Diseases Transmissible to Man through the Medium of Milk.—Tuberculosis.—The history of tuberculosis contains numerous facts proving the possibility of contagion by milk from cows suffering from tuberculous mammitis, though it seems necessary that the milk should be taken for a certain time to produce these effects.
Foot-and-Mouth Disease.—Observations recorded by veterinary surgeons prove that this disease affects the teats. It may be transmitted to man. The milker may be directly inoculated, but the milk is the ordinary vehicle of contagion. Chauveau saw an epidemic in a school at Lyons where milk was obtained from cows suffering from foot-and-mouth disease. In a similar way 205 persons were inoculated at Dover in 1884, and suffered from vesicles about the mouth.
Although foot-and-mouth disease is extremely benign in men, it is well to take every precaution against it.
Gastro-Intestinal Infections.—Cases have been recorded of gastro-intestinal infection in young animals and children in consequence of consuming milk which had undergone abnormal changes. Milk containing various kinds of microorganisms may at first produce lactic indigestion and afterwards diarrhœic enteritis.
CHAPTER VII.
MALE GENITAL ORGANS.
The scrotum, the vaginal sheath, the testicles, the vas deferens, the vesiculæ seminales, the prostate, and Cowper’s glands may all become the seat of disease.
The scrotum and testicles seldom reveal more than mechanical injuries of external origin, producing wounds and cuts and, in the case of severe contusions, hæmatoma of the scrotum, of the vaginal sheath, and of the testicles. Inflammation of the testicle, that is to say, traumatic orchitis, is rare; on the other hand, Moussu has several times seen tuberculous orchitis, for which he has operated. This, however, was in the boar. These different lesions, the last named excepted, usually heal with rest and the application of antiseptic dressings, anodyne and resolvent lotions.
Breeders seldom retain more entire animals than are strictly necessary for reproduction. The others are castrated, and this alone explains why the treatment of genital diseases in male animals of any species is rare.
TUMOURS OF THE TESTICLE.
Of the genital diseases which possess real clinical interest the most important are tumours of the testicle. These occur not only in male animals, but also in those which have undergone the operation of bistournage.