The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1907-04-28
Relief From Local Conditions
Must Be Secured by Lo-
Cal Legislation.
DANGER LURKING IN MILK.
PLACE FOR BACiLLi- METH
obs THAT MAY BE EMPLOYED
TO PREVENT DISEASE.


As a part of the universal war-fare I
that has been planned against disease.
by the nation. as well as many OF the
states, we have our pure food bin by
our last general assembly. Laws en-
acted to fit SO many conditions. must
necessarily be inadequate for every
place where specific law is needed. aud
1t happens, therefore, that cities. while
helped very much by these state pro-
visions are necessarily dependent upon
local laws for direct relief.
1t is for the purpose of carrying out
the spirit of the general provisions OF
the State law, that severs- new ordi-
nances are necessary in Richmond. at
the present time. In "A general way the
slaughter houses and meat produces
are provided for, but the inspector
comes only occasionally and often il
not skilled in a knowledge of meat or
meat producing animals, and can not
therefore, serve the specific purpose OF
relieving the people of this city from
death by tuberculosis. from diseased
cattle. We must have an inspector
who shall draw his pay, from a source
not controlled by local conditions, and
who shall have most thorough
knowledge of such diseased meats and
who will act without fear or favor. for
the interests of clean and healthy meat
foods, and who shall be constantly
present whenever animals are slaugh-
tered for market. Such a provision IS
now pending in an ordinance. provid-
ing for an inspector, controlled by tho
government. and sanctioned by our
city council, that will meet in the best
way possible the spirit of the state and
national laws. Fortunately for this city
such opportunity has been offered to
us, over all other requests. for many
other places and it is up to council at
its next meeting to provide such an
excellent ordinance for our city.
The Danger in Milk.
Since serious diseases can be present
in cattle for long periods of time. as
has been shown by our experience
from postmortems of the slaughtering
houses here, we can not know of such
existing disease while the animals arc
still alive. A COW. for instance, may be
giving milk containing thousands OF
tubercular bacilli and therefore, infect
ing persons who may be drinking such
milk, without there being evidence of
such disease in the animal that would
be marked by the most competent in
spector. The state law provides, and
very wisely, for thoroSgh sanitary in
spection of dairies and will thus no
doubt prevent the spread to a limited
extent of this disease among cattle,
but fails to provide any definite plan
whereby we may prevent this dread
disease from cattle already infected.
The number of such cattle in each
dairy having such disease. vary much
according to their opportunity for taa-.
ing tuberculosis and the sanitary con-
ditions after such chance has been af-
forded No doubt. we have dairies that
ers where the cattle are largely infect
ed. The estimate of such infection
made by the government bureau at
Washington is from three to eight per
cent of such cattle. How. therefore. are
we to know from what source TO ex-
pect this fell destroyer of our citizens.
from the knowledge now at hand!
Only two ways can be provided 70.
protection against tuberculosis and 9th
er diseases obtained from milk and
neither of these are provided for by
any state law, yet at our disposal.
How to Find the Germs.
In the first place, cattle can be in-
jected with tuberculin and if reaction
proper surroundings, we may have a
reasonable knowledge that such cattle
are diseased from tubercle and should
be killed; thus preventing the spread
of disease among the herd, and also
preventing farther disease of the milk
from such cattle. MIX differs from
most other fluids in that 1t is such a
good growing product for almost all
bacilli and thus, while but, few germs
may get into it in the beginning, with
in few hours millions of such orgal-
isms may be produced. therefore, milk
is the most dangerous of all animal
GALLEY TWO ORDINANCES.
products. In the second place milk
may be brought to a temperature OF
16J degrees F. and kept there for
twenty or twenty-five minutes, which
according to most authorities viii kill
the disease producing germs in this
fluid. II would seem therefore, that
all these methods, should be employed
III order to make the highest STANDARD
for this product l. e. the state should
give US law and no doubt she will.
covering these necessities. In the mean
time, we must be protected BY laws en-
acted by our common council, SO as to
prevent SO many of our citizens from
death from the dread white plague
Sixteen and one-sixfh per cent OF all
persons dying last year in Richmond
was caused by our carelessness in the
prevention Of this disease 4-4JG per-
sons in the state also lost their lives
from ignorance and such laxnes5 in