§ Mr. C. BATHURSTasked the President of the Local Government Board whether, in view of the admission by the Royal Commission on Human and Animal Tuberculosis in their Final Report that man's liability to infection from tuberculous animals remained a matter only of inference, he will consider the desirability of pursuing further investigations with the object of discovering whether the residence of human tubercle bacilli in the bodies of infant children or adults leads to such modification as to render them indistinguishable from bovine tubercle bacilli?
§ Mr. BURNSIn regard to the first part of this question, I would draw attention to the statement on page 35 of the Final Report, that the Commission "have investigated many instances of fatal tuberculosis in the human subject, in which the disease was undoubtedly caused by a bacillus of the bovine type and by nothing else." The conclusion of the Commission is that "man must be added to the list of animals notably susceptible to bovine tubercle bacilli." I am not at present prepared to make any statement in regard to future investigations of the subject referred to in the second part of the question, but may I refer the hon. Member to the observations of the Commission on this point, which appear on pages 35 to 37 of their Final Report.
§ Mr. C. BATHURSTAre all investigations into this disease at an end so far as the Department of the right hon. Gentleman is concerned?
§ Mr. BURNSBefore I answer that question, I would suggest to the hon. Member that he should read the Final Report completely, with the last Memorandum.
§ Mr. C. BATHURSTasked whether the statistical information relating to abdominal tuberculosis, stated at page 49 of the Second Interim Report of the Royal Commission on Human and Animal Tuberculosis to have been received from the great hospitals and about to be published 1413 in a subsequent Report, has yet been so published; and, if so, what is the reference?
§ Mr. BURNSA further reference to these records is contained on page 49 of the Memorandum attached to the Final Report of the Commission, from which it will be seen that subsequent examination of the records showed that they were of little value for the purposes of the Commission.
§ Mr. C. BATHURSTasked whether any information has been published, either by the Board or by any Royal Commission or Departmental Committee on Tuberculosis, as to the efficacy of the process of the pasteurisation of milk in the destruction of tuberculous germs and as to the effect of such process upon its nutritive value; and, if not, whether he proposes to institute such investigation?
§ Mr. BURNSInformation on this subject is contained in paragraphs 70 to 76 of the Report of the Royal Commission on Tuberculosis of the 3rd April, 1895. Since that time numerous other observations have been made by other workers, the results of which have been published in various journals. As to the latter part of of the question, a Report will shortly be published by the Local Government Board.
§ Mr. C. BATHURSTWill the results of these different investigations be assembled in one document?
§ Mr. BURNSI think that sufficient reference will be made to them by the Report which is now in process of preparation by the Local Government Board.