The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1911-12-22
DON'T TRY TO
KEEP MILK
. s..:.sss I. !. I /. :; =
HOT

M ly informs an inquiring reader
IA about a method of keeping her
baby's night bottle warm. She says
that it is so much trouble to get up m
the cold and fuss with the gas stove
or alcohol lamp, heating up the milk
that must be given at five or so in the
morning. and she wants a sure way of
keeping it warm all night after heat
ing it at bedtime. So she is told to put
it into a vacuum bottle until feeding
time and then transfer it to the regular
bottle; or else to cook it and put it
into a covered pail of boiling water.
wrapping the pail in a thick cloth and
setting on the register or steam radi-
ator Thus" the answer concludes, lit
will keep quite warm for hours. and
save much trouble"
= = !.
res dear young mother, but also it
Will make trouble. a good many times
out of ten. It may even make u
tragedy, if the bacteria work full time.
That piece of advice is about the worst
that could be given to the inexperienced
mother or nurse. What the magazine
should have advised is this-in great
capital letters-"Don't try to keep your
baby's milk warm for more than five
minutes, or long enough for feeding.
You will probably poison the baby"
Now DO you know why? Do you know
why you must keep the milk bottles on
ice always. and ought to keep them
there right up to the feeding-hour? 1t
is because the bacteria-which are
bound to be in the purest of milk-can-
not do any harm as long as they are
kept cold-say below fifty degrees. A
low temperature makes them quite
harmless. But once you raise their
temperature. and keep it up for some
time, those bacteria get busy and do
any amount of harm. A continued high
temperature forms their Happy Hunt
ing Ground, and in it they multiply SO
rapidly as to make the milk unfit for
use very soon. You know milk may
have a certain number of bacteria to
the cubic inch without being harmful:
nut when it contains more than that
number it cannot be used.
= = !.
Sometimes the change that takes place
Is evident to the eye-when it is curdled,
milk looks all right; it may even taste
all right; but if the bacteria have been
allowed to increase past the danger
point it Is bad food.
Now, this is what happens when you
heat a bottle at nine o'clock at night
and keep it warm to be given the
baby at twelve, or at five. The danger
lies in keeping it warm and letting
the bacteria get in their dreadful work
If the baby takes it then and stays you
may thank your stars. for it is mir
acle. More likely he will show symp-
toms of violent Indigestion within an
hour, and it will be high time to call
the doctor You will have the poor
little soul suffering acutely with stom-
ach and intestinal collie or worse, and
long and hard is the road to cure. Many
babies who have been fed bacteria-laden
millz-rotten milk is the right name
for it-have died. with no one to blame
but the person who kept the milk warm
for too long time.
= = !.
Don't try to keep it warm. Even
though it means trouble for yourself
keep the night bottle on ice until the
time comes to use it; then heat it up
just as you do in the daytime. Keep
it upstairs through the night if you
find that more convenient, but we'll
iced in some way. so that it stays per-
fectly cold. Otherwise you are risking
the baby's life.
L