Daily Kennebec journal., 1899-08-31

course. that the method itself is harm
| less. The most common method used is
to lower the temperature Of the milk to
| such point that multiplication Of the
germs ceases or is retarded. Another
method is by raising the temperature 10
such degree that the germs are killssl.
The cooling of milk. as by ice, is faulty.
because sufficiently low temperature can
not be obtained to kill the germs. and at
best it soon changes. Sterilization Of
milk by boiling Injuries its food value, as
il n believed by the best authorities to
be- more indigestibe 1t requires one ana
one half hours Of boiling to destroy th,.
aerobic bacllli and the spores mentioned
above. Certain milk constituents are
cooked Or coagulated an egg i'm boiling
raw egg is easily disested. but a boiled
egg not 50 easily; !. T., IL takes longer.
more energy is required.
Past"urizatipn Of milk. which is the
Keeping il at 4 temperature Of 1G- or &
degrees below boiling. for 81 minutes, Isl
50 FAR as food is concerned, useless. ac-
cordlng % the best ANA most recent Ger
man authorities. Boiling Of milk causes 4
strong evolution ~ lactic acid; as this IL
driven OF hutteric acid Is left behind.
There are some germs killed. namely: ty-
phuid, cholera. diphtheria and tubercle
bacillus. also the "odium lactis" ana srv-
eraI other less resistant germs
Boiling Of milk To " the food ~ chill
dren prevents many mild cases Of diar-
rhoea ana vomiting. but not All; FOR the
most dangerous bacteria are not infu-
enccd by plain boiling much less by pas-
tom - i'm
milk gives a false sense uf security ana
is productive Of as much harm as good
Also for another reason is boiling harm
ful. If the milk happens ~ contain some
of the more resistant spores Of aerobic or
other bacteria. il is 4 better breeding
ground for them after the Tactic acid las.
been drawn off BY heat and the longtrl
such milk is kept the worse it is.
Now the third method OF retarding the
development of germs is by chemical
means. most Of which are harmful be-
cause they retarI digestion as well as the
development Of germs, or are in them
selves poisonous. But there is a sub
stance comparatively new, which seems.
according To recent observers. to possess
many advantages and few disadvantages.
in fact, almost none: at any rate its use
is allowed by the New York board of
health. 1t is a derivative of this sub
stance which was found when an analysis
OF the milk in question was made.
Now a word about this chemical IT
was first discovered in 1861 by German
chemist by the name of Hoffman. but its
practical application was not known I'M
Ill recently. 1t is made from sugar. eth
er cane sugar. beet sugar. or molasses,
and is made by peculiar methods of dis
tillation ana rcdistillation. Ii exists in 4
liquid form. Ii has the property OF being
slightly irritating 10 the nose ana throat
when inhaled in the form of spray, but
is not in the slightest degree poisonous.
Repeated large doses have been given
to man without any harmful results.
II requires but few drops of the chem
zeal to preserve a gallon Of milk IS hours.
Now from the consideration of the
germs in the milk and this destroyer. Il
seems obvious to many common people
that this method of preserving milk is
harmless. The common people are righ;,
as usual. Stopping the development Of
bacteria by an agent rs harmless as sug-
ar is a step in the direction Of pure food
ana in the judgment of good authorities.
far superior to refrigeration, pasteuriza
tion or boiling. Certainly if milk has to
be kept without ice. it We're better to use
some simple preservative.
What has brought the matter of milk
or food preservatives into disrepute is the
fact that hitherto agents have been used
which We're poison to the human economy
as well as to the bacteria. One fact
which applies to the preservative found
that applies TO no other known germi
eide is this; it not only renders harmless
by killing the germs which exist in the
milk, but it renders harmless the poisons
which have been produced in the milk
previous to the addition of the chemical
The conclusion that has been reached
after a most careful microscopical ex-
animation Of milk. and chemical exam
ination of the preservative used is, that
it is not harmful. but beneficial TO the
public health
1t has been suggested that the different
herds of cattle supplying milk to this city
be subjected to the tuberculin test but
as all of the herds appear to be healthy
and moreover because there is no abso =
lutte knowledge gained by this test il has
not been used. The following conclusions
We're recently arrived at by a German in =
vestigator at Victoria Park near Berlin.
"A great many cows in fact, almost all
react with the tuberculn test when tn
bercle is present, but some do not react
though a post mortem examination re
veals the presence of tubercle." 1t
seems right 10 assure the public that the
milk supply Of Augusta is far above the
average for purity.