The Birmingham age-herald., 1913-06-07
VETERINARIANS OF
STATE IN SESSION
Not Enough Milk Inspectors
in Birmingham
DIR. PAYNE'S PAPER
Talks on Responsibility of the Meat
and Milk Inspector in Protecting
Public Health"-CIinic at
Local Hospital Today
DIR. PAYNE's PAPER

merce. About 80 delegates from every
section of the state are in attendance
and much business was transacted.
DR.. w. D. Staples called the meeting
to order and read his annual address
after which the report of the secre-
tary and treasurer was received.
Among the many papers read before
the association that was heard with
more than usual interest was the pa
per read by DR.. o. w. Payne on THE
Responsibility of the Meat and Milk
Inspector in Protecting Public Health"
The paper was able and brought about
was as follows:
The idea of what meat and milk
inspection work really is and what pur-
pose 1t serves is not clearly known by
some of the laity. This work Is not
meant merely to give a number of men
a position. 1t is for the purpose of pro-
tecting the public health If 1t were
not for this work 1t can hardly be ex-
pressed in words or figures Just how
much the public would be injured or
endangered in their daily life. The
average person does not know the dam
gers awaiting him along this line and
should he really know them he does
not have the time, ability nor the
equipment to remove or to control them
"A carpenter Is the man to do the car
penter work and the plumber is the
man to do the plumbing.
Some people offer as an argument
that their grandfathers csed to got
along without this inspection and that
they fattened on germs. AS the years
pass We formed in our states numerous
cities. We all know that there is hard
iy any comparison between the grand
old country life and the city life In
the country people live more In accord
with natures laws. There is where a
man In attending to his daily tasks
works out in the open air most of the
time. In the city he is penned up in
the office the greater part of the day.
In the country man does not only phys
zeal labor, which keeps his system in
better condition. but there he has more
access to pure oxygen as it is given off
by the plants. Under such favorable
conditions a mans natural body resist
ance to invading organisms is kept in
better tone and naturally his body does
not fall prey so readily to the exist
ing diseases. And besides, these germs
that are such bugaboo and myth to
some people are not so numerous in
the country as they are in the cities
'Ihere are not the tall buildings, that
so largely exclude the suns disinfectine
rays and there are not the dark, damn
dirty alleys in the country which are so
favorable to the growth of germs The
sun is known to be the greatest enemy
that germs have. 1t kills them not
only by drying but by chemical action
of the suns ultra violet rays The
tnlngs that favor the growth OF germs
most are moisture, putrefaction and de-
cay and the lack of sunlight
Many Obstacles Confront Inspector
An, inspector has many. obstacles to
confront him. There are some dairy
men. for instance, who very often try
TO make the work as hard as possible.
or course the Inspector is placed in
such position that he must take a few
things in order to keep an even tenn
per under trying circumstances. When
dairyman Is arrested for even a very
dangerous and serious offense he some
times begins to make the road rough
and rugged for the inspector. The peo-
pie for whom this inspection Is done
sometimes try to defend the dairyman
instead of making 1t a point to learn
the reason for the arrest and trying to
see that justice Is meted out to the
right person. N
Instead of being a drawback to the
inspection work, people can aid great
ly. For instance, when a bottle of
milk is bought, wipe the bottom we'll
with cloth, hold 1t up and see if
there is any noticeable sediment or dirt
In the, bottom of the bottle. In this way
you can tell whether the, dairyman
handles the milk In very cleanly man.
ner at the dairy. Most dairymen will
tell you that they use several thick.
nesses of strainer cloths and tnat they
even use cotton between the lawyers
of cloth, but that they cannot strain
out this filth. In the first place a dairy
man should keep his COWS In very san
ltary surroundings. The barn and the
barnyard where the cows lie down
should be kept well cleaned. The cows
flanks should be we'll cleaned and the
udders should be- thoroughly washed
Good udder cleaning constitutes more
than merely taking a couple of gallons
of water and rag and running over
40 or so udders This work done prop
erly requires a great deal of time and
attention and should not be included
In the rush part of tlie work at the
dairy.
'The city ordinances require the
to milk in the sanitary buck
ct. There are some thfee or four
styles which are termed sanitary. but
the one which has the cloth strainer is
not sanitary and should not be allowed
in the dairy for milking purposes.
The one piece bucket with low, oval
top and a small. semi-circular opening
is much more sanitary and will aid
greatly in eliminating filth before tho
milk is strained. If filth can be noticed
in a bottle of milk with the naked eye
how many germs are there In this milk
that it takes the aid of a high power
to get view Of?
Should Not Allow Milk to Stand
These milk bottles should not be al
lowed to stand out on the doorstep after
being delivered. The city law requires
that this milk be delivered at tempera-
ture as cold as so degrees Fahrenheit
Milk should be kept at this temperature
until ready for use. IN order that the
germs which tend to make the milk I'm
Pure cannot multiply so rapidly.
IF the people will have the milk bot
ties washed as soon as the milk is used,
the dangers of disease would be greatly
lessened. A dirty bottle will attract flies
and bottle that Is allowed to stand with
milk sticking to its sides is much harder
to cleanse when the dairyman takes II
home.
"The lack OF funds greatly hinders the
inspector. He mus have his apparatus
in proper condition and have a suffi-
cient and up to date supply. There must
be funds for many incidentals. A health
department, above all others. should not
be exepected to be self-sustaining. The
revenue from the inspection of meats is
great help, however. An inspector
must have the backing Of the courts OF
course the idea of getting results In In
spection work is not principally through
the courts, but in some cases it Is very
essential that arrests be made.