaction which not only shows the type, whether bovine or human, but also the degree and stage, of the disease. I visited the adult patients this morning at nine o'clock, and found the reaction perfect in all cases.

Dr. Detre stated that on the following day he would bring such of these patients as were able before the delegates, expecting the demonstration to bear out his contention. He did so, to the satisfaction of the congress. Later the following resolution was passed: “That preventive measures be continued against bovine tuberculosis, and that the possibility of the transmission of this form to men be recognized.” The congress has thus rejected Dr. Koch's theory.