U.UTKK1A IN MILK. 2 1/ 



that such milk, though containing bacteria in quantity, will be 

 drunken as pure milk. The fermentation has, moreover, filled 

 the milk with bacterial products of more or less injurious 

 nature, and consequently the drinking of such milk is far 

 worse than drinking fresh milk which is most likely supplied 

 chiefly with lactic bacteria. The sterilized milk, if it does retain 

 a single spore, is, therefore, more dangerous than ordinary fresh 

 milk. For this reason, among others, this practice of treating 

 milk to superheated steam for the purpose of absolute steriliza- 

 tion is not popular and is clearly becoming less so. It is used 

 to-day less than it was a few years ago and is bound to dis- 

 appear. 



A modified form of sterilization, which consists in simply 

 boiling the milk, has been far more extensively adopted. This 

 was recommended by physicians long before its real significance 

 was understood and has been very widely used in all civilized 

 countries. Its simplicity of application explains the reason 

 for its popularity. It is only necessary to place the milk upon 

 a stove and allow it to come to a boil, and the end is reached. 

 Such treatment of milk has been very widely recommended, 

 and has been put into use very extensively in the countries of 

 continental Europe. In some of these countries very little 

 milk is used without such previous boiling, and even the chil- 

 dren are taught in school that it is dangerous to drink milk 

 without such treatment. The purpose aimed at in this wide 

 use of boiling, which is commonly, though not properly, called 

 sterilization, is simply to destroy the danger of distribution of 

 disease, by the destruction of the pathogenic bacteria. This 

 purpose is certainly achieved, for the boiling temperature does 

 destroy all the pathogenic bacteria which are likely to be in 

 milk, since none of these are spore-producers. Boiled milk 

 thus offers a food which contains no pathogenic bacteria. 



But there are several practical objections which have arisen 

 against this method of treatment. 

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