The Middlebury register. [volume] (Middlebury, Vt.) 1850-1882, 1875-02-23
IMPURE MILK.

this subject, by DR.. T. ID. Crothers, O
Albany, N Y, recently appeared in the
Philadelphia Medical and Surgical
Reporter. says the Boston Journal o.
Chemistry from which we copy. He
states that he has generally found that il
diarrhUa, in more or less severe attacks
occurs in families where the people, both
young and old, are otherwise generally
healthy and well nourished, and living in
good hygieuic surroundings, it can be
traced directly to the milk used in that
family, He usually found the COW or
COWS from which such milk was derived
in close, badly ventilated stables (which
were cleaned out only occasionally, and
fed on street garbage and brewers grams.
No chemical analysis or microscopic cx.
animation was made of the milk, but
the diarhpa ceased permanently on a.
bandoning the use of milk from such
COWS. He cites the facts established by
careful observations in France, made
by Dumas, Payen, Bousingault, and,
more recently, Decaisne, that milk is
healthy in proportion as the animals
from which the milk is drawn obtain
surplus food above what is needed by
the animal economy for daily life. Just
as soon as the surplus is reduced, the
quality of the milk is reduced especial
ly in quantity of casein and butter.
This fact holds good in human, as well
the observations of NJ. Decaisne during
the siege of Paris, in 1871. In those
cases of want of nutrition, DR.. Decaisne
found that the amount of albumen in
the milk was in inverse proportion to
the casein, increasing as the latter de-
creased. These experiments indicate
that an imperfect condition of health
and surroundings destroys the normal
qualities of milk.
Another kind of impure milk is that
which is normal in quality, but con-
tains some accidental poisonous ele-
ment. Pungent odors around the
stables in which cows were MIXED
caused fever in one family in Herkimer
County yearly for five years, but this
was remedied by thorough cleaning
and Ventilation IF Tho efol1oo
cause of impurity in milk causing
disease is the effect sometimes produced
beating or otherwise maltreating the
COWS. a case is cited where the milk
of cow that was daily whipped to
make Ter stand at milking time pro
duced scrofulous eruptions on the child
to whom the milk was regularly given.
Another case is described as follows:
"A highly respected milkman, with a
large class of customers, sold out his
business, with the cows, to brutal, in
temperate man, who continued the
business as before. From some chronic
disease he was unable to leave the farm.
hence he gave his time to the milking
process. Being inhuman and intem-
perate he beat the cows, often with
cruelty. The customers diminished.
and complained that the milk was
adulterated with some substance which
acted on the bowels. At one time a
large number were attacked with diar-
rh@a and cramps, and many bitter
complaints were made. Later the pro-
perty changed hands, and these trou-
bles disappeared. No complaints of
the milk had been made before or after
this man gave up the business, and 1t
was asserted by workman who re.
manned during this time that the milk
was treated in the same way, and not
adulterated, leaving plausible infer
ence that the excitement among the
COWS at the time of milking was the
cause of the bad condition of the milk.
The conclusion to which DR.. Croth-
ers comes are thus stated, and they are
of interest alike to dairymen and ply
sicians, as well as to all who use milk
as an article of Diet
1-Milk from ill-nourished, half-fed
COWS, having no surplus of food beyond
the minimum requirements of nature
is Injurious, and may be the source OF
disease; 2-cows deprived of abundance
of good water, ventilation, and exercise
secrete impure, and dangerous milk,
which may be loaded with gases, ami
malcules, and fever germs; 3-the milk
from old, debilitated cows. fed on grain
or over-stimulating food, is also imper.
feet and unhealthy to variable degree
4-the nervous condition of the COW al
the time of milking determines the pu.
rity of the milk Of this is neglected
the milk is an active source of disease
positively dangerous and fataD 5-milk
adulterated with water is always liable
to contain poisonous elements. partic-
ularly so in the spring of the year
when ali spring and well water is more
or less contaminated with surface drain
age (this is the most common adulter
alton, and probably the most danger
ous); 6-experience has shown that tho
milk of one COW, unless the exact cir
cumstances and conditions are known
is not superior to the aggregate milk o
the whole dairy; facts show tina
milk Is the prolific source of many dis
eases now obscure, and unless careful
inquiry be made into the condition ant
surroundings from which we receiv,
our supply, we neglect a sanitary meas
ure of & reat importance.