The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1916-06-08
SEEKSTO OASSURE
 SAFETY OF MILK
Urges Pasteurization to Pre- vent Disease. - Cites
 Many Epidemics.

the most important problems being taken up at the annual conference Of New York state health officers here this week, is the relation of milk to public health and the 1000 or more health officers, who are in attendance at the convention, are learning many new things about the question. The morning session of Wednesday was wholly devoted to consideration of milk problems, and in the group con- ferences of health officers, under the direction of the sanitary supervisors, many valuable points arc being | brought out.
 | The State Department of Health is desirous of securing pasteurization of milk supplies in all cities in New Y ork state, and is inaugurating wide ed ucationa1 campaign to convince the public at large of the necessity of pasteurization if the absence of milk l borne disease is to be assured. Com missioner Hermann M. Biggs believes that great impetus will be given the work with all of the health officers of the state going back to their respec- tive communities from the conference ENVith the latest information in regard presentation and it's effect in pre- venting disease. The educational cam paign will then be carried to the gen. eral public throughout the state.
 Dr. L.insly R. Williams, Deputy Com missioner of Health, addressed the Lhealth officers at the Wednesday morn ing session on the subject of Milk borne Epfdemics of Infectious Dis cases" Dr. Williams brought out the fact that raw milk is responsible for
 more sickness than any other article of food, and that the department con- tinual1y has to combat epidenics of disease resulting from infected milk. A striking fact cited by Dr. Williams is, that in eighteen months the State Department of Health found nearly eight hundred cases of typhoid fever, lscarlet fever diphtherfa and septic sore throat, which could be traced to milk and that in the same length of time there were thirty-seven deaths. Had there been pasteurizatton of the milk, these epidenics never would have occurred, pr. Williams asserted, and predicted that with the adoption of pasteurization danger from com lmunicab1e diseases will be greatly l1essened.
 Supports Presentation.
 Dr. Henry L. K. Shaw, who is di- lrector of the Division of Child Fly g1ene in the State Department of Health and the owner of a large dairy farm near Albany, talked to the health officers on the subject of '+The 1mpor- ltance of Clean and Safe N1ilk.'' Dr. Shaw address was largely in the na- lure of a recital of personal experf- ences in conducting a dairy farm. Dr. Shaw declared himself to. be a warm supporter of pasteurization as the one
 effective agency to guarantee freedom
 from milk-borne disease ,and declared
 that as a result of his experience in
 attempting to lower the infant mor- ttality in the state, he believed pasteur-
 ization to be one of the greatest forces
 to bring about the 1essened number of
 infant deaths.
 A complete pasteurization plant is
 one feature of the work being done
 at the conference to inform the health
 officers This plant is being operated
 daily and illustrates in a practical
 way the successive operations by
 which raw milk is given a health guarantee The hea1tlz~ officers gener-
 ally are very anxious te[Iearn more
 about pasteurtzation and attendants in charge of the exhibit are kept busy
 answering questions. The exhibit of ing machines, also attracts much at
 tention.
 One fact which is brought out with
 startling c1earness is that pasteuriza-
 ton, contrary to general belief, is not
 an expensive process. The figures
 compiled by the department s-experts
 show that pasteurization plants can
 be installed at from $500 up, accord ing to the amount of milk to be pas
 teurized each day, and large number
 of photographs and other data from pasteurizing plants in different sec : tlons of the state show that they. can be operated at a very low cost. Presentation Not a Fad. A second point taken up in the ex-
 hibit is to refute the assertion made by many uninforrned people that pas
 teurization is a fad. The figures com piled by the Federal Government as to the many epidenics of nnilk-borne } diseases and the experience of New York state itself are employed to show
 that without pasteurization, there is a , grave danger of disease distribution by raw milk.
 Those opponents of pasteurization who are inclined to believe that pas 7 teurizat1on encourages lax methods on tte part of the producers find them selves without argument at the ) conference here, for it is brought out
 that without clean milk to start with 8