New-York tribune., 1907-09-04
GOOD MILK FOR BABIES.
In Paris the Goat Has Usurped the
Place of the Foster Mother.
Paris, August p

TIE she goat has always been dangerous
-s,.1 ~ the wet nurse in France, and this year.
,,-ir7e 10 the encouragement accoroeo 20 me
former by the medical faculty OF fatls' ti9
quantity OF goats milk consumed IN tne capItai
hss increased by nearly so per cent ferIdPs
no feature Of Partisan out-ot-door ne taxes t,e
American tourist SO much by surprise as me
arnaararoe Of the goatherd in the thorough
fares followed by q dozen or more brown long
haired soats Early in the morning. winter ana
summer fust about the zine when the hnlislnlah
Sc eoirg his rounds in the streets Of Paris, You
NAV hear plaintfve little air whisted on a
rAAd beneath your windows. i is always the
came air-irst A few notes in a. minor key, and
translated into plain English II means: Here IS
the roatheri and If you want goats milk for
vo1r babies or for your aged grandmother mere
t- is" 4 glance from the window will show
swarthv. picturesque Basque, wearing a nat
cln-s can surrounded by a little flock OF shaggy
GOATS standing in the middle OF the roadway.
waiting for customers The goats understand
-ha business as We'll as he does himself. and at
the first note of his whistle they cease their
nervous bounding exploratory movements, and
assemble close round their herd, turning their
long level glances in every direction, watching
for the expected customers TO come hurrying up
10 purchase the rich. fresh milk.
MILK Is NOT CHEAP.
Very seldom does the goatherd wait in vain
From nearly every porte cochere. as the great
gs-ewavs leading into the houseblocks are called.
housewives and servants come running down.
bearing pitchers or bowls into which the herd
will milk his animals. The milk is not cheap,
tsfne indeed more than twice the price Of cows
milk but Il enjoys a great reputation in Paris
both as food for infants and for sick or deli
cate persons Infant mortality is a subject that
/. occupies the medical faculty above all others IN
France just now. and the high death rate is
being comhated tooth and nail. Since Il IS no
torious that the system OF foster mothers lends
itself 10 a number of serious abuses, substitutes
for human milk are sought. and some leading
childrens physicians have pronounced them
selves strongly in favor Of goats milk. DR..
GraneI OF the Hospital Of St Louis, is using
goats milk almost exclusively in the large in
fant wards Of that institution, and with very
satisfactory results. In order TO insure the
s1pply OF the milk under the best possible con-
ditions. he established large goat farm with a
carefully selected strain OF animals on the high
ground few miles from the western gates of
the capital The Buzenval farm was stocked
chiefly with Swiss goats, and by careful atten-
ton 10 the feeding OF the little creatures, which
are less fastidious than any other four footed
beast the doctor hoped to overcome or at least
10 minimize the somewhat disagreeable flavor
Characteristic OF their milk. This particular
herd numbers hundred, and has now been re-
moved further from the Paris area, 10 Beaumont
le Roger, IN the green pastures of the depart
Inent Of Eure.
IN HUMBLE HOMES.
But the role of the goat is not confined TO
supplying milk TO fl the bottles Of the Paris
babies II IS often brought into direct relations
with the infants and the goat is taken into a
family as the literal foster mother OF the child
This idea Is no new one IN France, nor indeed
IS II unknown in any Of the three Latin nations.
History shows Us the wondrous twins. ROrnulus
and Remus, the founders of the Latin race as
having been sucked by a wolf. and during the
4
te Latins have been intrusted TO goats one
example IS the celebrated author of The Mys-
ieries Of Paris" Eugene Sue was very deli
cate baby, and his mother gave him q goat for
nurse instead Of the buxom countrywoman
familiar a sight in French households. The
child throve exceedingly well on the regime. and
grew up 10 be a wild, unruly youth and the
famous novelist
ITS IMMUNITY FROM DISEASE
One OF the advantages possessed by the goat
over the COW, and even over the human foster
mother, is her comparative immunity from dis
ease A tuberculous goat is almost unheard of,
nor does she easily take any other complaint.
50 robust and hardy is the little creature that
she deserves 70 be more widely cultivated than
she is. She gives just enough milk daily 10 sup
ply small family Of three four persons. and
VII pick up a living any common or patch Of
waste ground
In Paris, goats milk cheeses are highly
esteemed especially by the working classes, who
md them an inexpensive and nourishing ad6i-
ton 10 a meal They are to be found in every
cheese shop in the capital. made in small round.
Drown cheeses. at four cents apiece In spring,
the flesh Of the kid figures on the menu Of many
restaurants under the name Of 'bicot" and very
delicate and sweet IT is. It is generally roasted
and served like lamb with garnish Of water
cress
The verdict OF the Paris Faculty OF Medicine
Is that the she goat Is an admirable substitute