The ranch. [volume] (Seattle, Wash.) 1902-1914, 1907-05-15

chiefly by their behavior under certain
atmosphere, even polarized light being
sufficient to break up milk sugar into
a modification of itself. Our present
knowledge of the albuminoids of milk
is far from complete, though much
work has been done on the subject. This
is due to the fact that it is extremely
difficult to obtain these compounds in
anything like a state of purity. The
milk albuminoids are bodies of complex
composition containing carbon, oxygen,
nitrogen, hydrogen, phosphorus and sui
phur The way in which these elements
are combined is not known, but that
they exist differently in the milk of
different animals is a fact borne out
clinically rather than chemically. 1t is
this fact that undoubtedly suggested
the comprehensive term vitality" to
Prof. Carlyle as related by Mr. Cortel-
you in his address at the twentieth an
nual meeting of the Holstein-Friesian
association.
It was this fact that Prof. Holt had
in mind when he said that in infant
feeding there is a difference among the
different breeds. 1t may be slight, but
that difference is shown on the delicate
human organization and to my mind he
must have had the Dutch cow in mind
when he said: Select a large, strong,
healthy COW and the little difference
will not be noticed, and follow up by
cautioning the student concerning the
fact that tuberculosis is more common
in the Jersey than in any other breed"
Taking up once more the albuminoids
we repeat that they differ in the milk
of different animals. They may be di-
vided broadly into two classes: Those
like the COW and the goat, which give
a curd on the addition Of an acid, and
those like the human and the mare,
which do not. Now, the curd found in
the COW is composed or casein, which is
composed in the main Of earthly phos-
pilates, the presence or absence of which
causes the difference in the albumin
ODDS of the two classes. Besides casein
there exists in all milk second albumen-
old called albumin; this differs from the
casein by not being precipitated by
acids, but will be coagu1ated by heat.
There are other albuminoids described
in milk, but enough has been said to
allow me to reiterate that the elements
found in the albuminoids vary in differ
ent animals and this without disturb
ing the general complex makeup of the
milk.
Henkel and Bechamp are about the
only authority; they admit the presence
of rota ssium, calcium, chlorides, phos-
pilates and magnesium. Henkel has
gone so far as to find an organic acid
described as citric acid) which he has
found at times in some samples of milk,
and while this result is not universally
accepted, for the sake of future refer
ence please keep this point in mind. If
you can only see with me that the atoms
composing the different elements of
which we have been talking are so deli
cately arranged, and the molecules built
up in so complex manner that they
cannot be disturbed, you would then
understand how even slight change in
some one element would make vast
change in the whole. This is so to such
an extent that in the large percentage of
cases where the milk is modified the
child or invalid does not thrive. BY
some writer's it is said that the reason
| that the milk of Jerseys does not agree
| with subjects of low vitality is that it
| is so rich in fat that when in combina-
| ton with the digestive ferments, 1T pro-
duces a substance that is absolutely
| toxic This I feel is not quite true. The
difference we will find to be physiolog-
| ical and mechanical arrangement, physi-
illogical in the fact that it is impossi-
BILE for the large membranous covered
fat globule of the Jersey to crowd
through the microscopical cells of the
digestive organs, which they do when
assimilation is perfect, and if forced will
produce an active mechanical irritation
resulting in numerous disturbances of
the alimentary tract, while with the
Holstein's milk the fat g1obules are so
small that they readily pass by endos-
mosis through the cellular tissue.