Foods as Fomites 241 



like cream. Such seriously infected milk could not be used 

 with safety to the consumer. 



In market milk one occasionally finds pathogenic organ- 

 isms, such as the diphtheria bacillus, typhoid bacillus, strep- 

 tococcus, etc., derived from human sources. Such polluted 

 milks have been known to spread epidemics of the respective 

 diseases whose micro-organisms are present. Bacteria may 

 enter milk from careless handling, from water used to wash 

 the cans or to dilute the milk, or from dust ; and as milk is 

 an excellent medium for the growth of bacteria, it should 

 always be treated with the greatest care to prevent such con- 

 tamination, as saprophytic bacteria produce chemical 

 changes in the milk, such as acidity and coagulation, which 

 destroy its usefulness or render it dangerous as food for in- 

 fants and invalids. Where the necessary precautions are 

 not or cannot be taken, Pasteurization of the milk as soon 

 after its reception as possible may act as a safeguard. 



Meat from tuberculous animals might cause disease if 

 eaten raw or but partially cooked. As cooking suffices to 

 kill the organisms, the danger under ordinary conditions is 

 not great. Moreover, tuberculosis rarely affects the muscles, 

 the parts usually eaten. 



Butter made from cream derived from tuberculous milk 

 may also contain tubercle bacilli, as has been shown by the 

 researches of Rabinowitsch.* 



Foods may become polluted with bacteria in a variety of 

 ways that will suggest themselves to the reader. The com- 

 mon source is dust, which is more or less rich in bacteria 

 according to the soil from which it arises. The readiness 

 with which raw foods, such as meats, milk, etc., can be thus 

 contaminated in the barnyard, dairy, slaughter-house, and 

 shop, teaches but one lesson that the greatest cleanliness 

 should prevail for the sake of the dealer, whose goods may be 

 spoiled by carelessness, and the consumer, who may be in- 

 jured by the food. 



Any food may carry infectious organisms upon its surface, 

 such organisms being derived from the hands of the dealer, 

 from dust, from water, as when green vegetables are sprinkled 

 with impure water to keep them fresh, or from other sources. 



The cleanliness of the merchant and the protection from 



*" Deutsche med. Wochenschrift," 1900, No. 26; abstract in the 

 "Centralbl. f. Bakt.," etc., xxix, 1901, p. 309. 

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