Year: 1876




PROFESSOR DoREMus SPEAKS TO TIE MEDIco-


LEGAL SOCIETY ON THE sUBJEaT-THE LAC


ToMETER UsKI.Ess


The lactometer, said Professor r. Ogden Doremus
last night before the Society," does not cor
recty indicate the purity Of milk Professor Wanklin,
the noted English chemist devotes pages Of his
recently published book a discussion OF that nstru-
ment, when he pronounces the most untrustworthy
of scientific contrivances. Next 10 obtaining pure
medicines continued the Professor, II might be con-
sdered desirable that should have pure articles Of
diet From time immemoral We have found difficulty
in obtaining pure milk The chief ingredient with
which 1t has been adulteraied Is water yet everybodys
from the retail dealer away back to the daryman de-
mics having watered it story in a comic newspaper
illustrates this-sonny, tell your mother put
water in the milk" ''Sbe does not put any water
in IT." ia the reply. "Then tell her 10 have
her COW thatched for the rain leaks In" retorts the
other Our present method OF critcsing milk is Offer
ing premium on the adulteration OF II by tempting
the dealers to remove Of its most important in
gradients the cream, and TO add water TO it. This is
caused by the OF the lactometer test propose
TO show that the instrument is error. We
judge OF the value OF milk by its gravity pure milk
is permitted 70 stand there is portion Of 1t which
rses This we call cream and the very fact OF us rs
ing shows IL TO be lighter Than the mud IN which II Is
suspended.


/ have here continued the Professor, holding up
lactometer Just such an instrument is manufactured
for the Board OF Health You 1t is provided with
thermometer. Ii is used by dropping IL into the milk
TO be tested and the temperature q the ruld IS cor.
buoyed up is considered The test Of puri-
ty u ought TO work on this scale at
least 100 Now here s milk obtained from
this afternoon. know it is pure dip the lac
tometer into il and IL stands at l05 now pour some
into the milk and the actometer gradually sinks
to 81 in pure cream Now take Of the
milk in which the instrument stands at los and pour
in water, and precisely the same result is achieved
the scale marks about 80 So that may have two
samples OF milk, one rich in cream and the other
amply diluted with water, and the lactometer SHOWS
precisely the same purity. found the other day,
experimenting with sample OF pure milk that stood
at ll3 with the lactometer, removing the, cream
It stood at 1856 thus leaving discrepancy which per-
mitted-nay, invitod-the addition Of seventh Of
water. heard one man say, "Let the laws OF New
York establish beyond question that The ActoDeter
is the official instrument for testing milk and l
Will go INTO the business, and at the same time
start butter factory In Orange county twelve cows
were MIXED in my presence. | took sample Of tho
milk of EACH and five out OF the twelvestood below the
standard 100 They from 95 down to 90
and suojectng the milk to chemical analysis
found the fact was owing It's richness In cream |
told the owner Of the COWS that he dared not bring
such milk into New York for he would be fined $3.50
OF course complete analysis VIII indicate with GER
tanty the quality of milk, but that is tedious and
necessarily expensive In parts of France they
employ actometer as a partial guide lift sinks very
deep sample OF the milk is taken and analysed Mr.
Taglabue, who makes these instruments Tor the Board
of Health has suggested another method, which have





volume Of milk, add alkali to it, shake It.
then add some acid and finally raise the tempera-
ture OF the mixture to about 1870 degrees shall find
upon then placing the vessel containing IL into cold
water that the buttery and cheesy matters will coagu
late and rise to the top and from the thickness of that
the richness OF the milk is estimated


The Professor while detailing the process suited the
action 10 the word and performed the experiment. tax
ing four samples of milk diluted with different
quantities The coagulations formed upon these
samples varied IN thickness from half an inch to
and half inches in glass tubes inch in diameter
Many physicians the lecturer said judge Of the quality
OF milk by placing drop OF the sample between two
pieces OF nat glass looking at it with the microscope
and Judging OF its quality by the number Of oil gobues
visble~r The failacy OF this was shown by
different pieces OF glass, when In thousands
OF globules were visible and another scarcely any
This TO be accounted for the ground that the
pieces Of glass drawn together by cohesion in no
two at the same distance apart Another method
OF forming rough idea OF the quality of milk
dilute with water holding to the ght Judge by
opacity little instrument constructed on that prin-
ciple shown II consisted of two plates OF glass
separated slightly and with tiny funnel leading
tween them The funnel is filed with milk which Is
allowed TO in between the plates of glass which
then, by means of athumb screw separated TO any
given extent and looking through the volume OF milk
between them, the experimenter form a idea OF
its quality from its opacity This recommended as
useful for medical men in ascertaining the relative
quality OF the milk OF wet nurses


At the close Of Professor Dorcmus' remarks slight
discussion OF the matter held by members OF the
society. Among those who took part in il were, be-
sides the professor. President Frank Hamilton, Dr.
McIlvaine DIR. Havens, Mr. Delaney and Mr. George
Yeamans. the latter gentleman presenting the difficulty
Of legislatng on the subject OF adulterated milk.


Professor Doremus proposes to discuss the subject of
"swll" milk before and with the society al an early
day.