The record-union. [volume] (Sacramento, Calif.) 1891-1903, 1892-09-21
BOILED MILK.
1t Retains Its Nutrfrive Valuo Per.
fectly.

1t Retains Its Nutririve Value Per-
fectly.
A very important question, from the
point of view of the nourishment of
newly-born children, is whether boiled
milk retains sufficiently nutritive
value.
Formerly it was universally thought
that milk ought to be used in state as
nearly like as possible to that in which it
is when issuing from the breast, and I'M
cooked milk was the only kind en-
ployed for feeding infants. Nowadays,
however, since it has been clearly demon
strated that milk may be an agent for the
transmission of various diseases, such as
eruptlye fevers, typhoid fever, and es-
peclaily consumption, most authors and
physicians agree in recommending that
Dolled milk only should be given to in
fants.
This practice is assuredly excellent
nom the point of view of prophylaxis
against contagious diseases; but is it
equally as good from the point of view of
almentary hygiene, and, in feeding in
1ants on boiled milk, do they get suffi-
Client nourishment?
Ihls question has been examined, with
the aid of all the documents which could
De collected, by Henry Drouet in a
ilttle book just published at Paris. From
his researches, made from the various
points of view of physiology, clinical
treatment and microbes, results the gen.
eral conclusion that boiling does not at
all diminish the digestibility of milk and
consequently does not diminish its nu-
tritiVe value.
IL may even be said that most of the
experiments of Psychologists tend to
show that boiled milk is more digestible
than uncooked milk, and that, in fact,
the infants who can digest the latter bet
ter than the former are the exception
and not the rule,
The mortality of children brought up
on the bottle has lessened for some years
past IN considerable proportions. This
mortality, which formerly reached the
ngure of 80 out of every 100, has been re-
duced to an average of 10 out of every 100
IN all the departments in which the
Roussel law has been diligently enforced.
In the department of the Eure that NOR
Gallty a lew years ago was but Z in 100.
Ihese happy results are plainly due in
great part to the supervision of nurses
required by the Roussel law. Neverthe-
less, 1t must be noted that the superiority
OF boiled milk has been assented to by
most physicians, and that they moro and
more require the nurses whom they
superintend to feed their charges with
boiled milk. 1t is then allowable to sup
pose that the use of the boiled milk is one
factor IN the diminution of mortality in
Infants brought up on the bottle.
The only case in which there would
appear reason for not boiling the milk
is when the animal which furnishes the
milk is well known, and there can be no
doubt about it's apparently perfect state
OF health. Even in this case, however,
the security is deceitful, for it is known
that tuberculous animals have taken
prizes IN competitions OF fat beasts, and
that diagnosis of tuberculosis limited
TO the teat-a form of the disease es-
pecially dangerous from the point of
view of the transmission of the malady-
is an extremely difficult sort of diagnosis.
The conclusion to be drawn is that milk
destined for food of infants should al
ways be boiled, without any apprehen-
sion of any alteration in the liquid, from
the point of view of the preservation of
its nutritive value.-Revue Scientifique,
Paris.