The evening times., 1900-03-15
Tainted Milk.

The people of New Orleans are becoming
! convinced that the dairies which supply
! that city with milk are a source of dis
/ ease. especially of tuberculosis: and as the
| conditions existing there are probably no
worse than in many other cities. the sub
/ iect should be one of general interest.
1t ls@c1lafged by those who have investi-
gated the matter that nearly ninety per
! cent Of the milch cows of New Orleans
are suffering more or less from tuberculo-
/ sis and milk thus infected is likely to
! cause .tbe disease ia those who drink it,
/ especially if they chance to be children
or inyalids Ii is also stated that many
/ Of the dairymen are not careful about the
! water which they give their COWS. nor are
/ they Cyer-sgrupulous in the matter Of
/ cleansing milk cans and other utensils.
] Those Interested in the agitation urge
! that radical measures be taken. and they
! suggest that the whole dairy business of
/ the city should be bought. and farm es-
! tablished in a healthful rural neighbor-
! hood at a considerable distance from any
! town. where the COWS can have plenty of
good pasturage. and the methods Of the
/ dairymen be supervised by competent per
/ sons This plan sounds rather chimerical
but ii il could be carried out. the health
of New Orleans would probably be much
improved.
This matter Of The milk supply for
/ large city is. at present. exceedingly diff
! cult TO deal with. Official interference
with the dealers sayors of paternalism;
! il is impossible for the consumer to know
! the source from which the milk comes.
| and he has only his own individual judg-
ment to aid him in determining whether
or not the fluid is fit to use. 1t is COM
paratively easy TO detect watered milk, but
this adulteration is harmless so far as the
health Of the customer is concerned, though
injurious to his pocketbook. The most
noZious properties of impure milk cannot
be detected. as a rule, without the aid of
a chemist.
II is -clesr that the only way to secure
absolutely pure milk would be to exercise
a careful supervision over the dairy farms
and all the employees. and establish some
sort of inspection. so that it would be i'm
Tossisle for anyone to sell milk the quality
OF which is not vouched for by responsible
persons. II some firm with large
capital and progressive ideas were TO
carry on the dairy business in such a way
as to prove absolutely that the milk fur
nished by it was pure and healthful. and if
the public could then be aroused to the i'm
portance Of securing the pure and untaint-
ed article this firm would probably have
a monopoly after time, and nobody would
buy milk rot known to come from its dali
ries. This occasionally happens in the case
Of other articles CT food; some firm es-
tablshes a reputation for fair dealing.
good measure and pure quality, and intel
Igent people refuse TO take other and infe-
rior articles when it is possible TO get their
Pet brand OF flour, or coffee or crackers, OF
timed goods. That is one of the best re-
suits of free competition.
Whatever the solution Of the milk prob
lem may be, it is certainly one of the most
important which we have to encounter
Not only does the purity of this article al
feet the health of every -"rson who drinks
it. but it is used in the manufacture of in
articles of food and, if tainted
poisons TO some extent nearly everything
that We eat. In the city of the future some |
way will have been devised to do awav |
with the possibility of milk infected with |
the germs of consumption and other dis !
eases.