THE SANITARY FACTORS 67 



marizing sixty-nine epidemics which had already been 

 charged to milk. 2 The sanitary importance of con- 

 tamination in general was later brought out strikingly 

 by Sedgwick and Batchelder, 3 who in 1892 published 

 the results of a bacteriological examination of the 

 Boston milk supply. This seems to have been the 

 earliest recording of the bacterial content of the milk 

 of an American city. The large numbers reported 

 amazed sanitarians and public. The modern move- 

 ment for sanitary milk on a bacteriological basis ap- 

 pears to have dated from this time. 



Certified Milk 4 



But even before this, important action was under 

 way in New Jersey, where the State Medical Society, 

 with the object of improving milk production, began, 

 in 1889, an investigation of milk supplies, the result of 

 which was an appeal to the State for strict supervision 

 of all the dairies within its limits. This appeal failing, 

 resort was had to an original expedient, that of medical 

 certification of milk, and in 1893 the production of the 

 first " certified milk," under the supervision of a med- 

 ical milk commission organized in Essex County, in 

 that State, took place. 



Certified milk may be briefly defined as milk pro- 

 duced under the strictest sanitary conditions by a pro- 

 ducer who has entered into an agreement with a med- 

 ical milk commission by which he stipulates compliance 

 with the commission's requirements, while the com- 

 mission authorizes the use of its certification.* In 



*The term "certified milk" has sometimes been abused by un- 

 scrupulous dairymen, but has been legally protected in a number of 



