Corvallis Gazette

ARE BENTON COWS DISEASED?
Movement on for Cleaning up Herds-Tuberculosis.

Fancy giving milk to a baby to drink and thereby infecting the child with tuberculosis!- Or using milk in your coffee or for cooking purposes that contains germs of this most dreaded disease! The mere idea is one that is sickening, yet such things happen.

According to the Portland Telegram war has been declared by the state board of health on cattle infected with tuberculosis. Animals with the tuberculosis are often used as milk cows. This milk contains tubercular germs and the disease is in this manner contracted by those who drink the milk or use it in their food. An infected animal will also spread the disease to other animals in the herd, and the germs will linger for a long time in barns where diseased animals are kept.

Inspections have been made of the herds at the state insane asylum and state prison at Salem, and many of the animals used as milk cows have been found infected. These have been ordered destroyed, and a careful watch kept on the remainder of the animals.

Directions have been given county health officers throughout the state to make inspections of milk and cattle, and whenever they detect the animals infected with tuberculosis to have them killed. The officials manifest considerable interest in the matter, and the board of health expects that in the future reports will be obtained from the various counties covering the condition of every dairy herd in the state.

It may take months or even years to do this, but the members of the board are determined to succeed.

Dr. J. W. Harris of Lane county is regarded as one of the most active officials in the state in his efforts to detect contagious diseases among cattle, and have them slaughtered. In November he had two cows with lump jaw killed, and two in December. During January he discovered three tubercular dairy cows, immediately condemned them and had them put out of the way.

Dr. Harris in his report to the state health board says:

"I shall use my utmost endeavors in matters of this character to eradicate even the possibility of the disease, as far as the law may sustain me in doing so."

Members of the state board of health have commended Mr. Harris for his activity and are attempting to get other health officers to follow his example.