The Butte daily bulletin. [volume] (Butte, Mont.) 1918-1921, 1919-04-22
City Health Officer Asserts
Present System of Tests
Fail to Prevent Sales of
Tubercular Product.
BACTER|O[OC|ST NEEDED
IN HEALTH DEPARTMENT
Consumers of Butte in Dan
ger From Germ Life in
Liquid Because of Lack of
Proper Analyses.

That the present situation in Butte
with reference to its milk supply is
fraught with danger not only to the
citys infants, but to adults as we'll
and that the system of inspection
now in operation is worthless insofar
as preserving the consumers from
diseased milk, is the assertion of DR..
W. C. Matthews, city health officer,
who declared this morning that not
until Butte's milk supplies are sub
jected to meteorological tests will
the danger be lessened.
According to the city health Of
ficer, between $4,000 and 10000 gal
Ions OF milk are received in Butte
each month, none of which is tested
to determine the presence or absence
of tuberculosis or other germs Even
pasteurization Of milk, he said, does
not insure the consumers that the
milk they consume is free of harm
full bacteria.
"Under the present system" said
the doctor, samples of milk from the
various dairies are taken each week
and submitted to the laboratories of
the state board of health at Bozeman
for analysis. The analysis, however,
is merely to determine whether the
samples contain the required amount
of butter fat and solids and is not
to determine whether the samples
contain tuberculosis, typhoid or other
germs that may cause illness and
death to the consumers.
Only Shows Watering.
"The tests" continued the DOCTOR
merely show whether the dealer is
watering his milk beyond the limit
allowed under the state board OF
health regulations, and the tests are
of no value in determining whether
the milk is pure or otherwise. Milk
which passes the tests as to butter.
fat content may at the same time
contain tens of thousands of germs
and the general belief that the tests
mentioned are for the purpose OF
establishing whether the product sold
is suitable for consumption by babies
Or adults is erroneous.
"As matter of fact, the milk with
the high butter-fat content is no,
suitable for babies, but must be modi
fled before it is used for that pur.
in which the percentage of butte,
fat has been reduced, is given tC
babies. 1t is a wellknown fact thai
raw cows milk will not stay ON 6
baby's stomach.
'"The weekly tests of milk as made
now should not be Abandoned sale
DR.. Matthews, but in addition al
milk sold in Butte should be sub
jected to meteorological tests as well
Only through such analyses can th'
purity of the city's supply be KEEP
at point that is safe for the con
SumerS."
Need Bacteriologist.
DR.. Matthews stated that the la,
as it stands now, permits of the EN-
ployment of chemist as a membe
of the city health department force
He suggests that only a chemist wit
meteorological experience be EN-
ployed so that meteorological test
of milk can be made in the cit
| laboratories as we'll as the ordinar
chemical tests.
The city health department ha
been without either a chemist @
bacteriologist for several month,
and, according to the doctor, no test
| have ever been made as to the ba,
THEOLOGICAL content of Butte's mil
supply
During the last two years th
milk situation in Butte has been in
proved considerably, partly throue
action by the railroad commissio
relative to the handling of milk
transit and at the depots," said D
Matthews, but much yet remai1
to be done to insure the health ,
the consumers.
Find Filth in Dairies.
1.-The state veterinarian has repor
ed that he found the dairies in 81
yer Bow county serving Butte in IL
cleanest conditions of any in II
state, but it must be remembers
Continued on Page TWO.1