The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1906-04-22

Dr. Ernest G. levy, city bacterioloEist,
on "The Milk Supply of Richmond trol',
a Sanitary Standpont-A Prelinlnary
study" This paper was rcao oeio'e .l'e
Richmond Academy OF a Me Mn,a1,he s,''u
* Surgery on the 2Suh OF last November
During the past summer Dr. Lew
made a study OF the milk supply or
3 Richmond from q sanitary STANDPOINT.
and his results and conclusions are SCI
forth at some length In tho article re.
ferred TO- Realizing the tmeliness .,
this paper, The Times Dispatch opta'neo
advanced sheets Of the OLD DOMINION
4 Journal OF Medicine and surgery
,hrnnsh the courtesy Of Its editor, Or.
Greer Baughman.
The article is too long TO reproduce
IN its entirety in these columns, hence
orlS those parts are selected Wh'ch VIII
So Of special interest to the general pub
Lie.
Appra,tatias the Importance OF =
proper milk supply and eelievnE ina.
DR. Ievy- might have s,-ss additional
matters OF Importance TO communicate
on the subject q Tinss-Dispatch reT.or;-
er called on him a, his laboratory IN
the City Hall.
DO you believe. Doctor began sAs
newspaper man. that milk Is responsible
for much OF the Illness in R5ci,v,ordc
There Is absolutely no doubt that ms
4 Is so.'' replied Dr. Levy. Bad milk
4 is the cause OF a large proportion OF all
cases of intestinal trouble among bottle
+ fed Infants, especially during the sum
y ner months. II has been shown over and
over by the most positive demonstra-
ton that the mortality among infants
who are artifcialy fed is enormously
higher than among those who nurse, and
itdhas been further proved that this IS
due almost entirely to what We speak
Of as dirty milk.
Much is Dirty"
MY investigation Of last summer
showed that much of the milk on the
Richmond market comes under this mead,
and the infant mortality here speaks
for itself. found the city diaries them
selves clean and well conducted. but
they are largely dependent upon milk,
which is brought in to them from h num-
Der of farms, and my examinations
proved that conditions at many Of these
must be very bad
t"Coming to the practical question, how
can this evil be corrected?' asked the
reporter.
''Thnt is matter to which have
given a good deal Of thought" replied
the doctor. 1.-THE remedy is not difficult,
but It requires prompt action II we are
TO accomplish anything during the com
Ing summer. l have already recommend
ed to the Board Of Health and also to
the Special Investigating Committee GER
tain measures which, II carried out,
would at once accomplish a great deal,
but / am afraid that with the incvl-
table delays in securing action. nothing
will be done to improve conditions this
summer
is really very sad that this should
be so, as prompt action now would
probably mean the saving of many
l;,,oc ,t.,l, H.,
ncedlessly sacrificed.
Il have told the Board Of Health and
the Investigating Committee that If I
We're given even one assistant ! could
manage TO Supervise this matter. Such
MAN would. make regular inspection
of the farms where milk is produced to
be sold In the city and he would also,
under me, do Sle necessary bacterolo-
gical work. OF course 1t would be neces-
sary TO clotle someone with sufficient
power to exclude from this market all
milk which came from dirty farms.
THE educational side Of the case
would have to be well looked after. AS
stated in the paper which | read before
kthe Richmond Academy OF Medicine last
November, many farmers regard all talk
about the necessity Of cleanliness and
cooling the milk, as being little more
than fashionable fad OF the day. ] +
they can be shown that these factors
tmean actual saving or sacrifice OF life,
elnost of them will try and do better, and
those who will not should be denied the
right to sell their milk In Richmond,
Certified Milk.
The important question arises whether
the handling of mill, in such n manner
as to make II safe--that Is, simply clean
lines and prompt cooling would involve
so much additional cost as TO make
i, Impossible for the diaries 10 sell milk
at the same price as they now do. Prof
Sedgwick whose talk so delighted all
those who had tho privilege of hearing
him a few weeks go, has long preached
the doctrine Of ten cent milk, be-
lieving that the expense of cleanliness
and other necessary protective measures
makes II impossible TO furnish sanitary
milk for less,
Whereas, the entire milk supply Of
the city should be under such sanitary
supervision besides this il would be pos
sibe for few diaries, which are already
specially arranged for producing milk
under good conditions to pu, on the
market what Is known as certified milk,
that is milk from farms which are regp-
lary inspected and which are practi-
cally under the direction, SO far as their
sanitary control is concerned OF n com
: petent expert in this kind Of work, who
would make frequent Inspections Of the
farms, SlNe INSTRUCTIONS IN me nlnNlcst
details and cheek the results by regular
ARCHAEOLOGICAL examinations of the milk,
He could then certify that such milk
was all that could be desired from u
sanitary standpoint.
such Certified milk naturally com
lnands higher price than milk gotten
under less rigid supervision as n great
deal OF additional expense is involved
would say that on the Richmond mar
ket II ought 10 bring not less Than twelve
cents a quart, but I would bc well wortl
IL,
Specially for Infants.
LAS you probably know, one OF NIX
ereatsst Institutions IN New York Chs
Il inc Strauss Milk Depots, where mill
OF nnquestioned purity Is furnished fol
;nfant feeling, - can conceive OF az
greater opportunity for some public-splr
.ted citizen OF Richmond to do goo'
man ~ the establishment Of such al
4, snxuuuon IN Ricnmond. for IT woui'
mean the actual saving OF many live
g ~,Stch arc now sacrificed avery year