Northern Wisconsin advertiser. [volume] (Wabeno, Wis.) 1898-1925, 1907-09-19
DISCUSSION BY NATHAN sTRAUS
BEFORE BRUSSELS CONGRESS.
PROTECTION OF CHILD LIFE
Milk is Not Always Good in Proper
ton to Its Price-Criminal Neglect
Ito Feed the Young on MIX Not
Sterilized-conmon Cause of Tu-
culosis.

Brussels, Sept. 13.-"At the last
Congress International des Gouttes de
Lait was solitary voice from Amer
ca declaring that child life should be
protected from infected milk. by pas
teurization. Today l come with the
same message endorsed by the most
distinguished scientists of my country
and formally and officially promulgat-
ed by the government of the United
State of America"
Such was the predatory declara-
ton made by Nathan Straus in a pa
per read at the present session of the
congress which opened here yester.
day. Mr., Straus quoted from an arti
Gle which he had contributed to the
Forum in 1904 in which he said:
Here let me say that the penalty
OF disease and death, paid for the
neglect of simple precautions in the
use of milk, is by no means paid ex-
| clusiyely by the poor. Milk is not al
ways good in proportion to the pric
paid for it, nor free from the germs
of contagion because it has come
from cattle of aristocratic lineage.
The latter quality, as recent expert
ence has shown, carries with it a spe.
cial susceptibility to tuberculosis. In
| milk intended for infant nutriment
perfect sterilization is an absolutely
essential precaution; but, simple as
the process is, 1t is not always GER
tain, even in the homes of the rich,
that it will be properly done. | hold
that in the near future it will be re-
garded as piece of criminal NEGLECT
TO feed young children on milk which
has not been sterilized."
THESE statements" says Mr..
Straus, whose justice will be recog.
nlzed by members of this congress.
were receive with incredulity in the
United States. | was called an alarm
list. The dangers to which pointed
were minimized by medical men of
standing. For years Professor George
M. Kober, of Georgetown university
stood almost alone in declaring and
| proving the dissemination of scarlet
FEVER, typhoid, and diptheria by
means of infected milk. No longer ago
IMAM May of this year, medical COM
mission characterized the danger of
| tubercular infection through milk as
slight, but this was the dying gasp OF
| the opposition to the pasteurizatfon
OF the milk supply, which has crumb-
led away as ignorance has given place
| to knowledge.
While l persisted in warning
against the use of raw milk. / pro
yided pasteurized milk for the babies
OF New York city. This was regarded
as an amiable benevolence. The virtue
| OF the enterprise, in the eys of most
| pople, was, that it provided food for
the poor at less than cost. or for no
| thing
Gradually however. as the infantile
death rate of New York City went
steadily down, from 96.2 per 1000 In
1892 to 55 per 1000 in 1906, coincident
with the increased use of pasteurized
| mix, the significance of my work be.
came apparent, and the conviction
spread llat the virtue of the Straus
milk was not lls low cost. but tn,
/ fact that the miik was pasteurized. :"
Finally, early this summer, the
president of the United States became
: SO convinced of the dangers of raw
milk that he ordered a thorough offic
lai investigation of the whole prob.
lem, with a view to legislation by the
federal congress. These steps toward
the protection of the people, and es.
pecially of the children, were the con-
sequence of an awakening of the pub
lie intelligence and stirring of the
popular conscience. The people stood
aghast at the revelation of millions
OF babies left daily at the mercy of
disease germs hidden in the ordinary
market milk :.
Infant Milk Stations.
Mr.. Straus pointed out that In five
American cities infant milk stations
are now maintained and are achiev.
ing remarkable results in reducing in
fantile mortality.
I'm New York city" he said. my
~'H f'OAh WoS NANtHuSu OUe CEN
trail station to seventeen depots and
the output of pasteurized milk has in
creased from $4,000 bottles in 1893 to
S,140,252 bottles and 1,07S,4O5 glasses
in 1906. A total of at least $500 900
bottles and 100000 glasses is al.
ready indicated for this year. In ad.
dition, more or less efficient pasteur-
ization is being done by dealers TO
the extent Of about 100000 quarts
day"
After discussing the extension of
the work he had established against
the odds Of an unseeing opposition
and the beneficial results, Mr.. Straus
said: One phase OF the raw milk
oanger-and the most serious phase
OF all--tne fact that raw milk is the
common cause OF tuberculosis-has
been especially Illuminated by the
work of American scientific men. Pro.