The Birmingham age-herald., 1920-02-09
DR. BOWLING TELLS INSIDE FACTS ABOUT
 MILK PREPARATION
Health Officer Gives Infor- nation on Milk as Raw Product and Its Prepa-
 ration for Market

Because there has been so much said
 of late regarding the milk supply of
 Birmingham, pr. J. D. Bowling. city health officer, has in the following para
 graphs gone into the subject at some length for the benefit of those who desire
 to know the inside facts about how milk,
 as a raw product. should be. regarded and
 what precautions taken in it's preparation
 for market.
 pr. Bowling says:
 a q am most pleased to note the pro
 gressive steps which are being taken by
 Walker county farmers looking to the
 production and marketing of milk. If the
 proper leadership is developed the move
 ment will succeed to the great advantage
 of the farmers as we'll as the people who
 are so much in need of milk and milk
 products. This movement involves the
 practical application of methods adVo-
 cated by the most modern expert opirhon
 as to progressive farming and is putting
 into practice the principals upon which
 are based the efforts of the city of Blr-
 mingham to solve it's milk problem
 "A large city that is dependent upon
 it's suburbs or small surrounding zone
 for it's milk supply is doomed to hlgh priced milk as well as a scarcity et milk and in actual practice, usually, milk of inferior quality.
 "A recent study of the experience of most of the cities of the first and second class clearly indicate that the most de- sirable conditions relating to their milk supply prevail where the most stringent sanitary regulations are in operation. The city which is getting the greatest volume of milk at the cheapest price is that city which draws it's supply from the greatest .Ys.. ow,1 r,ncf a sS per cent of same together with central 2 ized distribution.
 "It has been definitely determined that milk and milk fat are absolutely essen < tial clements in the diet of human Deings, and in order to become available. as { food it naturally follows that it must be produced and handled under such safe guards as will render it safe and instlll confidence in the minds of the public. { sWhile milk is so necessary as an article of diet itA may become and fre- uuent1y does become one Of the most dangerous agencies in the spread of fatal diseases Impure water is great menace !. to the public health, yet all admit that 4 the most impure water may, by modern methods of reservation and treatment, fbecome perfectly pure, sparkling and safe The same is true of milk. Milk ] <collected from miscellaneous sources, however impure so far as dangerous ele- t ments are concerned, may by modern and more or less simple procedures be reno water or clarified, pasteurized and become 4perfectly safe and highly desirable Earticle of food. The same precautions as Ito cleanliness, however, are advocated in 1.-the production of all milk whether to be tpasteurized or consumed in the. raw Estate.
 Milk to be consumed in its raw state Hmust be under capable and intelligent tsrpervision continuously from it's source It, the consumer in order to be deemed Teven moderately safe and in actual prac- atice the dangers incident to raw milk ssupply will vary directly in proportion Ito the volume of such milk for the reason nthat the supervision necessary to safe- &guard a raw. milk supply for a large city tis not possible within the range of allow uable limits.
 "Those who are familiar with the teconomies of the dairy industry are will Ming to acknowledge that it is neither Hpracticable nor profitable to produce ant