Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1895-02-11
THE SALE OF MILK.
The Medical Society Urges the Pas
sage of the House Bill.

DR. Samuel C. Busey, president of the
Medical Society of the District, has ad-
dressed letter to the United States Senate
urging the passage of the House bill S2}l,
TO regulate the sale of milk in the District,
without amendments. The letter says:
THE Medical Society of the District of
Columbia respectfully represents TO the
honorable Senate that the purpose of the
bill, as passed by the House of Represen-
tatives is to secure to the residents OF this
District a supply of good, unpolluted and
unadulterated milk, which cannot be Sc
cured except through the enactment and
enforcement of a law that will compel the
milk producers and dealers to supply the
food at a fixed standard of quality, purity
and freedom from the germs OF disease
1.-The consensus of medical opinion es-
tablishes the fact that the present method
pf production, collection and supply or milk
In this District is one of the most danger
Gus of human industries, in that the supply
Is subjected to contamination with the
germs of disease from infected milk-yield-
ing animals. and from persons employed
about the dairy farms. 1t is known that
milk from tuberculous cows will convey
tuberculosis. the most dreadful ana 1atal
of all diseases in this country, 10 human
beings and more especially to young chill
dren fed upon such infected milk
1T is, however. not only disease In the
COW which may be conveyed. 1t often con-
dairyman's family to his customers Ty-
phoid fever scarlet fever and diphtheria
have been very frequently conveyed by the
transmission of the germs of these diseases
from the farm to the consumers OF the
milk by reference to the appendix it may
be seen that al epidemicS of typhoid fever,
P2 of scarlet fever and 10 of diphtherla have
been positively traced to milk injected with
the germs of these diseases.
Milk is such an admirable medium IA
vorabIe 90 the growth of bacteria that
even when taken from cattle entirely
healthy, and on farms free from infectious
and contagious diseases, 1T will unless prop
erly prepared for transportation undergo
such rapid changes, induced by bacteria,
that il may be rendered unfit for human
food especially of young children. before 1t
can be delivered to the consumers.
In view of the foregoing facts, 1t be-
comes an absolute necessity, in the Inter-
est of sanitary science and preventive
medicine that the sale of milk in this Dis
trict should be regulated by such legisla-
ton as will afford that protection from
preventable causes of disease which the
welfare of the community demands.
1.-THE proper inspection of milk requires
chemical and meteorological examination
by persons skilled in such examinations of
dairy products. To such Investigations
must be added personal inspection, at in
tervals, not 10 be fixed by or known to the
dairymen, of the herds and farms, that I'M
fit and improper feeding and housing may
be detected. The freedom of the herd from
tuberculosis can be positively, ana only, ue-
termined by the tubercuin test. So also is
@ personal inspection of the farm necessary
To prevent the infection of the milk by the
germs of diseases, such as typhoid fever,
scarlet fever and diphtheria, with which
some of the employees may be afflicted.
THE Medical Society of the District of
Columbia fears that the proposed amend
ments to House bill No SOL are exclusive
" In the interest of milk producers and
dealers. and if adopted. will promote and
protect more aggressive frauds than have
heretofore been perpetrated upon the con-
sumers of milk in this District, by more
frequent and deliberate authorizations and
pollution of the milk supplied to them.
This apprehension grows out OF the fact
that in every section of the bill defining an
offense its violation is qualified by the pro-
posed insertion of the words knowledge,
known or knowingly" which, il is believed.
will render those provisions of the bill in
operative. In the case of the People VS..
Kebler. New York court of appeals. the
court said: Experience has taught the les
son that repressive measures which depend
for their efficiency upon proof of the deal
er's knowledge. and of his intent to deceive
and defraud. are OF little use and rarely ac-
cOmplish their purpose
The society begs leave. furthermore. to
suggest that the bill. with the pending
amendments will 50 increase the profits of
disreputable producers and dealers that
those wishins Ia supply good and unpol-