Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1908-11-28
Observation-Disclosures:
Tr lis Il common thing now adays FOR
q physician to tell his patient 20
boil milk before using. More anu

TT is Il common thing now adaEs for
4 a physician to tell his patient 20
boil milk before using More anu
is coming lnto7vogue; yet Very few .peo-'
ple stop to consider the cause Of this
advice, although they may heed the
warning. The truth is that modern
daiiies are 50 filthy and poorly kept.
that milk is a real source of danger.
Being a good medium FOR the growth,
Z of all kinds OF bacteria,e epidernicss may
be spread very easily by 1T. No physi
clan will admit that boiled milk Is as
good Il food as raw milk; but he does
not care to take any chances in using
milk which may TEEN with millions of
micro-organisins which may or may
not be dangerous.
That there Is no danger in healthy
cows milk, properly drawn and hand
led has been repeatedly demonstrated.
From examination OF milk coming from
the udders of healthy cows, drawn un-
der aseptic precautions, we have found
time and time again, that 1t does not
contain more than l.2O0 bacteria per
cubic centimeter Owing to the germi-
Scidal activity, that is the power in
y y
Or clump bacteria, these nicro-organ-
isms do not multiply to any great cx-
tent for from five to eight hours after
1nlking. Cribs is not always true for
filthy milk or milk from sickly cows.
3hoWerer). tits evident, therefore, that
the great number of bacteria which is
found in much of the milk sold In the
open market comes from uncleanliness
and carelessness iii the drawing and
handling of 1t.
BACTERIA IN SOUR MILK.
The souring. of milk is due. prin-
$cipaly, to 81 little organism known
scientifically as the streptococcus lac
5ticus This organism gets into the
milk from the feces, droppings from the
COW and from other sources. If the COW
is kept perfectly clean and care be
taken III the drawing Of the milk; and
If the udder of the COW be perfectly
healthy. there is no reason why milk
should not contain so few of these lit
tile organisms that 1t can be Kept for
two days in an ice box without the adj
dition Of any preventative. To get rid
of these little organisms Is almost Inn
possible: but there Is absolutely no ne
seSsity for the milk to teen with them.
This, however, is not the true source
of danger. MIX soured by this strep-
tococcus Is not Injurious. These little
DicleIla, WilGll dilpMtN " s'tt7NSiop ~
pure milk or even in the intestine, form
Tactic acid which is deadly to the pu-
5trefactive factera When, however,
they are found in large quantities 1t Is
evident that the milk is filthy and may
not only contain these organisms, bur
may be filed with millions of other
Bacteria which are the real cause of
disease and thus spread epidemcs II
the COW is unhealthy the germs. which
are the cause of her Illness, may pass
to the drinlter of the milk and may pro-
duce the same disease in the human
subject Especially is this true II tho
COW be suffering from Tuberculosis,
commonly known as consumption The
of Infection by the tubercle
4ba cciilus, the cause of consumption,
will be readily realized when it Is
Known that about 10 per cent of the
COWS in this country are suffering from
this dread lnalady. Ordinarily nom
spore bearing bacteria are killed by a
Temperature Of about o6 degrees cent?
grade. not so with the tuhercle bacillus.
This little organism is able to protect
itself by being surrounded by globules
OF q fat Thus to effectively destroy it
the Temperature must be raised almost
TO boiling a process which not only.
alters the taste of the milk but acts
upon its chemical constituents in sucn
n way as to render them difficulty di-
gestible.
Not only may tuberculosis be spread
by milk. but other diseases such rs
typhoid fever. diphtheria. cholera. to-
gether with many Others find milk an
effective carrier. True, all OF these may
be destroyed by heat, but boiled milk
4 II 70 Z o.