370 EXPERIMENT STATION RECORD, 



The danger of using milk from slop-fed cows, E. C. Aviragnet (Arch. MM. 

 Enfants, 13 {1910), No. 12, pp. 881-903; rev. in Med. Rec. {N. Y.], 79 {1911), 

 No. 18, p. 588). — ^According to the author's clinical observations, diseases of 

 children are sometimes caused by milli from cows fed distillery slop. It is 

 thought that a toxin is developed which passes into the milli. Milk produced 

 by cows fed by-products of distilleries and beet-sugar factories is thought by 

 the author to be unfit for feeding to children. 



The cell content of milk, H. E. Ross {Neiv York Cornell Sta. Bui. 303, pp. 

 775-793, fig. 1). — A modification of the volumetric method devised by Doane and 

 Buckley for counting cells in milli (E. S. R., 17, p. 181), was used in this experi- 

 ment, the method being described in detail. 



The following are some of the conclusions: " The relation between the number 

 of cells present and the amount of sedunent is not definite. . . . An average 

 variation in cell content of 12.32 per cent was obtained in the same sample of 

 milk. . . . The cell content of milk from 50 different cows varied from 4,000 

 to 3,576,000 per cubic centimeter. All of the cows appeared healthy and nor- 

 mal. Strippings have a higher cell content than either fore milk or middle 

 milk. Fore milk usually has the least number of cells. Manipulating the 

 udder increased the cell content of milk only when the manipulation was suffi- 

 ciently vigorous. The number of cells per cubic centimeter of the milk of indi- 

 vidual cows varies mostly within certain limits. Relation between number of 

 cells and percentage of fat is not constant nor definite. The number of cells 

 decreases relatively as the amount of milk decreases. The results obtained 

 indicated that evening milk has a slightly higher cell content than morning milk. 

 Colostrum has a higher cell content than has normal milk. Enough informa- 

 tion concerning the real significance of leucocytes in milk is not available to 

 warrant the establishment of so-called 'leucocyte standards.'" 



A count was made of milk taken from an injured quarter, which showed 

 62,400,000 cells per cubic centimeter, and from the 3 sound quarters, 407.000 

 cells per cubic centimeter. This showed that one quarter may be seriously 

 affected without similarly affecting the other quarters. 



The action of animal extracts upon the secretion of the mammary gland, 

 I. Ott and J. C. Scott {Ther. Gaz., 35 {1911), No. 10, pp. 6S9-69i ) .—This con- 

 tains details of work previously noted (E. S. R., 25, p. 176). 



In regard to the complement of woman's milk, Kolff and Noeggerath 

 (Jahrb. Kinderheilk., 70 {1909), No. 6, pp. 701-731; abs. in Hyg. Rundschau, 20 

 {1910), No. 9, pp. Ii82, 1)83) . — Woman's milk and colostrum contain very little 

 hemolytic complement and no bactericidal complement. It is concluded that 

 the small amount of hemolytic complement present does not warrant the exist- 

 ing nutritional and physiological theories in this regard. 



Fat splitting by bacteria, N. L. Sohgen {K. Akad. Wetensch. Amsterdam, 

 Versl. Wis en Natuurk. Afdeel., 19 {1910-11), pt. 1, pp. 689-703, pis. 4; abs. in 

 Chem. Zentbl., 1911, I, No. 4, pp. 2^8, 2J,9; Jour. Cfmn. 8oc. [London], 100 

 {1911), No. 582, II, p. 319). — Numerous species of bacteria were found which 

 could oxidize fats and also saponify them in the absence of oxygen. They de- 

 nitrified nitrates and nitrites when present. The anaerobes made good growth 

 when fat was the only source of carbon and ammonium chlorid the only source 

 of nitrogen. 



The various processes were thought to be due to the secretion of lipase, and 

 some species secreted 2 lipases. — a-lipase, which acts both in acid and alkaline 

 solution, and a more active /3-lipase, which is found in acid media but becomes 

 active only after neutralization. Milk was found to be a favorable medium 

 for the fat-splitting bacteria, and in spontaneously infected milk their growth, 

 rose and fell with the lactic-acid species of bacteria, since their activity de- 



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