The evening times. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1895-1902, 1897-11-06
MUCH .aulTtRATED MILK
Health giecer Woodward's Re-
port MAKES SfroEg Comment.
FARMS IN BAD CONDITION
Forty Per Cent of Them So UDsan-
itarv That Permits Have Been Re-
fused A Large Number OF Dis
eased Cows Found Additional In
sDector Considered necessary.

One of the chef subjects touched upon
by Health officer Woodward in his anni:ai
report is the inspection and the great adnl'
teratiGn found in the milk supply OF the
| District. With regard to this the report
| says:
| lone OF the most important duties Of the
| healtn tepa artment is the supervision of { lie
| milk SUPPLY. MIX is tie single article %
| human fool OF animal origin which Is
| habitually tafen ir its raw state. 1t IS
| subject 10 rapid chemical changes, which
not only interfere with IT'S fuod value, 'b...
serious results. II is tie constant diet Of
infants and invalids.
Forty per cent of the dairy farms in
spected by the health department during
the past year Were fond 10 be in SUCH
condition as to necessitate the refusal OF
permits for their maintenance. In not JEe
instance in which the farm was located ia
a State and its condition reported by the
applicant nave any conditions existe which
would Justify tine refusal OF permit %
bring the milk there produced into tue
District.
1t is not possible TO believe thlt the
condition of the dairy farms and of the
catt.e in Maryland and Virginia IS SC much
superior to that OF those in the Distr CT
of Columbia as would appear from tie
figures which. have been given, even after
taking into consideration the fact thai
many Of the dairy farms ia the District are
small tracts lying within the city OI its
suburbs
The only conclusion which seems pos
sible a. that the people of the District
are drinking a very considerable quantity
Of ;:ilk from diseased COWS. and even more
from cows which ale subjected 10 the iL
fluences ~ nnsanitary surroundings, and
whJse milk il kept for greater or less
time in such surrouudings. The remedy
seems 10 lie in the tagging aud registra
ton Of all COWS supply mix To this Dis
trict az sOo9 ss possible after they are
put TO such use The inauguration of suca
a system would involve considerable out
lay OF time and money. but after that the
cost II its maintenance in connection with
a proper system of inspection of TIE farms
(which is essential, in any case wOull
not be prnidhitive.
Legislation 10 this end was proposed
at the recent sessions of Congress tH. f. |
No.96 ~, Fifty-fourtn Con gTeSs; :. No.
1OSl Fifty-tifth Congress- and met with |
Considerable opposition from some of the |
milk dealers and producers, the chief argu-
meat 1eing that tagging and regiStratb u |
of the cows would hot prevent them from |
having acute diseases, and bad milk thus |
finding it,. way into the market. But this !
hardly Constitutes valid reason why sr- |
Sbn Ira hsar aH IN. mrs hstS SaIa
vi milk from COWS suffering from chronic |
diseases. l am convinced that some such |
method mnst he adopted IL Jhe sale |
OF milk from diseased cows Is to be checked. |
DIT ii gust he made prina facie evidence If |
the sale of milk from such cows, IL they /
be found in the herd from which milk 3
taken fur sale.
Whether either of these methodS ~
adopted or not, IL is evbieut that ~ salts
factory result car be oh:ained unless pro-
vision he made fOT tie Inspection of dairy
farms in the Adjoining states by repre-
senJqtives of this department. As a be-
ginning toward this end one additional
inspector is asked for this purpose, win
such increase in the contingent fund as
is necessary for travelling expenses.
so far ds relates to the mix ira fiIc
ITSELF THAT is Independently or the produc
ion Cf milk, the most important indication
o be TIet at the present time is the reg'i-
alton ot the tenperat ture Of the milk dur
ng storage and sale. The rapidity with
which it undergOes changes when kept 1t
favoring temperature, and the seriOIs
esults which frequently follow the Use
If I.ilk which has Undergone such changes.
ally warrant legal measures to secure US !
reservation under proper conditions until
10 the consumer that IL, t0 fe-
Iuire the immediate cooling OF the mitk
Ifter milking
Touching the aGuiteratiOn Of other arti |
ies of food, the report has this ~ say: |
There nave been dnalyZed in the chemical |
laboratory AZ samples Of vinegar, 10 Of |
aIad oils, 3 Of butter 2 Of fICJr. 5 u |
ream OF tartar, 1 OF baking powder and I2 ,
e cOnfcctions. OF the samples Of vinegar
nalyzed IS were purchased Al cider vine
.ar, h.i; upon analysis, only 10 were found |
o he so. the remainder consisting &C malt
-iuegar ard various other forms Of thr
manufactured prod;.ct.
The cffensiing dealers Were prosecuted |
n the police court and convictions secured
n 81 cases. OF the 10 samples of salad
ills, 8 OF which were purchased as pure
live OIL, were found to be derived from |
otton seed. Prosecutions We're brougr. |
D x cases and con yictiOns followed. Eight
amples Of alleged cream OF tartar were
and analysed. In two Instances
be article sold was found To be asubstitute, |
nd prose cUtions and con yictiOns fol- ,
owed.
"A large number OF dwellings exist IN ,
he District which are totally unfit for
ccupatiUn and for the condemnation AMI ,
emoval of which there is no remedy ,
his condition was brought so forcibly tU :
be attention OF the central relief commit
ae in the course Of its charitable labors
Jring the past winter, that through les ,
fforts a bill was prepared and presented !
the Commission ers, W hich will, is =
lacted into law, provide the necessary re-
ef- And as means toward providing 4
etter accommodations for the occupants y
such lhtiIdingS as Should and may be de- I
i0lished, and SO as to encourage the cree r
op OF better class Of dwellings to 5e ,
,nted at lea sonable rates to thus, in poor v
nd Observation-Disclosures there has been
rganiZed, through this committee, n com
any for the purpose Of building sue uchdwell
4