The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1912-04-25
IS CERTIFIED MILK SAFE.

Certified milk is used chiefly for in fant-feeding and for fnvalids, and should be absolutely above reproach. The occasional occurrence of epidem- ics spread through the use of certified milk brings up the question whether or not the regulations for its prOduc- ton prescribed by the medical milk commissions are really far-reaching enough. Medical milk commissions attempt to control the production of milk by prescribing the manner in which the dairy is to be equipped, by regulations for handling and shipping the milk, by periodical examinations of employees in the dairy and by report outbreaks of contagious dis eases among his employees. The safety of certified milk, therefore, de- pends on the honesty, intelligence and circumspection of the producer and on the findings of the medical examiner.
 It is customary to have one medical examination each month of employees of dairies producing certified milk. Change of penrsonnel may take place during the intervening time. New em- ployees may be in the incubation stage of some infectious disease, such as typhoid fever or diphtheria, or may have recovered from these diseases recently and may be carriers of infec- tion. Chronic or intermittent germ carriers may infect the milk before medical examination under the pres ent system can exclude them.
 The quantity of certified milk sold is probably less than 5 per cent. of the total amount of milk consumed. One epidemic caused by certified milk tion to the total amount of certified milk produced as 2 epidemics to the total milk-suppay. Just what propor- tion of epidemics the use of certified milk saves, there are no statistics to show, but the leSSening of sickness among infants, who consume most of the certified milk. must be consider able.
 Sanitary, medical and veterinary in- spection under contracts with medical milk commissions involves much ex- pense, which is borne by the dairies, and the requirements in the way of equipment demand the investment of large sums of money. Regulations concerning the food of the cows are also exacting. All of this makes the expense of producing certified milk high. A maximum of 10000 bacteria per c1lbic centimeter is the limit set by the milk commissions and it has been found that milk with less than this maximum can be produced by proper care with comparatively inex- pensive equipment. It will therefore
 be seen that without compelling pro- ducers to go to large expense m pro- viding equipment much could be ac- complished by giving more attention to inspection and methods in produc- | ton.
 | Inspection should be nccompa nfed | by bacteriologic examination for germ carriers among the employees. The
 majority of bacteria occurring in milk
 are harmless. A milk with a few /! typhoid germs is more dangerous thar
 milk with large numbers of harmless
 forms. This fact is sometimes los
 sight of in the rivalry of dairies tc
 produce certified milk with low bac. terial content.
 | The leaders of the certified mill
 movement recognize the deficiencie: of the present methods and are en- endeavoring to throw more safeguards | around production. The Journal Od
 the American Medical Association ex presses the hope that at the comfns
 meeting of the American Association
 of Medical Milk Commissions a thor. ough revision of the conditions i'm IDose6 on dairies will be considered