to bacterial contamination, forms a very large proportion of the daily 

 food of the public. The nutrition of infants and young- children depends 

 greatly on the purity and abundance of the milk supply ; and, seeing how 

 frequently milk is prescribed for invalids and convalescents, it is of the 



utmost importance that it should not be the vehicle of any unsuspected 

 agent. While it is possible that milk containing boracic acid in sufficient 

 quantity to act as a preservative (say 30 grams to the gallon) might be 

 consumed to the amount of four or five pints a day, without harmful 

 results by most healthy children or adults, there is evidence pointing to 

 an injurious effect of boracised milk upon the health of very young child- 

 ren." 



"Moreover, there exists at present no guarantee against the addi- 

 tion of excessive amounts of preservative to milk. In 1896 the Medical 

 Officer of Health of Birmingham estimated the amounts of boracic acid 

 in a number of milk samples. Of these, one-half showed boracic acid in 

 a proportion not exceeding 21 grains per gallon ; in one-fourth the pro- 

 portion varied between 21 and 42 grains per gallon ; while in the remain- 

 ing fourth it ranged from 42 up to 126 grains per gallon. Professor 

 Blyth instanced a sample of milk, purchased in Marylebone, containing, 

 boracic acid in the proportion of no less than 80 grains to the pint. This 

 occurred in December 1899, and the witness assured us that from time 

 to time he had found an equally high proportion in milk samples taken in 

 summer." 



"Clearly such random use of any drug in a food calls for regulation. 

 At present milk may be subjected to several successive treatments with 

 preservative before it reaches the consumer. The farmer or producer 

 sometimes applies it, so does the wholesale purveyor, so does the retail 

 dealer; lastly, the domestic use of preservatives is increasing, and has 

 become very general, and hence the milk may receive a fourth dose be- 

 for it reaches the unsuspecting consumer." 



"There is this further objection to the use of preservatives in the 

 milk traffic, that they may be relied on to protect those engaged therein 

 against the immediate results of neglect of scrupulous cleanliness. Un- 

 der the influence of these preservatives milk may be exposed without sen- 

 sible injury to conditions which otherwise would render it unsalable. It 

 may remain sweet to taste and smell and yet have incorporated disease- 

 germs of various kinds, whereof the activity may be suspended for a time 

 by the action of the preservative, but may be resumed before the milk 

 is digested" 



The following are the recommendations of the committee which were 

 based upon the conclusions they arrived at from their experiments and 

 from the evidence brought before them : 



"(a) That the use of formaldehyde or formalin, or preservatives 

 thereof, in foods and drinks be absolutely prohibited, and that salicylic 



