The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1895-09-30

When they realize what this false economy
costs they will not continue in their folly,
though"
Drs. Hart, Fitzgibbons and Williamson,
the other members of the board, who hap
pened to be present in DR.. Morse's Office,
joined in general assent.
"There is hardly anything that produces
more disease than impure milk" said DR..
Williamson. "Yet San Francisco has al
lowed anything to be served to its citizens.
No other city of half its size is so careless
in this important matter. Cincinnati,
even, has six milk inspectors and the rec
ords show the value of their work. These
inspectors are business men. They find if
there is water in the milk and insist upon
proper food and stables for the COWS. But
thew must have a chemist to appeal to to
decide the character of milk they think is
diseased. Only trained bacterlologist
can perform this work. Without him half
the value of the work of the inspectors
would be lost"
Here DR.. Morse produced stack of
health reports from various cities. He
wanted to show, he said, that the board
was not trying any experiments. Times
were too hard fer that. They were only
advising the expenditure of money for
what seemed to them to be necessity.
This report will interest you," said he.
"See here, in New Orleans the city chemist
revealed the fact that the milk consumers
were paying $500 900 year for the water
put in their milk. This was righted, and
the mortality among infants was decreased
markedly.
Sand again, the infant mortality in Chi
cago grew n such proportions in 1892 that
an investigation of the milk supply was
made. There was such a disclosure of
swill milk, milk from diseased cows and
watered milk that the methods of the
Health Board were completely changed.
In New York City q proper inspection of
the milk reduced the deaths of infants 1878
in one year"
This report showed further that over
1000 children had died in Philadelphia in
1891 from cholera infantum, due almost
entirely to fermentation and decomposi-
ton of the milk. Booker, the bacteriolo-
gist, found special bacillus present, that
was also found in some of the milk. 1t
also reported the experiments of DR.. Klein,
the London bacteriologist. who showed
that cows sometimes disseminated scarlet
fever, and in Glasgow, Scotland, 224 per-
sons died in 1892 from scarlet fever con-
tracted through drinking the milk of dis
eaSed COWS.
"The necessity of the officers we have
created is shown by the experience of Gin
cinnati," said DR.. Williamson. "They ap-
pointed a chemist and microscopic and
six milk inspectors in 1893. That year
1913 samples of suspected milk were SUBJ
mitted to the chemist, and fines amount
ing to S2083 were collected. Last year only
754 samples of milk were submitted to
him, and there was only $848 collected in
fines.
1.-The bacteriologist examines the water
as well as the milk. In this way he guards
against the introduction of much disease. 3"
HE also decides upon the presence of
anthrax and spreading fevers in cattle"
interjected DR.. Morse.
Health Officer Lovelace had appeared by
this time and was much interested. He
Joined with DR.. Morse, saying:
sit is only through microscopic exami-
nation that the presence of these diseases
are to be discovered"
1.-THE milk inspectors would be helpless
without him, !" added DR.. Morse.
THAT is true" assented the Health Off,
Ger. The milkman might claim that his
milk was all right. The chemical ANALYSIS
would decide the matter beyond doubt ~
"But is there sufficient need OF the officer
TO authorize his permanent employment"
was asked.
He will be kept busy all the time" said
DR.. Fitzgibbons decidedly. "He will be
called upon every day to render decisions
that will be far-reaching in their effects on
the health of the City"
you don't seem to realize what this
action we have taken means" DR.. Hart
said impatiently. ''Do you know that Is
per cent of the bottle-fed babies die? Well,
its So. The only reason is that they are
led milk that is impure or comes from
bacilH. The Milk Inspector will better