8 June, 1908.] The Melbourne Milk Supply. 327 



Besides the contagious (notifiable) diseases, the supervisors also have the 

 power to prohibit the use of a cow on account of any condition, local or 

 general, likely to cause the production of unwholesome milk. They have 

 been instructed to prohibit for acute simple inflammation of the udder, and 

 this of course includes abscess. This brings me to speak of conditions of 

 the udder that are perhaps not well known to medical men. 



The general idea is that milk draw'n from the healthy udder of a cow, 

 after the first few strains are rejected, is absolutely sterile. As a matter of 

 fact, each quarter of an udder has to be separately tested before this point 

 can be settled. The comparatively large duct, and the fact that a drop of 

 milk often oozes from the teat, lead to bacterial infection in a considerable 

 proportion of cases. Generally, such infection does not extend beyond the 

 ampulla or milk reservoir at the base of the teat ; but in other cases, the 

 micro-organisms are able to establish themseh'es, and set up conditions 

 ranging from slight interference with the milk to acute inflammation of the 

 udder. 



Although what may be called living milk has a phvsiological power to 

 inhibit the growth of many kinds of bacteria, it is not surprising to find 

 that occasionally lodgment may be effected by species that are able to grow 

 in the udder. " Coccal " cows have been well recognised for a number of 

 years, and it is probable that the normal source of lactic acid bacteria is 

 the interior of apparently healthy udders. Bacteria may, therefore, be 

 present without causing any symptoms ; or they may cause merely partial 

 coagulation of the milk. On the other hand, the symptoms may range from 

 simple swelling without heat or tenderness up to the formation of an acute 

 abscess. Furthermore, all these degrees of interference with the normal 

 function mav become chronic. It is the destruction of the secreting cells 

 by an inflammation, often of slight severity, that causes the ordinary 

 '"caked" or " lost' quarter. Hence there is room for wide differences 

 O'f opinion as to the precise degree of abnormality which warrants j)rohi- 

 bition. The supervisor has instructions to prohibit only in cases in which 

 he can justify his action. All cases of acute inflammation are, therefore, 

 included, and a number of passing affections of a transient nature. About 

 one-half of the prohibitions are subsequently removed by the veterinary 

 oflficer. The interests of both consumer and producer are thus conserved. 

 The one is not supplied with milk during the acute stage of any attack, 

 while the use of the cow is ultimately preserved to the farmer. 



I think it may be claimed that our system of supervision is a success. 

 No system of inspection is of any value unless it is thorough. For 

 thorough work, one man is required for every five or six thousand cows. 

 The question of cost is, therefore, an all-important one. At present the 

 annual fee of sixpence per cow, together with the registration fees from 

 the dairies, covers about two-thirds of the total cost of administering the 

 Act. The time of the veterinary staff is conserved, and their energies con- 

 centrated on the animals that require special attention. At the same time, 

 the visits of these oflScers form a good check on the way the supervisors 

 do their part of the work. 



From the subjoined table, it will be seen that out of 72,000 cows at 

 present under the operation of the Act, only (id per 10,000 have been found 

 unfit to yield milk for human consumption on account of disease. 

 Tubercle was discovered in less than 2 per 1,000, and in exactly one-half 

 of these cases was the udder affected. In contrast with this remarkable 

 absence of tubercle, there has been discovered an equally remarkable 



