118 PRINCIPLES AND PRACTICE OF MILK HYGIENE 



bodies responsible for these positive reactions were 

 present because the individuals from which the blood 

 samples were obtained had actually passed through some 

 form of disease due to the abortion bacillus or whether 

 they were the results of a passive immunity due to the 

 ingestion of milk containing the bacillus or its antibodies. 

 But it has been demonstrated in a number of experiments 

 that after the ingestion of an organism in large num- 

 bers the specific antibodies may be present in the blood 

 without the organism producing disease, and there is 

 some reason to believe that antibodies contained in the 

 milk may be absorbed by the blood from the intestinal 

 canal of children (see page 43). However, there is 

 no definite information that abortion bacilli in milk have 

 any injurious effect upon the health of individuals in- 

 gesting such milk. 



OTHER DISEASES 



Any disease of the dairy cow attended with a con- 

 siderable disturbance of the general condition usually 

 causes a decrease or a complete cessation of the milk 

 secretion. Although the milk is generally of normal 

 appearance when secretion continues in such cases, it 

 frequently contains an increased amount of mineral salts, 

 has a salty taste and coagulates prematurely. While it 

 is not known that milk of this kind is harmful to man, 

 the change in its composition is sufficient to justify its 

 condemnation as a food. 



When suppurating wounds or ulcerative or phleg- 

 monous inflammations are present in any part of the 

 body, there is danger of the milk being infected with the 

 pyogenic organisms. 



