The New York herald., 1876-02-21
PURE AND IMPURE MILK.
A Law to Suppress Sale Of the Com
modify Adulterated.
IT'S STRICT PROVISIONS.
The Board Of Health and the Med
ico-Legal Society.

sity. II is well nigh indispensable in the Kitchen the
sick room and the nursery. 1t enters largely into
many Of the dishes Of daily life. 1t is especially
adapted TO the wants of the sick ROOM since II contains
all the elements essential to nourish the body in form
which needs but little digestion to prepare it for
sorption when disease indrmity exists God made
milk for the sick and the infants Reference is ofcourse
made to unadulterated milk for while that liquid Is
nourishing and Strengthening, the of the impure
article particularly far as children concerned, is
actually deadly Considering, then the vital Importance
Of securing full supply OF pure milk 1t is not strange
to find that the subject continually occupies public
attention, and that from time TO time earnest efforts
made to suppress the sale Of milk into which foreign
and injurious substances have been introduced At the
last meeting of the Mcdco-L Legal Society lecture was
delivered on the subject by Dr. Doremus, who to
hold views at variance with those entertained by the
Board of Health in reference to detecting whether milk
offered for sale has been diluted by water or body
given 1t by adding chalk salt starch soda borax or
sand The value OF an instrument called the lac
tometer to detect impurities has been called in ques-
ton by the learned Doctor, and he, far. is sup
ported by decision Of the General Term Of the Su-
preme Court, which held that chemical analysis
which is both tedious and expensive is the only true
mode TO determine whether milk offered for sale is
pure or impure In the cases Of several parties who
were tried and convicted few weeks since in the
Court OF Special Sessions for selling an adulteraed
article there was no dispute to the of a
large proportion of water, and therefore, the heavy
fines very justly imposed were paid by the offenders
50 that they might escape imprisonment Leaving
aside Tor moment the lactometer which has proved
A CONTENTION,
It appears that the Medco-Legd Society appointed a
committee OF hve to report what legislation in their
opinion Is necessary TO adulteraon and insure
tul supply Of pure milk for the city. Following upon
this we find that Assemblyman Gugel has intro
duced bill to regulate the sale of the commodity in
New York IL provides that person shall be allowed
to sell milk who shall not have procured license from
1 n q gh al Anv
person violating the law Is to be considered guilty
misdemeanor, and on conviction shall be liable to fine
not exceeding 500, or Imprisonment not exceeding
thirty days. The Board Of Health is to be empowered
appoint such number Of persons may be necessary
and qualified to inspectors of milk and whose
duty Il shall be to attend at the several railroad stations
at which trains carrying milk arrive, and before
removal to inspect the same and at their discretion to
destroy all impure skim milk which
they may find II is said that next to the attainment
OF pure medicines might be considered desirable that
should have pure articles OF diet but ii there
has always been difficulty in reference to milk Every
means of protection has been tred but most
proved Intellectual. There can be no doubt that
the evil has assumed considerable magnitude and that
the efforts to cneck 1t by the agents of the Board of
Health have resulted in little or nothing 1t to
be understood that milk received from the country by
wholesale dealers costs them quite much they
receive from the store keepers after distributing it
The poor customer is the greatest sufferer and the
great profits in the trade come from the hard earned
pennies of the working classes 1t very apparent
that water gains access to the more than
once before It finally reaches the consumer and until
men learn 10 be honest IL becomes necessary for
the law protect the sick and the ignorant both against
mercenary thoughtlessness and reckless depravity;
and milk adulterated with water Is milk longer and
although the agent thus employed is by itself harm
| less its in this way none the less
grave offence both against the health and
THE POCKETS OF THE COMMUNITY
Mr. Gugel seems TO share the opinion Of many that
the commodity adultcrated before II reaches the
city, and he therefore proposes to commence invesga
tion at the railroad depots This plan would require
large corps OF inspectors and the time taken up
testing the quality the liquid would
hours even If performed IN the most hasty manner
Attacks, we told constantly made upon those
who distribute milk, chiefly in small quantities, and
that fail to go back, step by step until we reach
those really do interfere with the pure article
There be little doubt to the necessity OF some
legislation the subject and the Medico-Lega Society
would to be body peculiarly we'll fitted frame
such statute as TO suppress SO grevous an evil IL
would seem, however that inspection should
at the railroad stations There is every probability
Of adueration taking place after the article
comes into the hands of the dealers in the
/ city, and there should, therefore, be some
more enectual provision to protect the public
present, carrying with them an instrument whose
value and accuracy disputed by the abest scen-
! tihc men, can hardly cover such city New York
and suppress traffic IN impure milk. IL requires
much broader and better system and it is to be hoped
! the Legislature will enact some measure to save the
public from the effects of noxous compounds that
frequently sold for milk
PRACTICAL VIEW.
To look at this matter practical light, IL must be
remembered that, according TO the most distinguished
medical men, the want OF pure milk is the most fruit
iu cause Of infant mortality in large cities and towns
1t is matter Of socitude to the parent and tho
physician whenever IL becomes necessary bring up
an infant with milk from the cow This article exists
in too many instances, only in the imagination
of tho mother. In the country where there
is an abundant supply of pure, fresh milk,
children thrive, and deaths among them compara-
lively few. But suppose child requires for nOursh-
ment one quart OF pure milk daily. The milk as it
comes IRON the store is already largely composed of
wafer, and the unsuspecting mother supposing IL TO
be pure, still further dilutes IL before feeding II TO the
infant IL is evident he only getting but half enough
TO sustain life, and must Such underied
child VIII be hungry, peevish, iretiu; will moan start
in its Sleep look pale have an acid stomach be dosed
with medicine for the food Is insufficient in quantity
and defective quality, and will finally die. Many
women become mothers only TO see their half nour-
ished offspring struggle through few months OF mser
ablo existence succumb last merely for the
OF an abundant supply OF pure milk Thousands die Of
cholera iniantum nearly all Of whom under more favor
able circumstances OF residence and food be saved
TO the community.
DOCTORS
AS TO the differences OF opinion that obtain as TO the
best mode OF testing the purity of milk DR.. Doremus
holds that the lactometer in by the Board OF
Health operates rather premium dilution, for
the removal OF cream and the addition OF water are
chiefly due 10 that instrument DR.. Chandler has full
faith in the actomcter, and intends to keep II in use
But the fact really IS that no test IS conclusive except
that made by analysis and consequently there no in
strument that can give anything but uncertain results
MIX cannot be judged by its gravity. The that
rises TO the surface shows that IL is lighter than the
lest oi the fluid and water can be then safely added
despite the lactomeer In estimating the quality Of
milk by the cream IL has to bo remembered also that
the constant agitation receives IN transportation
vers part Of the cream into butter, which sinks to
the bottom OF the 70 be received by the last
toner only Again, milk varies much it is
almost impossible to establish any fixed rules for de-
termining It's quality. Quantity and quality Of feed,
health Of stock, season OF the year and other circum
stances Affect materially the matter The proportion
OF present must be taken connection with tho
specific gravity and for this purpose another instru
ment-the galactometer-is employed, in conjunction
with the lactometer. The method of impovershng
milk generally practsed this CITY, consists In
moving the cream and adding water but other mate
rails stated above, also added such potassa
salt carbonate Of Soda burned sugar. chalk starch,
bOraX. subject
pure milk is worthy all the attention given to il, and IL
is very much 10 be hoped that Mr.. Gugel will succeed
In having some proper passed by the Lcgisla
ture suppress the vending Of impure and noxious
liquids under the name OF milk.
THE CLAN-NA-GAEL BALL.