Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1877-11-21
Impure Milk.
From the Chicago Times

From the Chicago Times
A writer in The. .New York Herald
ofJuly last makes this general statement
10 regard to cities and large towns in
this country: "More than one-half of
the deaths among the young are pro-
duced by sophisticated and poisonous
milk" this last meaning milk from
COWS fed in part or in whole upon
distillery slops or brewers grains.
Now, if this statement be true to any
extent, it becomes matter of great
import to the inha bitants of this city
as to preclude from every right-think-
lug mind all idea of personal feeling in
its discussion. In this view of the
subject, | would ask for room in your
columns, to place before the public
some facts growing out of my own in
vestieations and studies in the matter.
That certain kinds of food will affect
unfavorably the health and also the
milk Of the COWS is an undisputed fact,
spite Of the circumstances under which
they be administered, OF however they
be mixed with grass or hay, or other
healthy kinds Of food. Thus turnips
or garIies will produce turnipy or gar
licky milk, whether the animals which
are fed upon these vegetables get them
in close stables or in the open fields.
The poison arsenic, and the poisonous
whiskey and brewers debris, will pro-
duce the unhealthy fat of the fatted
animal, and also milk so constituted
that it will pass into putrefaction in so
short time as to lead one to believe
that in some cases the progress must
have begun in the organism of the ari-
NAL producing it.
Thus [ have found bacteria, vibrion-
es, and fungi IN milk purporting to be
new milk Immediately upon it's delivery,
and [ have also found these forms in
milk which | knew was fresh from COWS
which were fed with mixed diet of
grass, hay, and swill in. the form of
still-slops and brewers grains, after
the milk has stood but eight or ten
hours; while milk from healthy cows,
taken at the same time and under the
same circumstances, left in the same
manner In closely corked vials has fail
ed to show these forms in twenty-four
or thirty-six hours, or even, in many
instances, after much longer period.
This series of experiments has been
conducted with the utmost care for
weeks. The milk has been obtained
daily from one flock Of COWS fed on
still-slops, hay, ETC., from another fed
on healthy food, and also from COWS
getting brewers grains with some 9th
er kinds Of food. These different
focks of cows have been kept in the
same neighborhood, and have had
equally as good privileges of water,
exercise, air, etc, and this has beer
the uniform fact, that while the swill-
milks Of either kind would not keep a
single night during the warm weather
without swarming with living organisms
which show its absolutely poisonous
character, the other, as [ have said
above, would keep for several days
without change. Nor have these ex-
periments been confined to these focks
of COWS alone. have obtained several
kinds of milk from various sources,
until my examinations have amounted
to nearly or quite thousand, with a
confrmatory result in every case.
In many instances specimens of milk
have been sent me as tests, and the
result OF my examination has proved
in every case the accuracy of the state-
ment OF the author before quoted,
"that swill-milk can in all cases, when
fresh, be distinguished from healthy