to the scope of this magazine, but mention of them may add to the 

 interest with which Professor Jordan's discussion of one of the 

 most serious problems with which the division of animal industry 

 is concerning itself will be perused — that is, the protection of the 

 milk supply from danger to consumers. On this subject he says: 



"The importance of control and supervision of the sources of 

 public water supply has long been recognized, but the importance 

 of controlling the quality of the public milk supply, although fre- 

 quently urged by sanitarians, is not always appreciated. At the 

 present time in the great majority of American cities it is safe to 

 say that for every case of infectious disease due to drinking water 

 ten cases are caused by infected milk. It is difficult to procure 

 adequate funds for the sanitary control of the milk supply. By 

 sanitary control of milk is meant not the upholding of a rigorous 

 standard of butter fat and total solids, but the maintenance of 

 proper standards of cleanliness and health for dairy cows and 

 especially the safeguarding the milk from infection during col- 

 lection and transportation. Under some conditions the protec- 

 tion of the consumer against milk-borne infection may be best 

 brought about by compulsory pasteurization of that portion of 

 the milk supply which can not otherwise be raised to proper 

 standard. Whatever method of control be adopted, it is certain 

 that any ge.raine improvement in the character of a milk supply 

 will be followed in the long run by a lessening in the amount of 

 typhoid fevei, diphtheria, scarlet fever and, to some extent, tu- 

 berculosis. The early detection of a smgle case of typhoid fever 

 or scarlet fever on a dairy farm may be the means not only of 

 preventing an extensive epidemic, but of avoiding the formation 

 of scores of new foci which can in turn serve to light up subse- 

 quent cases for many years. Proper pasteurization of milk has 

 been followed in many cities, as in Glasgow, Liverpool and Lon- 

 don, by an immediate and material reduction in the amount of 

 typhoid fever. Li other words, the connection between an ex- 

 penditure of public money and a direct return in prevention of 

 disease can be more clearly demonstrated in the case of milk sup- 

 ply control than in some otlier of the usual municipal health de- 

 partment activities. 



"The question whether the quality of a city milk supply can be 

 more favorably influenced by inspection and supervision at the 

 source, or by generally enforced and controlled i)astcurization. is 

 one upon which there is still some difference of opinion among 

 experts. There is little doubt, however, that simply as a matter 

 of economy of administration much is to be said at present in 

 favor of centralized pasteurization of a large ])ortion of the sup- 

 ply. Viewed as a method for preventing a large number of cases 

 of infectious disease at relatively small expenditure the pasteuriza- 

 tion of milk certainly ranks high among effective health 

 measures." 



