DISEASES OF CATTLE. 73 



As the statistical results of the experiments which liave been 

 made unquestionably go to prove that such milk does contain ele- 

 ments of a spccijicalbj infectious character, there is no question that 

 laws should he made, and executed also, so as to prevent the sale of 

 such milk for human consumption, either for itself or mixed with 

 other milk, in no matter how small quantities. 



Xo such milk should be sold ; but such cows should be strictly 

 isolated and fattened, or condemned. 



This question of the specific infection of milk from tuberculous 

 cows is no trifling matter ; on the contrary, it is one of life and 

 death. IIow many thousand babies are yearly brought up on the 

 bottle with cow's milk ! 



All the fond parents ask is, that the milk is from one cow. This 

 guaranteed, they appear to feel perfectly satisfied. No one seems 

 yet to have thought that a trustworthy and expert guarantee of the 

 hygienic condition of the cow giving the milk was necessary. We 

 make great demands, and get terribly excited about the purity of 

 our water-supply. "We spend millions of dollars to keep the foun- 

 tains pure, and to prevent all foreign admixtures on its passage to 

 us. Is it not as much our duty to examine into the purity of the 

 fountains from which comes our milk-supply ? 



"We can not but repeat our assertion that every State board of 

 health should be liberally supplied with funds to be used exclusively 

 for experimental purposes, and in every State there should be a 

 station for such purposes. 



I do not know that it has ever yet been proved by direct experi- 

 ment how much dilution it is possible to give to milk hj means of 

 unduly watery food given to the cow, or how much the milk can be 

 concentrated, in one and the same cow, by systematically lessen- 

 ing the quantity of fluid given consistent with the health of the 

 animal. 



The first form of feeding might he well called, dilution of 

 milk icithin the law, while when the water is added after milking 

 we have dilution Mnder penalty of, or vjithout, the law. 



Both forms of dilution are equally a swindle upon the con- 

 sumer. 



An economy which does not recognize the absolute necessity of 

 such experiments as the above is of the " penny-wise but pound- 

 foolish variety," and never in the true interests of the public. 



