132 A Neiv Dairy Industry. 



as if we had reached the boundary of the influence 

 which we could exercise over the quality of market- 

 able milk. We shall not here investigate what degree 

 of efficiency this control has reached in general, or 

 if it be sufficient to guarantee a fair quality for the 

 milk of general consumption ; as soon, however, as we 

 come to the point to look at milk as a substitute for 

 mother's milk, as a food for the new born-babe, we 

 will from the perusal of the foregoing chapters agree 

 that the present methods of control are of a glaring 

 inefficiency. 



It is, however, to be borne in mind that no change 

 of method or added severity will be able to furnish 

 the guarantee of pureness, w 7 hich is so desirable, as long 

 as milk has to pass through so many hands before it 

 reaches the little consumer's mouth, and, that, at the 

 time of its passing the milk inspector's test, it is only 

 halfway, as it were, on the road which is strewn with 

 possibilities of infection. If cow's milk is to be con- 

 sidered the only healthy substitute for the mother's 

 breast, then our best efforts should be directed to pro- 

 duce this in the best form attainable. That no great 

 success has been recorded, hitherto, in this direction 

 may be largely attributed to the fact, that the difficul- 

 ties to be overcome are located in so many different 

 fields of work. Most fanners and dairy engineers lack 

 entirely the necessary medical knowledge, and often, 

 also, the support of the medical men, while the 

 physician, if he manages to keep up with the com- 

 plexity of tasks before him, is seldom in a position to 



