THE MILK QUESTION 



68,690,000, while the cream obtained by centrifugation 

 (separator cream) contained 96,860,000. Further experi- 

 ments have shown that tubercle bacilli and other patho- 

 genic micro-organisms are carried up by the fat droplets 

 into the cream layer. The fact that top milk or cream con- 

 tains proportionately many more bacteria than the whole 

 milk from which it is obtained has an important practical 

 bearing upon infant feeding. It is customary to make milk 

 formulas with top milk, but we now see that this may be 

 the most dangerous part of the substance. Anderson has 

 shown that top milk, such as is advised for use in infant 

 feeding, contains from ten to five hundred times as many 

 bacteria per cubic centimetre as the mixed milk. 



Cream is responsible not only for conveying the tubercle 

 bacilli, but has also been proven guilty in transmitting 

 typhoid, scarlet fever, diphtheria and other infections. 

 The small amount used in coffee or upon cereals is often 

 sufficient to induce disease. Ordinarily coffee is not hot 

 enough to destroy these infections if they are in the cream. 



Cream, being a more concentrated food, keeps better 

 than milk. Separator cream can be made much richer than 

 gravity cream and for this reason is preferred for whipping. 

 Further, it keeps longer, for it can be taken from perfectly 

 fresh milk, whereas gravity cream is usually twelve to 

 twenty-four hours old when skimmed. Cream gradually 

 becomes thicker the longer it is kept, and it is often held 

 for this purpose. Sometimes it is one or two weeks old 

 when used. Very little of the cream upon the market is in 

 as fresh a condition as the milk. Freight rates are propor- 

 tionately less, and it therefore comes from much greater 

 distances. Much of the cream used by a large city may 

 come from entirely different farming sections from its milk 

 supply. The sanitarian must therefore often make a sep- 

 arate study of the cream, especially in relation to epide- 

 miological studies. 



At prevailing prices cream is a luxury. It is a promising 



