Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1907-07-11
BAD MILK CONDITIONS
Report of Board of Public
Health Inspection.
MENACE TO PUBLIC HEALTH
Unless This State of Affairs Is Cor.
rected.
THE TYPHOID - BACILLUS
Grows and Multiplies in Milk With
Great Rapidity-Much Is
Old and Dirty.

'In general our laboratory results con-
firm the conclusions arrived at from an In
spection of the dairies and dairy farms that
much of the milk sold in the District Is
old. warm and dirty, is not handled with
intelligent or proper care, and that unless
this condition of affairs is corrected 1t must
remain a menace to the public health. not
only from the standpoint of typhoid fever,
but also diphtheria, scarlet fever summer
complaints of children, tuberculosis. etc"
The above summarizes the report of the
board of investigation of the United States
public health and marine hospital service
which consists of DR.. NJ ]. Rosenau. di-
rector of the hygienic laboratory; DR.. ]. H.
Kastle. chief of the division of chemistry.
and Dr. L. l.. Lumsden passed assistant
surgeon
Results of Investigations.
This report gives in great detail the re-
suits of this investigation and shows that
there is a woeful lack of care in the pro-
duction, care and distribution of milk and
cream in the District of Columbia.
The typhoid bacillus grows multi
plies in milk with great rapidity, especially
if the milk is not kept COOL, the report
states In fact, milk is one Of the best
culture medld Tor the typnOlQ bacillus. III
fortunately, the mlsk may TEEN with my
RAIDS of these organisms without in the
least changing the appearance. the odor or
the taste of the milk. We, therefore, have
no ready means Of knowing whether
particular glass of milk may not be con-
taminated with the typhoid bacillus.
Milk epidemics often break out with the
same explosive violence water epidemicS.
They are characterized by the fact that
they usually affect the children and women
especially.
"Buttermilk and cream. and possibly
other dairy products, also may act as We
hicles of infection. Several of the eighty
five cases attributed by us to milk probably
received their infection in buttermilk or
cream.
Ice Cream Must Be Looked After.
''Ice cream in particular must engage the
attention of the sanitarian, for it is known
to be vehicle by which the infection Is
spread. 1t is admitted. in the District Of
Columbia at least. that the worst milk Is
often used for the purpose of making ice
cream. Further, the making and handling
of this delusive delicacy is often under the
poorest possible sanitary conditions
The report declares that milk and cream
are not promptly distributed after beng
received in the city, twenty-four hours be-
ing allowed to lapse in many cases from
the receipt and delivery Of the product
Bottles are generally not properly cleaned
and employees of dairies are careless in
handling milk. AS a rule ables are near
the diaries, and but one dairy visited was
thoroughly screened to prevent flies from
coming to the milk after being in the
stables.
AT one dairy" the report states. IAN
employe was seen to put his finger alter
nately into the milk and then into his
mouth; and back again into the next can
OF milk, in order to assure himself that
before adj -
the general supply.
In one instance the driver of a milk
wagon was observed filling pint bottles
out of Quarts. He evidently ra, out of
pints, and hence used the empty bottles
collected on his route for this purpose.
After filling two pint bottles from one
quart bottle he licked the mouths of the
bottles clean with his tongue and then
applied the usual paper cap.
In another instance a driver was seen
TO NIL some empty bottles he had coil acted
on his route by dipping the bottles. in
Guiding his fingers, into the can of milk"
Location of Diaries.
The location of dairies in the District
of Columbia is far from satisfactory tho
board states. On that subject they say:
Diaries are usually situated or she
hrst floor; sometimes in dingy Easements
or cellars. Some Of them are in poor
sanitary condition, others fair; few
were in line order at the time of fnsnec
ton.
The location of most Of the dalries ia
pern1clous so far as general sanitary sur
roundlhSs are concerned. Many of them
are situated near squalid settlements or
abut on unkempt alleys. Close relation
between almost all diaries and stables
has already been referred to-
There are a large number of small pur-
Veyors OF milk in the District Through
a technicality in the law these small
places. mostly small corner stores. whiIe
subjected to inspection, are immune to the
general sanitary requirements of the
health department. The conditions under
which the milk is kept and retailed in
some or these places can better be i'm
agined than described. In some instances
we found small grocery stores selling a
cents worth of milk from bottles or cans.
while upstairs or in an adjoining room
typho d fever cases were being treated.
dispensed milk. Flies passed freely from
the sick room to the store, and the chances
OF conveying the infection from the patient
10 milk and other articles sold in the store
were favorable.
Great Bulk of Milk Adulterat:d.
The great bulk of the milk offered Tor
sale in the District of Columbia during
the summer would have been considered
adulterated according to the sanitary code
OF New YORK and would have been eX-
cluded from sale according to the health
regulations Of the city of Boston on ac-
count of the temperature alone.
In addition to being old and warm, much
of the milk sold in Washington is dirty.
Fifty-one of the 172 samples examined
showed no visible deposit in the original
container after several hotsfs' standing Fiji
teen of the samples contained a very small
amount of dirt. 9S con tanned a small amount
of dirt, contained much dirt, and l con-
tanned (mouse?) feces.
This foreign matter (dr) when exam
ined under the microscope was found to
consist of fecal matter. hair, epithelial and
other cells. straw, bacteria and all manner
of extraneous substances that have no place
in clean milk.
Foreign Matter Visible.
I'VE made no cumulative weighines or
the amount of dirt found in our samples
but only took note of the foreign matter
visible to the naked eye. which settled down
after a few hours standing. Any housewife
may satisfy herself of the presence or alb
sence OF foreign matter by this simple test
Good, clean milk should show no such de-
post.
Comment upon this pert of our work
seems unnecessary. 1t is true that hair,
COW excrement and other substances found