Los Angeles herald., 1910-09-08
New Workers Urge StrauS Not to
Close PhiIanthr0piC
Institution
WORK HAS DONE MUCH GOOD
Pasteurization Shown to Have
Cut Down Death Rate
Nearly so Per- Cent
fsnecia1 TO The Heraldl

NEW YORK, Sept. This city has
been deeply stirred by the decision OF
Nathan Straus to close his pasteurize6
milk depots. and Health Commissioner
Lederle has announced that he will
appeal to the phiBanthropist to con-
tinue the work that has been a large
factor in cutting down the death rate
among babies in New York.
Only half as many babies died in
New York the past year, with seven
teen Straus milk depots supplying
100000 bottles Of pasteurized modi-
fed milk, as in 1892, when Mr.. Straus
began this work with the distribution
of $4,000 bottles.
But in the past two years business
foes have attacked Mr. Straus' work
with malignant persistence, and he has
felt that this was hindering the move
ment to protect people from infectious
diseases by pasteurization of the milk
supplies. He has decided, therefore,
to abandon his milk depots. He says:
"The criticisms of my work have
not been aimed against milk pasteur-
ization, but, for obvious reasons, me
personally. If my connection with
the discrimination movement ceases,
that humane work will be judged on
it's merits alone"
Commenting upon this, the Times
says:
NEWSPAPER COMMENT
"The withdrawal of the milk stations
exposes thousands of children to pres
ent infection and death. It is not
right that private citizen should be
asked to do at his own expense what
the public health agencies should be
empowered to do with the city's ample
resources. A plan of enforced pas
teurization, where inspection and GER
tif1cation are impossible, should be pre-
pared at once in the form of an ordi-
nance"
The Evening Mail says:
"The conditions that caused Mr..
Nathan Straus to decide to close his
milk depots constitute a crime. The
abandonment of his life saving work
is properly characterized as a calamity
by Health Commissioner Lederle.
"Mr. Straus experience has not been
unlike that of other wealthy men
whose philanthropic spirit has been
discouraged by unjust attack and mis-
representation, but the wound prob
ably has been deeper owing to the
complete unselfshness and sincerity
of his efforts to save the lives of the
babies.
But the real point in this case is
that the children of the poor will be
the sufferers, and that no one will be
gamer by the course that Mr.. Straus
feels compelled to take. The death
rate among infants in Manhattan was
96.5 per thousand when Mr.. Straus
opened his first pasteurized milk de-
pot Coincidental with the expansion
of his work mortality was lessened un
til last year the death rate was only
525 per thousand.
"The serious question for the mu
nicipality is how this improved con-
dition can be maintained and bettPre1
without the aid of the seventeen Straus
depots and their supplies of pasteur-
lied modified milk. That babies will
be slain and that white hearsas will
still laughter is the prospect for the
districts where Mr.. Straus philan-
thropy has given the little ones the
chance to live and to battle against
adverse conditions"
The Brooklyn Eagle says:
1.-THE risk to human life, and espe-
cialIy to the lives of babies, involved
in the closing of the Straus milk sta
tions is too great for such g step to
be anything less than a public misfor-
tune. Health Commissioner Lederle
takes the same view and cites the in
dorsement of pasteurization py the
board of health"
Meanwhile there are fearful scenes
about the Straus booths, mothers ask
ing what they can do to keep their
babies well when the depots are closed
Some $500 babies are now supplied
with the Straus pasteurized milk