The Washington herald., 1912-03-16

Cured; foTty-SIN cases, OF WHICH
thirty-four cases were supplied by
one milk dealer, A., the others by
several different dealers. Milkman
A. had during the early part of
September supplied milk in bottles
to two houses having typhoid. The
empty bottles were not sterilized.
October, 1906, Rochester, N. Y.
of nineteen cases, all on a
milk route of d driver whose
brother was sick with typhoid and
to whom he left milk in bottles
daily. These bottles were never
sterilized.
September, 1906, Lynn, Mass
Thirty-one cases due to bottle
washer in early stage of typhoid
fever.
July, 1906, Providence, r. l.
Thirty-eight cases, due to failure to
sterilize bottles.
October, 1905, Woburn, Mass
Eight cases, due apparently to the
handling of milk by an infected
employe.
The point is that milk, after pas
teurization, is just as susceptible to
the development of disease-produc-
ing germs as it was in its raw state.
Be careless in handling raw milk,
and it is necessarily liable to con-
tamination.
Be careless with this same milk
after it has been pasteurized, and
the danger of infection is again
created in the same degree, and in
many cases to a greater degree.
Now, what is the real, live, prac-
tical, actual situation?
This entire controversy presum-
ably hinges upon the relation of
milk to local infant sickness or
mortality.
There are some relatively minor
issues.
But the real fight, as il appears
upon the surface, is for the protec-
tion of infantile health and life by
the enforcement of sanitary laws
and regulations which will guaran-
tee a pure and wholesome milk sup
ply.
1t is good hght-a noble fight
"a fight which should appeal to
every citizen in every walk OF life
All | ask is fair play, and JUS
tice for the milkmen.
And | only ask those brands Of
fair play and justice which are
meted out after an impartial, un-
biased, common-sense, practical,
and open and above board view of
given situation.
New Gork's entire milk supply,
in addition to being pasteurizcd,
must also be graded in other
words, must be sold under the fol-
lowing labeled schedules:
Grade A, For Infants and Children.
CD Certified or guaranteed
milk.
C2) Selected milk-raw.
From tuberculin tested herds on
farms complying with at least 10
per cent of department regula-
tionS.
Bacteria count, not over 10000
c. c.
(3) Selected milk-pasteurized.
From farms complying with at
least 60 per cent OF department
regulations, and then pasteurized.
BACTERIA count, not over 10000
per c. c.
Grade B. For Adults.
Milk pasteurized under depart
ment regulations, and delivered i'll
bottles or drawn from proper con-
taincrS-not dipped.
Grade C, For Cooking.
Milk not included in above
grades. PaSteurized.
At the outset, ! stated that Com
missioner LederleS programme
makes compulsory the pasteuriza-
ton of practically the entire milk
supply of the metropolis.
Some figures are necessary at
this point to make my contention
clear.
The local milk supply at present
sold to the consumers may be
divided into the following varieties +;
Raw milk, about rs per cent; pas
teurized milk, about "a per cent !;
guaranteed milk, about l per cent.
Now, pasteurize the present IS
per cent of raw product, add to
this amount the "a per cent at pres
ent pasteurized, and we have total
of SO per cent. This is practically
the entire product.
But it will be noted that Com
missioner Lederle will permit some
raw milk to be sold as such under
the title of Selected milk-raw."
Now, how much of this milk will
or can be sold?
1t must be produced and mar
keted under certain board of health