Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1908-03-13
NEED FOR PURE FOOD
What the Consumer Can Do to
Attain That End.
VIEWS OF MISS ALICELAKEY
Delivers Address Before the Congress
of Mothers.
FUTURE USEFULNESS OF CHILD
Clean Milk and Safe Meat-Statis-
tics in Infant Mortality-Ques-
tions Are International.
FUTURE USEFULNESS OF chill,

tics in Infant Mortality-Ques-
tions Are International.
Miss Alice Lakey chairman of the food
committee. National Consumers League.
today discussed What the Consumer Can
Do for Pure Food before the interna-
tional congress Of mothers.
LAS chairman of the food committee Of
the National Consumers League" she
said, Il regard it as an honor to be re-
quested to address congress met to con-
slider the welfare Of the child. In the
child we have the future citizen. What
that citizen will be depends upon what
the child is today. In speaking to you
of What the Consumer Can Do for Pure
Food 1 am asking you to consider
question on which not only depends the
very life Of the child but his future use
funess to the state.
IF you would make Of your child a
strong. useful citizen, feed him right.
This is your first duty.
Only a wicked. neglectful parent will
fail in this duty. unless prevented by mis-
fortune. Then it becomes the duty OF the
state.
'1n this address 1 shall purposely re-
misbranded foods. with DR.. Wiley pres
ent. any word from me is unnecessary.
Neither shall I speak on foo sanitation
nor tell you of the score card recently
adopted by the national food committee
We all know our need Of clean conditions
in places where food is manufactured,
stored and sold.
Clean Milk and Safe Meat.
This morning I ask your consideration
Of two subjects-clean milk, safe meat.
What the consumer can do to insure a
supply Of clean milk and Of safe meat is
evident to me. and 1 hope l can convince
you of your responsibility. Milk is the
child's food to great extent for the
first three years of his life. large pro-
portion Of children are fed entirely on
cows milk. Hence the cows milk must
be clean and free from all disease germs
Pearson states that nearly one-third of
the children die before they reach three
years Of age. One of the leading causes
of this mortality is unwholesome milk.
Cooler says that most babies become
sick because infected by the poisons and
we'll they must be protected from the dirt
in milk, even as they are protected from
scarlet fever or diphtheria.
Cooler proved his theory in Rochester.
In six years he reduced the death rate 6o
per cent for children under five years of
age and 80 per. cent for children under
one year.
"How did he effect this great saving Of
child life? BY supplying them with clean
milk.
Statistics on Infant Mortality.
Harrington gives statistics on infant
mortality: Russia's death rate for in
fants exceeds in some districts 500 to the
900 births. Germany's rate is second.
France is third, and it about equals the
rate for New Jersey, 1914 per 1000. New
York states rate is even lower, 1898. The
District of Columbia's goes up to 274.5,
while Michigan's is the lowest of all,
1918.
.'Of the deaths due to tuberculosis
Mohler gives them II out of every 100.
SCHROEDER states that out of 100 bodies
examined in Europe 81 showed tuberculo-
sis LESSONS.
Moore places the worlds annual death
rate from tuberculosis at 5.00O.OOO.
What causes this appalling waste of
life?
us there sediment after two hours at
the bottom of the bottle Of milk left for
there is. Here is one cause Of this ap-
palling loss Of life. 1t is the infected dirt
in the milk.
Won Behring gives it as his opinion
that many cases Of pulmonary consump-
ton in adults are of intestinal origin and
are due to drinking tuberculous milk in
infancy.
"Ravenel states that tuberculosis is in
creasing in children when milk is most
largely used food.
another authority places this increase
at 21.7 per cent. while the death rate from
the same disease in adults has decreased.
Distribution Of Tubercle Bacilli.
Schroeder says every member of the
human family will be exposed to tubercu-
<lofr
berculous cattle are used. The distribu-
ton of tubercle bacilli from tuberculous
cattle is not left to chance. 1t is COM
mercial. systematic distribution from door
to door. from table to table. Expert
ments have proved that the germs are
virulent in butter after four months have
elapsed. in cheese after eleven months.
While for years physicians. pediatrists
and sanitarians have admitted that many
cases of intestinal disturbance in infants
are due to infected milk. and that scarlet
fever. diphtheria and other diseases may
be caused by infected milk. it has only
lately been officially decided. after long
the COW may be transmitted to the human
being. .
What will you do as mothers and con-
sumers. to secure for Your children and
your families clean. safe milk?
What will you do to help other mothers
less fortunately placed than yourselves?
Where the Responsibility Rests.
THE responsibility rests with you.
Clean. safe milk cannot be prodnced at
the same price as dirty, infected milk.
The dairyman is not engaged in a philan-
thropic enterprise.
"Pasteurizing dirty milk is merely cook
ing the dirt. not preventing it. The house
keeper who refuses to pay for clean milk
is aiding the farmer who will not have his
herd tuberculin tested and produce sani-
tary milk The food committee of the
National Consumers League asks you to
cooperate with them and form state food
| committees of the Consumers League to
work for the sanitary production of milk
on the lines first laid down by DIR. Colt in
1892 and known as certified milk. DR.
Colts plan includes medical milk commits
sions In every state, whereby what Is
known as certified milk may be pro-,
duced. l should like to ask this con-
gress not to adjourn until they have
passed a resolution on milk similar to the
one passed at the Crawford food conven-
ton in December. If it Is not possible in
the city or town where you live to secure
either Certified or inspected milk then
by all means pasteurize the milk. That is,
cook the dirt in 1t, only cook it thorough
~. so as to kill the disease germs. After
it has been cooked cool 1t at once. keep
it cool, and use within twenty-four hours
Pasteurized milk offers q fertile field for
the growth of harmful bacteria.
Five centuries ago Munich prohibited
the use q food Of tuberculOuS meat