Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1916-09-07

If the people knew the truth con-
cerning the meaning of bacteria in
milk, both good and bad bacteria, they
would no longer tolerate the condition
which, rs it now stands, is responsible
for the loss of so much human life.
Mother nature intended cows milk
for the food of calves. Nature also
intended that the milk of the COW
should be consumed at the udder.
Milk from the clean udder of a
healthy COW is practically sterile. AT
least 1t contains none of the germs
of disease. Consequently the calf,
obtaining its food at first hand from
a healthy supply, is in a great meas
ure safeguarded against the posi-
bility of contamination from outside
sources.
Because cows milk is such a Won
derfully perfect food. containing all
the elements necessary to the health
of the human body. it has been ap-
piled not SO much to the needs of
calves as the needs of humanity.
The calf under normal conditions
is not handicapped by the milk OF
the healthy COW. The calf's food,
under normal conditions, is not only
free from germs. but it is fresh.
The child. however, receives cows
milk that is from twelve to seventy
hours old. Good cows milk. meas
ured by the requirements of the
child. depends upon four factors-a
healthy COW. cleanliness. cold, and
speedy transportation.
If the COW is not healthy the milk
is dangerous even when fresh.
If cleanliness is not observed the
milk becomes infected at once, even
though it be good as it leaves the
udder.
If not kept could the germs multiply
by the millions. One drop of milk
may contain 40.000,0 900 bacteria twen-
tyfour hours after milking.
If not brought from the COW to the
consumer quickly these germs. with
their children and grandchildren OF
many generations are brought with all
their dangers directly into the de-
fenseless intestines of the child.
1t is quite possible that the germs
of scarlet fever originate in the I'D
ders of diseased COW. But. the
germs of typhoid fever and diphtherIa
are introduced only through careless
or dirty methods of handling. The
germs of tuberculosis are introduced
through a diseased udder or through
small particles of manure, which is
frequently found infected with viru-
lent tubercle bacilli.
Ten years ago in the United States
much of the market milk delivered to
the large cities, such as Boston, New
York, Chicago, San Francisco, Wash
ington, and st. Louis, was proved to
be old, warm, and dirty.
The average milk of New York and
Washington revealed the presence OF
80 100000 bacteria per cubic cent?
meter. A cubic centimeter is much
less than a ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
drops.
These enormous figures inspired
psychologists to make study OF
such milk in order to determine the
extent to which dirt. warmth. and
age were responsible for such high
scores in milk. which should have nc
score at all or a score Of less than
100, 900.
Bacteriologists in all parts of the
world took up the study. AS a result
practically all that can be known
concerning the deadliness of bad
milk and the meaning of bacteria as
an index of milk quality is now
known.
Not only are these dangers and
conditions fully understood but the
conditions out of which they develop
are also fully understood.
Not only have practical and eff
cient methods of controlling these