The Mitchell capital. (Mitchell, Dakota [S.D.]) 1879-1918, 1907-10-18
NATHAN STRAUSE FOUND THAT TO
PAS7EUPZZE MILK MEANS TO SA w
THE LIVES OF THE LITTLE BABIES

The following address was delivered
by Nathan Strauss. champion of pure
milk in New York city and an interna-
tional authority upon the subject. be-
fore the milk convention. held at the
New fork Academy of Music Novem-
Der %, 1906. and is of especial interest:
Remarks by Nathan Straus. addressed
to the milk conference held at the New
York academy Of medicine.
Most of you gentlemen are professional
men and your time here is limited, and
am not going to waste it by talking TO
YOU about things you know already. l
have, however. prepared a little statement
which | will han to you and You can read
1t at your leisure. What | am anxious to
accomplish at this meeting is to get your
corporation in securing legislation that
shall deal in a more practical way than
we have yet been able to do with this
question of pure milk. 1t must be obvious
to you that the resources nof at the COM
mand OF the state board of health, or n
other department that may be invested
with the required powers. are entirely in
adequate to the purpose of stamping out
tuberculosis among cows.
1t must be equally plain that We're these
resources amply sufficient for the require
ments of our ow Estatc. they would have
to be provided and applied by the neigh
boring states which contribute SO largely
to the milk supply of this city.
Then, as to federal supervision. milk de-
mands, as an article of interstate COM
merce, a kind of inspection which ever
the sweeping requirements of the pure
food bill do not provide.
an -+1,;, mill 10,,htIacc he uc~cnnniSEe1
in time, but until that time does arrive,
IT seems to me tina the city or the state
should provide pasteurizat!on for the en-
tire milk supply. without any cost 10 the
producer or the consumer. With the CO.
operation of YOU gentlemen, this can be
done.
have tried pasteuriZation. tried it prac-
tically, and until you can shoW me some
thing better | may be pardoned for be-
lieving that pasteurizat;on is the thlhe.
Then let us arrive at some definite con-
clusion. and let us do it with all the more
resolution because whatever we do here
in New York will! be COPIED in every city
and state Of the union.
I ought to know something about milk.
{ have been working at the practical end
Of it for a good many years now. AT the
outset, l addressed a public who had hard
ly begun to realize the waste or human
life due to the Use OIL Itllk CdilS llS W
1t the germs Of disease.
Had been a man of scientific attain
nents, so that my statements would carry
the weight of scientific authority, should
probably have accomplished more than |
have done. But l have at least had the
satisfaction OF contributing to a great
awakening of public interest N this vital
important question.
Partly. at least, because of my own eff
forts, nave seen state and municipal
boards of health address themselves seri-
ously to the primary requirements Of a
pure milk supply. ! nave even had the
satisfaction of a seeing hasty scientific
conclusions in regard to the har:n'essness
IF the bovine tubercle bacillus n the hui
man system proved inaccurate. Finally,
{ have had the satisfaction of seeing the
aeath rate among the children of the city
If New York undo 3 years of age re-
duced from 96.5 per LEGO to SO per 1869 per
annum.
/ need not enlarge on the harm wrought
BY some OF the mistaken conclusions
reached by men of science among people
who are only too prone to be lu.led into
a false security. But I am sure that J
address today n body of men as fully i'm
pressed as 1 am with the Importance CT
CHS question:. and I am encouraged to
believe that this meeting will reach a con-
clusion calculated to advance the pros
lem a long step nearer to solution.
Statement.
The greatest task confronting humanity
today is the conquering OF disease.
We have met to discuss what we can
90 in our feeble way in the direction OF
solving a question Of vital importance.
and say to you that the phase of ne
problem which we are to consider has not
received the attention its surprising needs
deserve.
nave been criticised for preaching the
danger of our milk supply. for saying tina,
the most destructive of all agents of dis,
ease and death is the common. ordinary
milk offered for consumption in oul
cites, 1 welcome this criticism, because
it is only through discussion and agita.
ton that the public is aroused.
l think it requires no argument to prov,
that our milk supply. even with all th'
precautions thrown around 1t. needs fur
Their and radical reform, but l do not be
what degree It is responsible for sufferin,
and death, particularly among youn,
children.
You know that in this country ore chill
out of every three that are born die be
fore the age of 5 Is reached. and l CLAIM
that the majority of these deaths ar
preventable.
can conceive of no work that shout
appeal more strongly to L people or to
government han the saving of infan
lives.
Scientists are devoting their best eff
forts throughout the world to finding rem
edies for the prevention and cure of tn