The sun., 1916-10-15
Why 1t Is So Necessary; How 1t
Should Be Protected

-o those who. like the people Of
New York city. have been fac
i ing n milk problem any new
ush, upon the value Of milk will he
,s,come. The Medical Research Com
m,t,ee OF England. which Ia especially
concerned with national health insur-
.nce. has deemed the subject OF sum-
e,en, importance to have prepared a
. hook o, some 35s pages by Janet f.
' Lane.Claypon. NJ. D.. on all the va
r,cus phases Of the milk question that
.pp,y to the health Of the public.
Thu investigation Of the real value Of
milk did not begin In a scientific way
until almost the twentieth century. In
,ano Prof. Escherich Of Vienna sought
n account for the difference In prog
r,ss made by infants fed on boiled
.oe's milk as compared with that
made hy babies naturally nourished by
,,elr mothers. He suggested that milk
contained certain properties which
were destroyed by boiling and which
might nc OF value to the infant.
Til. scovery In milk of IA consider
shlc number NJ ferments has led many
:, 10 describe milk as a living substance
and To- credit milk with powers which
Investigation has not substantiated. II
should he remembered that milk H. a
secretion Of the mammary gland and
lis production is on lines comparable
with the secretion OF saliva OF the
sa(yary glands.
IS digestion is brought about by the
action of certain ferments. so we find
,ermen,s in all parts of the body. So
far as is known each ferment performs
one action and one action only: that Is
10 say It is adapted for working upon
and efecting an alteration in one par
ucular chemical substance only. a
y ferment which viii attack a fatty SUBJ
stance has no effect upon a substance
belonging 10 the class of starches or
sugars. So we need a large number Of
,ermen,s TO serve all requirements in
the body.
Ferments are produced by animal
cells and by bacteria. They are pres
en-, in every cell OF the mammary
: gland. II Is known that these cells
break down and disinte crate in the
course II milking and OF milk produc-
ton. since portions of cells can always
be found. together with intact cells. in
the sediment from any sample Of milk.
In addition the blood and lymph car
Tying the nutritive substances to the
cells Of the mammary gland contain
ferments. and as in the case Of other
secretory glands traces of substances
find their way through from the blood
and lymph into the secretion of the
gland. in this case into the milk.
4 In addition t. the fsrments derived
from tho gland itself ferments are
frequently introduced after the milk
has been collected. This Is due 70 the
irese:c" OF bacteria in the milk. the
bacteria having beer derived from the
ar or from the COW herself or from
other sources Of contamination after
milking. The bacteria which are pres
On, are capable Of producing different
.,rarist.cs 81 fcrmonts in considerable
V'dit!t'es' IL II Het'NaiH W i''N'h'
al such contamination after milking
Y We are to have the best and purest
mix.
II has been suggested by scientists
that there are two ways In which the
normal frrments in pure milk may be
Weful To the infant. They may either
., assist IN the digestion Of the o ma
terial contained in the milk after il
has been taken by the infant or they