Evening star., 1912-09-12
WANT BETTER MILK
Aim of District Health Officials
to Raise the Standard.
PROSECUTION OF DEALERS
Awaiting Final Adjudication of
Test Case.
PROSECUTION OF DEALERS

In line with it's plans to improve the
standard of milk consumed in Washing
ton the health department of the Dis
trict of Columbia is preparing to make an
exhaustive study Of the relation OF the
milk supply to infant mortality in the
capital.
Pending final adjudication Of test case
which has put an end temporarily to the
institution of prosecutions of dealers
whose milk is believed to be below the
standards required, the health depart
ment has asked the District Commission
ers for authority to publish the results
Of archaeological examinations Of milk
samples and is considering requesting the
Department of Agriculture to institute
proceedings in state courts against deal
ers whose milk is shipped into Washing
ton and which is believed to be unfit for
consumption.
Investigation Of Infant Mortality.
The plan to study the relation of the
local milk supply to infant mortality
conditions is part Of a general and COM
prehensive scheme the department has
worked out, with the view of making the
milk consumed in Washington conform to
the highest standard of purity. The de-
partment, 1t is announced, means to leave
no stone unturned In its effort to i'm
prove the quality of milk sold here.
The Chicago health department recent
ly has conducted a similar study and. 1t
is stated, the results show the impor-
tance Of such an investigation.
Effort to Save Chicago Babies.
In Chicago. during July, there were
$50 deaths of infants under one year of
age, this year. as compared with 614
deaths during the same period last year.
Inasmuch as weather conditions were
more favorable this summer. the depart
ment began to look around for the cause
OF the increase in infant mortality.
archaeological examinations of milk
samples showed that a much larger num-
ber of organisms was contained in the
milk consumed in Chicago during July
this year than was the case in the cor
responding month year ago.
This looks like pretty conclusive evi-
dence," states a sp ecial bulletin issued by
the fault lies. and it must serve to en-
phasize the need of Immediately adopting
measures which will assure a better milk
supply for our babies"
1t Is stated by officials OF the local
health department that there has been
little or no improvement In the standard
of milk consumed in Washington this
summer.
II is believed that a comparison Of
bacteriological counts Of milk samples
examined with the infant mortality rate
Of the summer months will show an
analogy which can leave little doubt
that the infant mortality rate of city
Is more affected by the quality of the
milk supply of the municipality than by
any other feature.
Cases Awaiting Prosecution.
1t is stated much Of the milk sold in
WASHINGTON this summer has contained
an excess number Of organisms, and the
health department now has about 100
cases Of prosecutions Of milk dealers
ready to be filed az soon as the test
case has been decided.
1.-THE quality of milk sold in the capital
this summer may compare favorably
with that Of last year." said an Official
of the health department today. but we
are not satisfied with stopping there. W.
had hoped for a decided Improvement.
The department intends to employ every
means at it's disposal to the end of OBJ
tanning a milk supply that will contain
fewer organisms and conform to higher