The Washington herald., 1907-05-16
BOIL ALL YOUR MILK
Commission Advises Public
to Safeguard Health
AssAILs ALL UNCLEAN METHODS
Declares Some Dealers Take No
Pains and Precipitate Epidemies
of Disease by Insanitary Places.
Advices Against Buying UDcIean
Food-CaIIs AduIteratiOn Robbery.


Prefacing its report with the statement
that it is strongly impressed with the
manifold dangers connected with the
milk supply, the committee on sanitary
relations at the meeting of the milk COM
mission in the District Building yester-
day. recommended 10 the public the fol-
lowing as immediate safeguards until the
needed reforms in dairy methods are ac-
complished:
do not patronize milk dealer at any
price. whose milk, after standing for two
hours. reveals a visible sediment at the
bottom of the bottle. It is evidence of
dirty habits. extremely suggestive of dan
ger. and entirely preventable by clean,
decent methods. without greatly increas-
ing the cost.
Subject all your milk 20 home pasteur-
ization. by simply bringing 1t to the boil
ing point, and. after cooling, keep the
milk on ice. this will destroy germ life,
and reduce the chances OF milk-bOrne
disease 20 a minimum. and If We can re-
duCe our typhoid fever rate even only 10
per cent by this method, not to mention
infantile diarrheas and other infectious
diseases. It Is clearly our duty to do IT,
Recommend Continued Work.
Your committee recommends that the
results of the recent Investigations into
the milk supply be placed at the disposal
of the Commissioners of the District.
"fR conclusion, your committee recon-
mends that until the health department
shall be in control of a meteorological
laboratory and a sufficient number Of
inspectors, the health officer request
the continuance Of the cooperation of the
Bureau OF Public Health and Marine
Hospital Service and the Department of
Agriculture fnr irnHroving the local milk
supply"
In reply TO the letter of F. r. HOrner. a
member Of the conference and a promi-
nent milk dealer. which was presented al
the last session OF the conference, Dr. G.
N. Kober. chairman Of the committee on
sanitary relations. presented the report
of his committee in which it is stated that
while 1T is believed that Mr.. Horner is
perfectly conscientious in his views. and
doubtless has the best interests Of the
community. at heart, on the other hand.
| the consumer of milk, and especially the
innocent and helpless babies have some
rights. and public health demands that
the facts concerning milk should be pre-
sented and remedial steps taken at the
first opportunity.
Milk Dealers ArrHiEncd.
1T is a remarkable fact" says the re-
port, that every attempt 20 improve the
purity of this invaluable article of food
should be promptly opposed by the milk
industry, which constitutes strong
spoke in the commercial wheel. and evil
| IDENTIFY considers It meddlesome inter
! ference with their trade. These men evil
IDENTIFY do not know, and cannot know,
that such hydra-headed diseases as chol-
era fnfantum. scarlet fever. and diphthe-
ria have been disseminated in the milk
| supply; that typhoid fever epidemics have
| been thus caused. and that milk may be
/ the vehicle of the germs Of tuberculosis
and other infectious diseases and NOR
| blfic agents.
"Dr. Wiley reports that during the last
! few months his bureau examined 81
samples of milk bought in Washington.
of which 56, or a little over Il per cent.
| had been SKINNED or watered and Of the
| 96 samples of cream. IS, or 1885 per cent
Of the total number, were below the
standard required by law.
Much MILK Below Standard.
THE records of the health department
= Ia
2S.S59 samples Of milk were examined; OF
these. 6S0i. or 25.5 per cent, were below
the legal standard, and in 1895 instances
prosecutions for the sale Of adulterated
milk were presented in the courts.
"These robberies, largely made up Of
| the pennies of the poor and sickly women
/ and half-starved children. amount in
money value to considerable more each
| year than the entire cost OF the health
| department"
/ Upon motion Of ". F. Mattingly,
/ Dr. Woodward. secretary of the COM
mission. was directed to consider ways
! and means for the publication and distri-
! button Of 1900 copies of the report
among the citizens of Washington.
Recommends Inspectors.
/ administrative r
Mattingly. chairman-submitted its re-
/ port, In which It is recommended that
provision be made for the appointment
Of inspectors in the proportion of at least
| one TO every 100 dairy farms, and that
these inspectors be empowered to sus-
pend summarily for d period not to ex-
! ceed forty-eight hours any license to pro-
/ duce or sell milk in the District The
| making by the inspector Of false report
/ from willful or malicious motives shall
be punishable by a fine or by imprison-
ment. or both
! The COMMITTEES appointed to consider
I the question from its commercial aspect
/ George NJ Oyster, chairman-repOrted
/ that, judging from the standpoint Of the
! producer, it Is convinced that the cost Of
/ milk will be increased from to cents
| a gallon If it is necessary TO deliver the
milk to the railroads at less than 60 de-
grees.
| With respect 10 the proposition of a re-
| frigerator-car service by the railroad COM
! panies, the report states that the repre-
/ sentative of the baggage department Of
4 the Southern Railway has said that In his
/ opinion the company would rather give
| up the business of hauling milk entirely
| than to install refrigerator cars. The
/ Baltimore and Ohio Railroad, it is stated,
| is contemplating putting into service a
milk train. hauling no passengers, leav-
/ ing Frederick each morning.
Dr. Harvey W. Wiley was appointed
chairman of a committee to consult
| further with the railroad companies re-
garding the installation Of a refrigerator
/ car service.
number of pictures of dairy farms,
| barns. milk houses and dairy houses
were shown by Dr. G. Lloyd Magruder.