Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1908-12-11

Nathan Straus, the New York phil.
anthropist who is responsible for the
crusade against impure milk for in
fants In the great metropolis, has fin
ished q most interesting review Of the
ImillS question, which has been consid-
cred Of so great Importance that 1t has
been made the basis of an extensive
report prepared by the government de-
partment of public health.
Mr.. Stratus is the man who. sixteen
years ago, established in New YORK
| the first infants milk depot, where
pasteurized milk could be secured for
| babes. Mr.. Straus has succeeded In
demonstrating in q practical manner
the great need Of thoroughly pure
milk for babies. Since he began his
work the infantile death rate in New
/ York City has steadily decreased from
1862 per 1000 in 1892, to 81 per 1000
In 1901
In the city OF Marshalltown, where
the first decided stand In Iowa has
been taken for pure public milk sup
ply. Mr.. Straus' statements should be
read with a great deal of interest. Elk
tracts from his extensive contribution
follow:
Good Milk Infected Spreads Disease.
II suppose 1t is wen known by this
time that the germs OF disease can be
carried in milk and that epidemic
outbreaks are often traceabe to that
source. Typhoid, scarlet fever and
diphtheria are the diseases most fire.
quently spread IN this way but we Learn
from the bulletin that Asiatic cholera
dysentery and Malta fever are also
communicable thru milk. One special
subject for inquiry by the American in
vestigations was the frequency Of these
milk epidemics' as they are called. An
enormous amount of statistical mater
ial relating to the last fifty years has
accordingly been collected and sifted
Here you will find summarized the es-
sential details OF 317 outbreaks Of ty-
phoid. 1875 OF scarlet fever and fifty
one of diphtheria, all owing their orig
in to infected milk. tho 1t Is admitted
that not all the statistics available
from foreign sources have been in
British readers, for most of the sta
cluded.
"These figures appeal directly to
tistics come from the United Kingdom.
ILLS NiiiiC thC N1iiiltN hIloNSo LII Iis'h
1872 instances of typhoid, twenty-seve
iberia, the United Kingdom, can
"boast" of 1885, ninety-six and thirty
two cases respectively, the sum total
OF all three diseases from other coun-
tries being only fifty. This Of course
does not mean that the sanitary con-
ditions are worse in the United King
dom than elsewhere. 1t is a proof Of
the excellent work of your English
medical statistichns, but 1t is also a
terrible warning Of the dangers Turk
ing in milk.
Typical Instances Of Milk Epidemics.
Look for instance at the Dublin
typhoid epidemic Of August. 1899. No
fewer than sixty-six persons were
smitten with the disease, and all Of
them were supplied with milk from the
same dairy. Now there were cases OF
typhoid being nursed at that dairy,
and 1t was probably the handling Of
the milk by one of the persons act
Ing as nurse that caused the milk to
become infected.
"The very same thing happened on
! smaller scale three months previous
~ III iIuDlllt. III MdS, 1917, tllC eWo
children of small milk dealer were
down with typhoid, and again 1T was
probably the children's sick nurse who
infected the milk in the shop. The
business being a very small one, only
fourteen cases resulted.
Take another typhoid case from
Liverpool. In October, 1897, twenty
seven children were suddenly seized
With typhoid after eeating ice cream
1t stall kept by an Italian whose
wife was lying sick Of the disease.
Liverpool illustrates also the con-
nection between milk and scarlet fever.
In February, 1904, fifty-nine cases of
scarlet fever occurred among the per-
sons using the milk from a dairy
where there was a child recovering
from this complaint.
GAS for diphtheria, take the exam
ole of Edinburgh, where in May, 1900,
like fifty persons incurred
he disease because they were consum-
,rs of milk from a dairy farm where
mixers and others were found to be
suffering from sore throat which on
)e true diphtheria.
Unhealthy Cows-UnheaIthy Milk.
$50 far we have been dealing with
cases where milk had become infected
On it's way from the cow to the con-
sumner. There is of course another
class of cases, in which the milk is al /
'eady infected when it leaves the COW.
rhe contempt of precaution is more
,ulpable, perhaps, when human dis !
eases are allowed to infect the milk,
out it is only another degree of neg
ect which tolerates the sale of milk |,