The Birmingham age-herald., 1920-03-26
MEDICAL JOURNAL
 SHOWS BENEFIT OF
 PASTEURIzED MILK
Cities Where Milk Is Mod ernIy Handled Have Re- duced Death Rate tO'a
 Minimum

The Journal of the American Medical Association makes its eighth annual survey of typhoid fever mortality in sixty cities in the United States having 100000 population and over for the year 1919.
 A special article in the March $ num- Der shows notable reduction in all cities except Philadelphia. Los Angeles, Memphis and Rochester. N. Y. In these cities the increase Is traced to water and milk
 Louisville, ky, is credited with a milk borne outbreak during che sum- mer, but the rate for the year is slight ly below that of 1918.
 The article comments at length on typhoid reduction in Birmingham and discusses new milk regulations. Dr. Bowling was elated over the favorable comment from such high authority on efforts to safeguard the milk supply He says the present ordinance is a compromise and fears it will let in too much raw milk.
 Danger from milk borne disease va ries directly in proportion to the vol tune of raw milk. Milk used raw must be produced and handled by intelligent
 
 the degree of cleanliness and care is reflected in low bacteria count.
 In 1916 Birmingham had one of the largest milk borne epidemics of typhoid ever recorded in any city-over 500 cases.
 PASTUEURIZED
 The most brilliant accomplishment in the control of typhoid fever is that of the city of Chicago, which for three consecutive years has had the lowest typhoid rate of any large city in the world. and which. it is declared, was made possible only by the fact that the entire milk supply has been pasteurized sice 1916.
 In that year an order was issued by the commissioner of health, requiring the pasteurization of all milk sold in the city, with the exception of certified milk with bacterial count under 10000 per c. C. The amount of certified milk in that market will not exceed one-half of 1 Der cent of the entire supply.
 The order requiring the pasteuriza- tion of milk in Chicago also required that all milk should be sold in bottles and the sale of milk in bulk prohibited except for manufacturing~and cooking purposes.
 In commenting on the typhoid situa- tion in Birmingham and the various measures for its control, the Journal of the American Medical Association has this to say:
 The Birmingham milk supply has very propertly been the subject of spe- cial agitation. There is reason to be- Iieve that silk-borne and fly-borne in- factions are still relatively important typhoid factors in many cities. It can be fairly predicted that with a good pasteurization ordinance the typhoid in Birmingham will be materially re- duced as it has been in all other cities where similar measure for safeguard ing milk supplies have been put into force"
 Commenting further on the progress made by the entire group of cities studied, the Journal has this to say:
 Tt is evident that the maintenance of a low typhoid rate is not to be taken as a matter of course without the exertion of constant vigilance by the local authorities. The remarkably successful results reached in this group of cities are due to the unremitting efforts of health officers in safeguard ing the public water and milk supplies, in applying proper methods of excreta disposal and in tracking down typhoid carriers"
 Among the group of cities with 100,- 900 population or over, Spokane,