The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1901-09-15
Medical Notes.

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In my next talk am going to speak
of the. new. COW, and l want 10 make
few Introductory remarks concerning
the dangers inherent in the old COW, I'M
intentional on her part and due to no
1dult OF her own, but saddled upon her
by careless owners.
Nc one would thiQk of emDIOvine a
nurse for a child or a servant for the
family without a recommendation for
good moral character and clean bill OF
health. AS far as morals are concerned
a COW is the type of innocence; that set
ties that part of the recommendation;
but as for the COW s health and as for
the healthfulness of her milk that is
quite another question. She is far, far
away and cannot speak for herself She
can't even protect herself. INSCRIPTIONS
farmers they are few let us hope-don t
spend much money doctoring the poor
COW, but they do save money by doc
toring the milk; in fact, they may be
said, in way, to make money by max
ing milk.
1t may be truthfully said that milk is
the universal food, for there is scarcely
nation upon the face of the earth, even
in the remotest corner, where milk is not
used III some form, though it is not al
ways COW S milll-it may be goats milk
or mares milk. With camel's milk, with
mares milk and with asses milk we have
but little to do, but with cows milk we
have much to do from the bringing up
of the infant i'll arms to sustaining the
invalid, and feeding the working man
and woman and nourishing the aged.
1t is therefore of the utmost 1mpor-
lance that milk should be pure and free
from all germs Of disease or injurious
chemical ingredients. The examination
of cows for tuberculosis has done much
good, and even the people who have oD-
posed 1t, as some people do every limo
walton, as an interference with personal
rights, have acknowledged the value of
this precaution against the dissemination
CT disease.
Even a casual observer, however, in a
tour through the country can but OBJ
serve the unkempt, often filthy and dam
gerous condition of the cow pasture, the
barnyard and the tieup where COWS spend
most Of their time
Every year there is a record in nearly
every city Of an epidemic Of typhoid fe-
Yer traced in it's inception and its dis
senrination7 to some milkman.
Prof. SedgWick in an article in the
Lancet some years ago, after describing
typhoid fever were traced directly to a
farm where the first case occurred, en-
phasizes the possibility of the spread of
infectious diseases, such as scarlet fever,
diphtheria. cholera, etc, through milk
handled by even one careless farmland
or milkman, and concludes that ''wher-
ever creamery exists there sanitary
policeman should secure the proper man
agen2ent of the dairy"
The danger from tubercdlous COWS has
been shown and recognized for many
years, but it has taken at least half a
century to formulate, enact and enforce
the proper measures to eradicate the
cause of these dangers
The danger from milk handled by per-
sons affected with disease and capable
Of Injecting it with disease germs has
not been so long recognized, but that dis
ease is conveyed in this way has been
proven beyond dispute. In spite of this
fact, the old-fashioned method of shut
ting the barn door after the horse has
been stolen is yet in vogue. In other
words, when an epidemic of typhoid fe-
yer, for example, has been established,
the board of health trace is backward
from the victims to the milk farm.
Speaking of such epidemics in the an
nual report of the state board of health
of Massachusetts for 1885, DR. Abbott
says: These epideTnics show conclusiye-
ly the need of legislation which shall
provide for tie sanitary care and inspec-
ton of diaries with the same degree Of
efficiency as now exists in those statutes
which were enacted to prevent the adul-
iteration of milk" This would necessi-
tate a sanitary police force, qualified
veterinarians, and physicians expert in
hygienic construction and environment,
both of the farmers house and the farm
er's barn.
1t would necessitate the existence of
an executive sanitary board with fun
powers to order such construction OF
buildings and such environment as might
be necessary to insure animal health;
to restrict the feeding place of sucn
animals and to effectually quarantine all
persons or animals in any farm house
or farm building that might be afflicted
with any contagious or infectious dis
ease.
Statisticians claim that a large per-
centage of infant mortality is due to the
milk used in artificial feeding. Some
of this fatality may be due to adultera-
ton; but the Swimming of milk, the adj
dition of water or chalk or other material
is but a minor crime compared to the sale
of milk laden with disease germs: this
is, indeed, a capital offense in fact.
manslaughter, or infanticide, possibly due
to unintentional but none the less crimi-
nal negligence.
People who know nothing, according
to the old proverb, fear nothing These
people will doubtless say that there
is but little if any danger of disease
from milk. 1t may interest such people
to know how small thing and how pro-
life a thing the bacillus of typhoid fever
is. Sharpen a leadpencil to a needle
point press the point against the bali of
the finger tip and twirl it around (taking
care not to pierce the skin. for there may
be some germs of disease gambling
around on the point This will leave
a small black dot on the finger tip. This
would make a pasture ground for about
$500 typhoid fever germs and If they