Gloucester County Democrat. (Woodbury, N.J.) 1878-1932, 1899-04-13
GOAT MILK.
Excellent For Children and Safe
From Tuberculosis.

Excellent For Children and Safe
From Tuberculosis.
Mr.. Il. S. Homes Pegler. in the Lon
don Bazaar. quotes from an address
made by Sir William Broadbent before
the Technical college at Hudders6eld
as follows:
''Until the last few years the idea
was that consumption was disease
which was in the family. constitu-
tional tendency which could only be &C
counted for by heredity and against
which it was in vain to strive, an in
evitabIs evil TO be submitted to as
decree Of inscrutable Providence Added
to this was the impression that it was
incurabIe. and thus efforts to relieve
and cure it were paralyzed. But these
ideas. am thankful TO say. are wrong
Tubercle is not inherent III the consti-
tuition. Consumption is not an inevita-
bic disaster inflicted by a mysterious
fate 1t is. on the contrary. one of the
products Of mems ignorance and care
lessness. We now know how it is
brought about. and it is within the
power of man to prevent it. Consump
ton is caught. TO use a familiar ex
preston, from preezisting case-not.
let me add at once. communicated di-
rectiy from person TO person by breath
ing the same air or even sleeping in the
same room. The agent in the causation
and transmission of the disease is the
tubercle bacillus, a minute rodlike or
ganism which multiplies at an alarm
ing rate. After mentioning dust as
one of the means by which consumption
is spread the lecturer continues: ''But
there is another way in which tubercu
losis is disseminated and that is by
means of milk Cows are very subject
to tuberculosis. and at certain stage
of the disease tubercle bacilli are pres
emit in the milk. 1t is through milk so
contaminated that children come to have
bones and joints to which children are
subject are probably also traceable to
milk. Humpback. hip joint disease and
the diseases of knees elbows. etc.
which cripple so many children-per-
haps SO is lupus-and no doubt tubercle
is often implanted by milk in early life.
which develops later into consump-
ton =
Sir William Broadbent subsequently
goes on to say 1T is interesting TO
note that asses and goats do not suffer
from tuberculosis and to bear in mind
that the shrewd physicians of past days
used to order asses and goats milk for
persons threatened with consumption
This statement says Mr. Pegler,
coming from a medical authority of
such high standing. brings the claims
of the goat before the public in very
conspicuous manner and should give an
important flip to goat keeping. 1t is
however. no new discovery. having
been known to the scientific world for
many years. and yet in all the lectures
and treatises on tuberculosis how rare
ly do we find it mentioned?
From this cause to large proportion
of the medical profession and to the
bulk of the general public the impor-
tant fact above mentioned is probably
quite unknown In France this subject
has received more attention Professor
Nocard stated some seven or eight years
since that out of 1870. 600 goats and kids
brought to Paris for slaughter at the
shambles of La Yillette every spring the
meat inspectors of that city failed to
discover a single case of tuberculosis
He even added that inoculation fails to
introduce the fatal bacillus into the
system of the goat. although believe
the statement has since been question
ed Anyway. have been told by vet
Urinary authorities in this country that
attempts made in England have failed
Goats milk as diet for children has
many advantages over cows milk as
have often demonstrated. but this one
great virtue transcends all others and
it is ipconceivable that parents know
ing this and having the opportunities
and accommodation for goat keeping
should not avail themselves of so sim.
pie and economical means of at once
providing their children with the most
easily digestible and most nourishing
of food and safeguarding them from
one of the greatest evils that civiliza-
tion of the present DAY is subject to-