state Dairy Association. 235 



genie endeavor that has enlisted as wide-spread and hopeful ar 

 interest in this country as the problem of obtaining pure milk." 

 The milk of healthy cows is practically sterile on leaving the udder, 

 and much of the subsequent contamination comes from the dust 

 or dirt always floating in the air even in the cleanest places. Other 

 bacteria get into the milk from unclean utensils and many from 

 fles. Many of these bacteria are harmless in their proper place, 

 but there are weeds in the world of bacteria as in the world of 

 visible plant growth — a weed is merely a plant out of place. The 

 forms of bacteria which are particularly active in causing intest- 

 inal and digestive disturbances are intimately associated with the 

 so-called harmless ones. You cut your hand and bandage the 

 wound because you say that if the air gets at it healing is delayed : 

 really it is the bacteria in the air that do the damage. The cut 

 may develop into an ugly sore- because in common language dirt 

 got into it ; but really because bacteria got into it. These bacteria 

 getting into the milk may make it unwholesome or dangerous. 

 Bacteria are intimately associated with dirt. Bacteria and dirt 

 may be regarded as Siamese twins in any milk discussion. The 

 cleaner the cow, the milker, the stable and the milk room, the less 

 bacteria-laden dirt or dust in the air, and hence in the milk. Be- 

 fore leaving the "why" of my topic I want to speak a word of ex- 

 planation : 



In connection with the danger from unclean or contaminated 

 milk is a point not always explained to producers in clear, untech- 

 nical language. At meetings where clean milk is discussed it 

 frequently happens that after the leading speaker has concluded, 

 a gentleman in the audience will rise to take part in the discus- 

 sion. His face is intelligent but lines of skepticism are evident — 

 his bearing indicates that he is going to annihilate the lecturer. He 

 tells the audience that he has used milk freely all his life and is 

 alive and well to tell the story; that he has brought up a large 

 family of children who have drunk milk in large quantities and 

 all are ideals of health; that he has retailed milk for many years 

 and never knew of a case of sickness due to his product; in short, 

 if what the speaker has said were true the human race would have 

 perished long ago, and he is *'tired" of all this bacteria talk. 



You have all heard this kind of talk — sometimes a sharp 

 talker will use ridicule and sarcasm and bring down a hearty 

 laugh on the lecturer. 



What are the facts regarding bacteria and health : Health is 

 man's normal condition and nature does much to keep him in 



