266 CITY MILK SUPPLY 



well in a moderately cool place for 24 hr., whereas the milk pasteurized 

 at from 150 to 160F., since it was somewhat carelessly handled by the 

 mothers, soured within that time. 



Work of Nathan Straus. Milk charities have had a. powerful influence 

 in spreading the gospel of pasteurization and in this connection the work 

 of Nathan Straus was sound and far-reaching. He became convinced 

 that the infant death rate could be materially reduced by bettering the 

 milk used by the poor and he believed that this could be accomplished 

 by supplying them pasteurized milk. Accordingly in 1893 in New York 

 City he established his first milk depot. From the beginning and ever 

 afterward the work was carried on under expert medical advice. His 

 first infants' milk depot was open from June to November and distributed 

 34,400 bottles of pasteurized and modified milk. The success attained 

 was so great that Straus was encouraged to continue the experiment 

 another year and on a larger scale; so, six stations were maintained in 1894, 

 five of them being kept open from the middle of May to the end of the 

 heated season and one to the end of the year so that from this time on 

 the service was continuous. This second year, 306,446 bottles were dis- 

 tributed which was a ninefold increase from the previous year. There- 

 after, the demand for the pasteurized milk grew steadily so that in 1906 

 there were 3,140,252 bottles distributed from 17 stations. In 1894, 

 Mr. Straus undertook to disabuse the public of the idea that pasteurized 

 milk was a medicated product, by selling it in the city parks at 1 ct. 

 a glass and for this purpose milk was in part obtained from the plant of the 

 Appleberg Hygienic Dairy Co. of Pauling, N. Y. In the Straus plant, 

 milk was pasteurized by the holder process for 20 min. at 167F. The 

 demand often taxed the facilities of the plant severely but from the very 

 beginning the policy was adopted of distributing no milk that had been 

 pasteurized for more than 24 hr. The Straus Milk Charities were 

 heartily supported by the New York City Board of Health, hospitals, chari- 

 table organizations and the World, which encouragement contributed to 

 their success. Following the introduction of this pasteurized milk there 

 was a marked decline in the infantile mortality rate of New York City, 

 and this Mr. Straus and others believed to be due to the use of the pas- 

 teurized milk. The Board of Health of Brooklyn found the infantile 

 death rate of that city very high and in 1894 applied to Mr. Straus for 

 help. He furnished them with over 1,000 bottles daily and there followed 

 a reduction in the deaths of children that was comparable with that in 

 New York City. 



As illustrative of the good results that followed the introduction of 

 pasteurized milk, the experience at Randall's Island may be cited. The 

 waifs picked up on the streets of New York were taken to the hospital of 

 this institution and the death rate among them was very high although 

 the milk was obtained from a carefully selected herd pastured on the 



