TESTIMONY OF BENJAMIN SILLIMAN. 125 



be severely punished it follows that the innocent should not be con- 

 founded with him ; behold the progress or march which to us 

 appears to reconcile all the interests involved, and to render possi- 

 ble the daily verification of milk in the largest city ; we take Paris 

 for example ; " do you wish me to go further ? 



Q. Yes sir, the next paragraph, if you will? A. "Messrs, the Com- 

 missioners of Police, the subordinates in their order should prac- 

 tice each day, at the houses of many of the venders of milk in their 

 circumscription, the following operations, which ought to be exe- 

 cuted at least in one minute : a, first, to take the degree with the 

 lacto-densimeter ; 6, to taste the milk, if the degree by the lacto-densi- 

 meter is inferior or below twenty-nine degrees in having regard to 

 the temperature as mentioned upon pages 10 and 15, if the taste or 

 the color presents anything which is abnormal. After these pre- 

 liminary trials the merchant or vender is presented by affidavit, and 

 to take at least half a litre of suspected milk, taking care previously 

 to have rendered the whole mass homogeneous by stirring, and then 

 to transmit it immediately to an expert chemist, who shall be des- 

 ignated by the administration. This method of procedure presents 

 the incontestible advantage of respecting the dignity of the merchant, 

 and it does not involve a seizure, a circumstance which is always 

 grave and which always carries with it a powerful presumption of 

 the violation of law." It is rather a free translation. 



Q. Now, sir, if you will read that short sentence? A. "When he 

 has verified, as we have before said, the degree by the lacto-den- 

 simeter he knows only the half of that which ought to be under- 

 stood." 



Q. These gentlemen referred to in the beginning of this work, 

 Soubeiran, Eayer, Bouchardat and Orfila, are they distinguished men 

 in France ? A. Orfila is the reporter in that case and he is a great 

 toxicologist, an eminent man. 



Q. Does not Quevenne speak of commercial milk? A. I do 

 not distinctly remember that he makes use of that expression. I do 

 not doubt that he may ; if you say that he does I accept your state- 

 ment. 



Q. Does not his book show that he intends the methods prescrib- 

 ed by him to refer to milk sold in the city of Paris, that is commer- 

 cial milk as you understand that term? A. Clearly. 



