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THE POPULAR SCIENCE MONTHLY 



99 per cent, of all bacteria and makes the milk safe. Especially is 

 pasteurization desirable when there is danger of disease germs entering 

 the milk. Siich disease germs may enter from the hands or clothes of 

 employees in the dairy, also in certain cases from diseased cows. Pas- 

 teurization has many advocates and many opponents. Without going 

 into a detailed discussion of the arguments, it may be stated that the 

 process is gaining favor with sanitarians and recent scientific research 

 has shown that the disadvantages claimed against pasteurization are 

 Epidemics of typhoid fever, of dysentery, of diphtheria, of 



groundless 



Photograph 9 



scarlet fever have been spread by milk in many instances and we know 

 with certainty that the germs causing these diseases are surely killed by 

 efficient pasteurization. It remains with l:)oards of health to control 

 pasteurization, so as to insure its efficiency. For this purpose the milk 

 should be examined before and after pasteurization. If the milk is 

 obtained from careless producers, it should not be permitted to be used 

 under any conditions. If the producer can show fair conditions the 

 milk should be pasteurized. 



If, however, milk is produced with the refinements outlined above, 

 pasteurization becomes superfluous. Many dairies produce milk with 

 less than 10,000 bacteria per cubic centimeter, some as low as 1,000. 

 By extreme care and intelligent supervision such milk is not much more 

 expensive than ordinary market milk and the outcome of the war waged 

 against poor milk svipplies will probably bring such milk within the 

 reach of every one. This milk is generally known as certified milk, 

 because it is certified to by a body of responsible medical men, who 

 employ experts to examine tlie-milk at stated intervals and inspect the 



