The Washington times., 1912-09-27
CAN SAVE BABES
BY PURE MILK,
SAYS STRAUS
Cities Declared To Be Un-
needing Needs of
Pasteurization.

~SbSAA
The babies cry for protection
against disease. Their mothers lift
their hands in frantic suppiication
for their little ones.
Disease and death throw theif
shadow over the cradle and engulf
the mothers Of the land in the mex
tinguishable sorrow we could ward
away.
"It is a call to battle, call to en-
ergetic and united action"
This was the challenge and the
justification Of his own philanthropic
work presented by Nathan straus,
pioneer in saving babies lives by
the preventive power Of pas
teurized milk. to the section on State
and municipal hygiene Of the Con-
gress on Hygiene and Demography
today.
Cities Are Unheeding.
Municipal organizations have been un-
needing of their obligations and had
forced upon voluntary associations the
work Of life saving which properly de-
wolves upon public officials. declared
the New York philanthropist. brother Of
Oscar Straus, former Secretary OF Com
merce and Labor. and now Progressive
candidate for governor Of New York.
After speaking of the greater COM
parative value Of preventive treatment
Of disease. Mr.. straus said that he was
glad to find that the ideas he expressed
twenty years ago of the danger of
bovine tuberculosis to children and the
obligation Of municipal authorities to
carry on the work of prevention were
being adopted.
Duty Of Authorities.
'"The betterment Of milk production Is
not properly the work OF voluntary Or
ganizations. It Ia the duty of the public
authorities.
II have maintained this position for
twenty years, and In 1900, reciting the
results Of practical experience. I urged
that the pasteurizing OF the entire milk
supply be made the function Of the mu-
nicipality.
But municipal authorities were not
alive to their opportunities. and this
werk for humanity had to be carried
on by voluntary Organizations"
Admitting that city governments
hnally have taken hold Of the problem
mr. I'M
straus maintained that the Voluntary
organizations. invaluable when city Of
fctals were deaf to appeal, still had a
large held to fill In teaching cities what
should be done, and constantly urging
city officials forward TO do the full
measure Of their duty toward helpless
Idea Was Secuted.
''When the peril of tuberculosis II
raw milk came forcibly to my atten
ton more than twenty years ago, tn,
very man who had isolated the tuberclt
bacillus secuted the idea." said Mr.
6traus. referring TO DR.. Kochs atti
t,sde toward the possibility Of human
Infection from bovine tuberculosis.
After many weary, discouraginl
, years we have the deliberate decision
OF an able and impartial board Of sew
| enteen representative experts, the Com
I 1III5oiOu OH MILK SdlQ MI
sraus, with some pride. that It Il
, the duty Of the public health authori
ties to control infanttle dlarrhea, ty
phofd fever. septic sore throat. ant
other infectious diseases carried IL
milk"
Milk Depots Needed.
Mr.. straus then quoted from the de-
Cision Of this commission in which 4
asserted positively that all milk shoult
be pasteuT!zed except certified milk
Some Of the members OF the commission
thought the paeteurization of certified
milk should be optional and this minor
.ity opinion was Incorporated in the find
ing OF the commission.
I'VE need infant milk depots. W
need doctors and nurses consecrated t,
the work Of assuring to the little onel
the food that they need Is free from
the taint Of disease.
This Is work to stir the good ret
blood in every man and woman"
Mr.. Straus showed a strong aversion
to the theoretical side Of some experts
with some feeling he directed attention
to the fact that the babies.are humai
beings, not merely experimental sub
'ss..s; '.si.v .r. human ,.,nr, ,,r....,.,
with death-it is our function to saw
them-not to talk about them, not [,
experiment with them, not to catalogu
them, but TO give them the chance t
live that they can have only when fe,
pasteurized milk properly modified.
This Is a work that will pay hug
dividends in the satisfaction Of havtn
given these little persons the fair star
In life to which they are entitled"
Would Train Mothers.
Returning to the need and duty o
municipalities to look after a pure mil
supply. the speaker said:
obstruction Of mothers ID important
Medical attention is important. But
is a grievous error to make secondar
the supplying Of the food that tn
babies need.
''The Fundamental and vital duty c
the milk depot Is to furnish milk
nursing bottles. one feeding to the boi
tie, properly modified and pasteurize
in bottles.
"The supplying Of dipped milk by sue
depots ought to be prevented.
LAS showing the efficacy OF thl
method of preventing sickness anon
babies, an average OF 1900 babies wer
supplied with milk from my laboratorie
in New York city the past summer an
there was only one death and that wa
from pneumonia"
NarxyouS Diseases