Morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven [Conn.]) 1848-1894, 1882-03-10

as follows:
Mater: S1.5
Total solids -...-...-...............-.l 27
Composition of solids
Caseln;. 20
rat Nou'Ie- 5.9
sugar. 4.8
Ash (mineral matterl-- OF
Total solids.
For the newly born mammal milk is the
only suitable food. 1t contains an abundance
of material for the rapid growth of the infant
dissolved or suspended in large Quantity of
water, which of itself has variety of physi-
illogical functions. Not less significant is
the fact that in this natural food the differ
ent elements and especially the flesh formers
are in a particularly digestible and assinail-
able condition. For this reason milk is the
best food for convalesoents in many cases.
Living in the city, as we do, it is of practical
interest and Importance to consider the mat
ter of the purity of milk. Daily complaints
are made concerning the milk brought to
our doors. Sometimes it does not smell as it
ought to; again the taste is peculiar the
color Is queer; no cream rises on it. AT the
best the milk must be watered. Unless
large quantity of water has been mixed with
the milk, no unpractised person can decide
by taste and appearance whether milk has
been drowned or not. Rich milk is often
very white and there are many things to give
rich color to poor milk. Nor is the scanty
appearance Of cream any proof that there is
not an abundance of cream there. At GER
tain seasons of the year cream. will rise very
al oil oil
the milk has been carried a long distance over
a rough road.
sBut notwithstanding our errors in judg-
ment and observation the fact still remains
that extensive fraud is daily committed in
the sale of milk and that this city is not ex-
empt from it, We're the truth known, it
would probably appear that milk adultera-
ton began in every land and cline at just the
time when milk began to be sold at all, and
that it has continued ever since. Gum,
starch, -four, meal, the whites of eggs, chalk
salt and the brains of calves have been used
in one or more cases to adulterate milk.
Practically the only things we have to put up
with are the watering of milk the mixing of
skinned milk with normal milk and the sale
of skinned milk as pure milk. Fraud is the
least of the charges to be made against the
sellers Of such milk. They sell water for
eight cents per quart and we adults are dam
aged only in our feelings and purses
provided the water added is pure. But babes
and children are made to suffer all their lives
long from being kept on impoverished food at
the time when they most need pure, nutri-
tious Diet and often the weakened state sof
their systems resulting from such feeding
turns the scale in cases of acute illness and
cuts off life.
1.-THE watering of milk is often spoken
of as though it were a good joke and we
think of it solely as affecting our pocket
books. But this loss, great as it is, sinks into
nothingness when we contemplate the loss OF
infant life and the disease and weakness oc-
casioned in later years that are directly
traceable to the insufficient nourishment af-
forded children. There is another thought
which adds emphasis to what has already
been said. If we suspect man of watering
his milk we may more than suspect that the
water to which he treats his customers may
not be of the very sweetest. In fact, the
spread of disease has sometimes been di-
rectly traced to the sewerage pollution of
water used to adulterate milk. Let us in
quire into the means we have at hand to
stop this food adulteration. The problem
would be an easy one if we could readily and
surely tell when given sample of milk was
watered or skinned. But unfortunately we
have no ready test that is sure to detect adul-
iteration in every case, nor will complete
chemical analysis always settle the
point in question. I have given 1877
as the average amount of solids
contained in milk, but not long ago
the milk of Guernsey cow had in it III of
solids; in other words, the owner of that
COW could add thirty five quarts of water to
every hundred quarts of milk and still leave
it as rich as the average milk, and the water
could aot be positively proved by chemical
analysis. The variations in the water con-
tents of normal milk are not SO great, how
ever, when we have to do with the milk of
several cows.
'sIn testing milk something is needed
which will tell conclusively the quality of
the milk, or at least furnish strong pre-
sumptive evidence to warrant further. ex-
animation. We have such an instrument,
called the lactometer, which simply deter
mines the specific gravity of the milk or it's
weight compared with an equal volume of
water. It has been found Sy many thou
sands of examiners that the unwatered milk
of herds never has specific gravity of less
than 1.028, and in almost all cases not less
than 1O29. The lactoneter is little hollow
glass float weighted with lead to keep it up
right in any fluid, and having a graduated
scale on its upper part. If it be put in water
at 500 Fahrenheit it will sink until the level
of the water comedies with the mark 1000 |
on the scale. When put in milk of the same
temperature, the milk being heavier than
water buoys up the float more, and |
until the top of the milk comedies with the |
figures l. O29 to l .034 on the scale. Now, if |
water be mixed with the milk, the milk will !
become lighter, the float will sink lower and
the scale will register somewhat less than
1.O2S. When this happens, we may be as
sured that the milk has been watered, unless |
a chemical analysis proves to the contrary. |
SKINNED milk is heavier than pure milk be- |
cause of the removal of the fat, and the lac |
tometer would show its specific gravity to be |
from 1. O33 to 1.O36-far above the limit of |
pure milk. 1t is when slightly watered milk |
is mixed with skinned milk that the lactom- |
eter, however skllfully handled, is of no avail \
to detect adulteration."
At the conclusion of the lecture lime light |
views, showing the various kinds of mich |
COWS, were exhibited on the screen. The |
next lecture of the course will be given next |
Tuesday evening by President Porter on |
Mechanical force, nerve force, mind force" |