546 SCIENCE PROGRESS 



six degrees above the freezing point of water and placed in 

 specially constructed churns for transport by rail to the hospital. 



The transmission by rail of milk at a temperature much 

 below that of the external air requires special arrangements to 

 protect it from the access of external heat. The churns are 

 constructed throughout with a double wall. Between the outer 

 and inner walls is a layer of enclosed air. Owing to the 

 extremely low specific heat of air, this layer of still air acts 

 as an efficient insulator, preventing any serious rise in the 

 temperature of the contents. 



The milking at the farm begins about 5.30 a.m. At about 

 6.30 the last pail of milk is separated and cooled and the churns 

 are despatched to the railway station, which is at a distance of 

 about one mile from the farm. It leaves the station at 7.30, 

 arrives at Charing Cross at 8.30 and is received at the hospital 

 about 9 a.m., so that the milk is at the hospital within four 

 hours of milking. The churns are sealed before leaving the 

 farm so as to guard against any possible tampering with the 

 contents on the journey. On arrival at the hospital the churns 

 are taken from the cart by means of a crane directly into the 

 receiving room of the milk-laboratory, so that the milk is not 

 exposed until it is protected from the access of the dust and dirt 

 of London. The milk is systematically examined at the hospital, 

 where bacteriological and microscopical tests are carried out, 

 so that a constant and searching check is maintained upon 

 all the processes. 



By these means the hospital obtains for its patients a pure 

 milk of good quality and it may not be out of place to refer to 

 the cost of the milk as received at the hospital. Notwithstand- 

 ing the elaboration of method and the high quality called for as 

 compared with ordinary milk production, the cost of this milk is 

 not appreciably above the ordinary cost of producing very 

 ordinary milk. As a matter of fact, the hospital pays for the 

 milk a price which is twenty-five per cent, less than the ordinary 

 retail price of milk. 



The explanation of this lies chiefly in the organisation and 

 in the great economies resulting from the application of scientific 

 method. In other words, the production of milk is dealt with 

 as a technical matter, every detail being carefully studied. The 

 result on the "cost-sheets" is apparent at every stage. There 

 is nothing very remarkable in the fact that great economies are 



