The Washington times., 1908-03-12

the milk furnished their babies. MI
Straus is mere interested in the babies
of the world than the majority Of men,
and has made the milk supply, dangers
OF infection, source of supply and pas
teurization a close study
In his letter Mr. Straus argues for
prevention rather than cure, and points
out TO mothers the right course 10 pur-
sue in order to rear sound, healthy, and
robust men and women.
Mr.. Straus' letter follows:
Care Of the Baby.
How do you feed your baby?"
This question is addressed in all seri-
BUSINESS TO every parent. and particu-
larly 10 every mother. I am a lover
of babies myself ana 1 should be de-
lighted to see yours. l should rejoice
with you II he or she were the ira
diiiOnal fine child and sympathize
heartily If baby were for any reason
not OF the proper size, weight, and live
1iness. But / am thinking of the future,
Il want all those babies to have the
best possible chances of battling sue
cessfUlly with LIES early troubles, and
want all those that grow up TO be
strong. healthy men and women, ready
10 take their places as parents OF
new generation that shall be healthier
and happier than the last.
The future constitution OF the infant
depends largely on how II gets over the
early months OF its life. The du-linpOi-
tant question, then IS the Ieedlns. Indl
fortunate mortal, the breast-ted BABY,
is getting rarer nowadays, especially IN
our large towns, SO that more and more
children are depending from the nrsJ on
what has been called the juice of the
COW That IS what II comes to, sooner
or later. i'm every case. But you cannot
90 without milk IN some form or other.
BABY sooner or later begins drinking
COW $ milk.
And what sort Of milk do you get for
your baby? The best you can, of course,
bat whaL is that best? Do YOU know
Where the milk comes fFOn2 FROM
how many different farms and cows?
MIXED, cooled. filtered, and skinned by
how many different farm servants Do
YOU know how many miles 1t has come
by rail, how many hours 1t has been on
the way, through how many hands II
has passed from milking pail 10 milk
can or stoppered bottle?
Impossible to Know.
DO you know, or do you care to
know, whether the nEik IS properly
treated 10y your dairyIuan after 1t
reaches him? DO you know whether it
j. properly treated in your own house?
Under the existing conditions OF
modcu town life it is impossible for
you TO procure satisfactory answers To-
these questions if You woodland how
Few there are who trouble their heads
about such matters at all! Yet it is of
the utmost importance that everything
10 de- with the production Of milk for
the market should be carried out IN the
Cleduests Cettests most rapid manner
POSSIBLE.
An the utensils employed should be
Cieanubie and cleaned all the persons
at TIE work should bee healthy and par
tiCuldr in their habits The stables, tlfe
pl CnlSeS where the milk is handled and
sold, should be airy and free from dirt
Dust Is the enemy OF GOOD milk
You viii tell me that you do not give
baby the same milk as you have your
sCll-yOU pay a higher price for nur-
sery milk. and that ought 20 be good,
at any rate Yes. perhaps But here.
again, what do you know as to its origin
and treatmeuty You have the milk
mans word for it that il is supplied by
special cows. It seems 10 he richer in
cream 1t comes in special cans CT bot
ties But are you cunNlnctd-c3n you
be sure-that the COWS are 5ealJhyE
81 kept special COW myself once, and
thOEghC / was Safeguarding the health
OF my family. BUT as that COW died
suddenly, and Of consumption, / feel
] have some right 10 distrust special
COWS. That was years dgO, and it was
net then possible. as IL is now, to asCer-
Fumptive or not. But suppose your
nursery cows are under veterinary in
speCtiOn, Does one medical eEamina-
tIOn Insure the health OF the COW for
months 10 come before the next tnspec-
tion2 Does il shield every bucket of
milk in that dairy from infection on its
way from the COW to the infants?
Infection the Danger.
'Tufecuon-that is the word. Milk is
easily liable to infection. An unhealthy
animal is likely to give unhealthy milk
Perfectly good milk may acquire the
germs or disease while il is standing
IN the miIk-pan or being poured from
one can TO another in a dusty street
1t may pick up disease-germs I'm your
own Hving-rooms II you leave It ex-
posed BaCteria-bacilH stTepJOCOCci-
all these minute organisms, or microbes,
thrive and flourish in milk. Milk IS
never free from them There are good
bacteria harmless bacteria, and parm-
full bacteria, and il IS. Of course, these
last that are TO he feared.
Have you never heard OF epidemics
OF typhoid, scarlet-feVer, or dtphtheTia
that were traceable TO the milk supply?
AL these diseases can be communicated
through milk LOathsOme as they may
be. there Is none more terrible than
that scOurge of humanity known as
consumption or tuberculosis.
Fourteen per cent of the total deaths
registered in America are from this
cause. 1t has sometimes been said that
consumption, as met with in cows CbO-
vine tuberCulOsis) is a distinct disease
which cannot be transmitted to human
beings. This comforting belief has had
to be given up altogether.
Milk the Source.
''Any doubt that remained on the sub
feet was dispelled by the findings OF the
Royal Commission on tuberculosis in
its first and second interim reports May
1904 and January 1900. The disease is
essentially the same, in whatever animal
It is observed. Milk is the greatest and
most widely ditfused source of danger.
There are notices in Omnibuses remind
ing people Of the danger OF spreading