Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1907-05-02

struction Of the buildings, for the height
of the roofs and the depth of the cutters,
for the thickness of the walls, the amount
of light and ventilation and for the most
minute details. For example, there must be
a passage three feet three inches wide ce-
tween the wall and the manger In winch a
COW is kept; the feeding trough must be at
least two feet long and the stall f1ve feet
nine inches in length and four feet wide Tor
a single COW. Other details are set out In
the regulations In most minute manner.
They require that the walls OF every COW
stable shall be whitewashed every three
months, and that there shall be running
water upon the premises. The milkmen and
milkmaids must wear clean linen caps
and smocks; before milking the udder ana
teats of the cow must be wiped thoroughly
clean with a damp cloth, which shall be
boiled daily, and the milkmaid must wash her
hands before touching the teats: the talis
and hindquarters of cows must De ciipped
in the autumn; Immediately after milking
the milk must be passed through metal
sieve covered with clean, fine cloth, aHd
then through OF over a refrigerator ana
reduced to the lowest obtainable tempera-
ture the milk must be dispatched from the
farm in just sufficient time to reach the
train and in hot weather the cans must
be protected by awnings. Where prac-
ticable the milk must be conveyed In spe-
cial freight cars by fast trains, and must
never be placed in the same cars with hsh
or other Objectionable articles.
This law, however, as l have said, Is a
dead letter. No attempt Is made to en-
sanitary inspectors take a thorough inter,
est in their duties and exercise unusual
vigilance.
Protection Of Public Health.
London has all sorts of societies for the
protection of the health and the general
welfare of the community, and they pur-
sue their purposes with more or less en-
ergy. Several of them are devoted to the
reform of the milk supply, but the doc
tors differ, as on every other subject. Not
long ago the Infants Health Society start
ed an agitation to that end and COM
mission was appointed to recommend re-
FORMS but its members split on the sup1ect
of sterilization. One party argued that
sterilization not only destroyed the nutri-
tive value of milk but prevented the in
spectors from ascertaining whether it was
pure or otherwise. Ihey aovocateo strict
of all preservatives and to require milk to
be served just as 1t came from the car.
The other faction advocated the enforce
ment of the sterilization regulations. When
the reports were presented to Mr.. Burns,
president of the local government board,
he was a good deal puzzled as to what
steps to take and, naturally, has avoided
The board Of health Of Battersea parish
of London, which is one Of the most dense-
" populated districts, where the inhabi-
tants are chiefly well-to-do mechanics and
other wage-earners, furnishes pasteurized
milk to mothers who cannot nourish their
babies and keeps close watch of the re-
suits 1t Is furnished daily with lists of
births throughout the parish, and women
inspectors call at the houses and tene-
ments Immediately to give advice and re-
port upon conditions. They report that,
as a rule, their visits are warmly welcomed
and their advice is thankfully received. 1t
A~g- I,,%r % NO 1nth nr,
to neglect the natural supply Of nourish-
ment for infants, and they do not recon-
mend the use of pasteurtzed milk unless
there is strong ground for believing that a
mother is incapable Of furnishing sufficient
nourishment for her child. Where milk is
furnished, the babies are weighed twice a
week and a record Is kept Of the treatment
and the progress in each case. In addition
to the question of nourishment the tnspec-
tors give advice to ignorant and inexperf-
enced mothers concerning the treatment Of
their children. In 1906 1.626 homes were
visited, and at these ,2S2 mothers nursed
their babies. Pasteurized milk was sup
piled in 344 cases from birth. After the
piled in sos cases, which showed that
about IS per cent of the infants were
nourished by their mothers.
The returns show that the mortality
among infants in that parish has been con-
siderably diminished by these means. Since
they were adopted in 1902 the death rate
among children has dropped from 163 per
thousand to 12S per thousand In 1905, and
the difference Is said to occur almost en-
tirely in those diseases which are caused
by insufficient or improper nourishment.