404 CITY MILK SUPPLY 



of the Fairfield Dairy of Montclair for the production of the milk. The 

 term " certified milk" proposed by Dr. Coit, was adopted and later, on 

 Oct. 18, 1904, at the instance of Mr. Francisco the word "certified" was 

 registered in the U. S. Patent office under registry number 25,368 to 

 protect the word from being used by dairymen not working under a med- 

 ical milk commission but with the understanding that it might be em- 

 ployed without question by all such commissions. So, certified milk is 

 properly only that milk which is produced under the direction of a Med- 

 ical Milk Commission, usually appointed by the County or State Med- 

 ical Society. In New Jersey, New York, and some other States only milk 

 that is so produced can legally be sold as certified milk but elsewhere 

 dealers may impose on the public by selling a milk which they certify 

 themselves, or get someone else to, as certified milk. 



This first commission was successful and was soon overwhelmed by 

 correspondence from all parts of the United States, relative to the mode 

 of establishing and conducting the certified milk business and other early 

 commissions were burdened in the same way. This led to Dr. Otto P. 

 Geier of Cincinnati proposing a conference of the commissions which was 

 held at the meeting of the American Medical Association at Atlantic 

 City, N. J., on June 3, 1907. A permanent organization under the name 

 of the American Association of Medical Milk Commission was effected 

 with Dr. Coit as President and Dr. Geier as Secretary. Annual confer- 

 ences have been held since that time and to date the instructive proceed- 

 ings of eight conferences have been issued by the Association. This first 

 conference marked an important forward step in bettering the milk 

 supplies of the country for committees were appointed to investigate 

 many different phases of dairying and so the forces that were working for 

 better milk became organized and found national expression. 



The influence of these medical milk commissions has been very great. 

 In the first place they have furnished clean pure milk to physicians for 

 the use of children and invalids and in the second they have demonstrated 

 that it was possible to produce and market a milk of superior flavor and 

 keeping qualities. In the third, their direct and indirect influence on 

 other dairies has been very important for some commissions have in- 

 spected other dairies in their vicinity that were not producing certified 

 milk and enabled the satisfactory ones, with their approval, to market 

 milk under an " inspected" label and the equipment and methods of their 

 certified dairies have served as models for other dairymen. Finally, they 

 arouse public interest in pure milk for physicians practising in their vicin- 

 ity are alive to its importance and the people by contact with these men 

 and often by literature furnished by the commissions learn the value of 

 pure milk and make some effort to secure it for their families. 



It should be understood that certified milk has no unusual properties 

 other than those of exceptional cleanliness and purity. It is the process 



