The Corvallis gazette. [volume] (Corvallis, Or.) 1862-1899, 1883-12-28
How Milk May be Infected.

| We have dire ted attention to outbreaks
OF typhoid aud scarlet fever in st. Pancras,
London. Dundee aud Port Jarvis as fur
| nishing conclusive svide1ce that tks germs
of disease are carried from daries and
milkmen's families, to the households of
| consumers by means Of milk. In our judg-
ment this il one of the most important sub
jects with which sanitary authorities have
to deal. That mild is d'se2se-ear .er and
the means by which contagious diseases are
communicated has been practically demon.
stratei. Milk that is infected with the
germs will breed disease aud death. That
is e conclusion which cannot be seliously
questioned. 1t becomes, therefore, matter
,f vital importance to the community to
a~tertain low milk is infected with the
., rms oi dis. ass Ill dairy farms from which
cities draw their daily supplies. The ply
sician who sruds TO the Tribune single
memorandum from his country practice
certainty exptaias the origin Of typhoid
fever i'll ore dairyman's family, and infere, .
tiaily sue xests reasonable theory to &C
Louut for tie infection Of milk.
Three cases of typhoid fever in a farm
house induced this physician to search for
The source Of the infection. He found it
IN we'll situated in tile lanyard where the
COWS were waterel. The wafer of this well
vas tainted. The farmer, hec"nIug aware
tie fact, attended TO sink the well.
;fter ,lonuthl! cleaning it, Lus the work
men. III pumping 1t cut, .oon found that
l,le w.s stIe;m Of fuui wafer trickling
II at The l"ttem. This ieakaae fraua the
manure of the barnyard Was so offensive when
tawL 10 tie surface III uns..iulte rated
IL. III that lie IL ell were si,kened and forced
20 stcl PUMPING. Tie milk Of the COWS
which are watered regularly at the trough
,rn, e, ting with this we'll has been sens
every ,'ay TO New York.
The physician who hiscloses these fa,.s
.::tes tLab there scores Of Ike barn :
\*io wells il. Olan1e county, whence New
Yclk largely draws its milk supply. He
Gesclilts what is known as ''moGel dairy
ia,m," i'll which every precautlon to obtain
pur. ml IS taken save that of watching
Il rai,i. Wi,h lure water. What woul.,
Tie customers of that ''modeI" establish.
n.ent say ii they were tod that tie Iii X,
l"r which they are ,I:lsed . 'fai cy" rice.
{; me ii.m COWS that lie regularly wateied
with the ooze Of liquid fifth When this
,lysici, says there are scores Of Larnyard
weis ii Grange county, he does not make
l;7.e d. mand uprn the credulity of the
iubhc. it is . conimt n practice, not only
in that county, but in New England and in
agricultural districts generally, to water
cattle fr. nj " els situated ON the edges uf
harnyards. The we'll with the outlying
trough usually determines the position OF
the barnyard. and manure heaps naturally
encumher the surface of tie ground drained
for the water supply. Ordinarily, thee
sccumulations Of filth will not affect the
quality of the water; but when there are
large ,iIoves Of cows to he MIXED AZ is the
case at the dairy-farms near New York,
there is strong probability that water g
posed to iniiltratibs fron: harnyard refuse
will become infected With the elements o:
dlsease.-Nev York Tribune.