Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1908-03-14
Congress of Mothers Told OF
Dangers to Children in Milk
and Meats
TUBERCULOSIS AND SANITATION
Uusanitary Conditions of Diaries
Largely Responsible For Spread of
Disease-Boycott of Bad Food Urged
-Pasteurizins Held to be Poor Rem
edy.

washington. MaFCH IA union VI
mothers. national in scope. and a boy
colt of all food products not absolute
Wiley, government chemist, before the
congress Of mothers.
This league, he said. would do more
to wipe out the dangers TO children
than all pure food laws, no matter
how rigidly they are enforced. If the
mothers should refuse to purchase any
tainted foodstuffs, he said, the manu-
facturers soon would cease their maxi
ing.
He added there should be cry
against the mixing of certain substan-
ces with foods to make them palat-
able. DIR. Wiley called attention to the
great Importance of purity in such ar
ticles as butter, maple syrup, honey,
and particularly of all dairy supplies.
Alice Lakey, chairman of the food
committee of the National Consumers
league, told Of the dangers lurking in
impure meats and milk. She quoted
statistics to show that one third Of the
children die before they are 3 years
old and that the greatest cause for
this gigantic mortality percentage was
impure milk. She added:
Cooler says that most babies become
sick because infected by the poisons
and bacteria of unclean stables. He
proved his theory in Rochester In six
years he reduced the death rate 60
per cent for children under 5 years
of age and IS per cent for children un-
der l year simply by supplying them
with pure milk obtained from cows
that were housed in sanitary stables"
The great scourge of tuberculosis
was blamed in large degree upon
the impure milk fed to infants. This
disease, the speaker added, causes the
death of 100000 persons in single
year and is on the increase where
cows milk is used as the food for in
fants. 1t is the largest where the laws
providing inspection and sanitary
guards are lax The following statis-
tics were quoted:
"Russia's death rate for infants ex-
ceeds in some districts 500 to the 1000
births Germany's rate is second.
France is third, and it about equals the
rate for New Jersey. 1914 per LOCO.
New York states rate is even lower
1898. The District of Columbia's goes
M to 2745. while Michigan's is the
lowest of all, 1918"
Pasteurizing Held Poor Remedy.
Then she gave a warning to the
mothers. The easiest test was explained
as follows:
rs there a sediment after two hours
at the bottom of the bottle of milk
left for your child? Throw away the
milk if there is. Here is one cause OF
this appalling loss of life. 1t is the IN
fected dirt in the milk.
In regard to pasteuriZing milk, the
method used in many states at present,
she said:
..Pasteurizing dirty milk Is merely
cooking the dirt. not preventing it. The
food committee of the National Con-
sumers' league asks you to cooperate
with them and form state food COM
mittees of the Consumers league. to
work for the sanitary production OF
milk on the lines first laid down by Dr.
Colt in 1892 and known as certlned
milk The plan includes medical milk
commissions, in every state, Wherepy
what is known as Certified milk may
be produced. 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 it, only cook
it thoroughly, so as to kill the disease
germs. After it has been cooked cool IL
at once, keep 1T cool. and use within
twenty-four hours. Pasteurzed milk
offers a fertile field for the growth OF
harmful bacteria
Small Packing House Evils.
The speaker then turned to the dan
gers in tuberculosis meat. In this con-
nection she said:
"Visit any small slaughter house and
see the diseased cattle that are brought
TO he shambles. Moore states that
there are about 100000 cattle in New
York state, all more or less affected
with tuberculosis. Many of these will
he killed for food He tested 1854 herds
for tuberculosis: 1913 per cent were in
fected. AS more and more cattle are
rejected as dairy cows. because they
are found to be tubercular, more and
more of them will be turned into the
slaughter houses. But does not cook
ing kill the disease germ?
s.The royal commission on tubercu-