102 THE MILK SITUATION IN THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA. 



practically no difference in the multiplication of germs in pasteurized 

 milk and in clean raw milk of approximately the same bacterial con- 

 tent and kept under similar conditions. The important observation 

 is made by the bureau that, while the rate of multiplication may be 

 more rapid in pasteurized milk than in raw milk " with a higher bac- 

 terial content," this is because of the low number of bacteria in the 

 pasteurized milk at the beginning of the test, so that the ratio of 

 multiplication is much greater compared with the raw milk, in which 

 the number of bacteria is already enormous. 



VALUE OF PASTEURIZED MILK. 



Dr. Rowland G. Freeman, of New York City, one of the foremost 

 authorities in this country, who, indeed, enjoys an international repu- 

 tation as an eminent specialist in the treatment of children's diseases, 

 in an article published under date of January 29, 1910, 1 expresses the 

 opinion that at the present time there can be no absolute security in 

 any raw milk, and asks why, this being the case, we are not using 

 heated milk, in which there is security. 



The situation is succinctly set forth by Dr. G. Lloyd Magruder, a 

 local physician, who has devoted himself for many years indefatiga- 

 bly to the improvement of the milk and water supplies of our com- 

 munity, as follows: 



Even though the danger of contracting tuberculosis due to bovine tubercle 

 bacilli from dairy products can be eliminated, if we can obtain milk from 

 healthy cows, there still remains the danger of contracting tuberculosis due to 

 human tubercle bacilli and other diseases from contaminated milk. Milk can 

 be made safe, however, by the proper application of heat. * * * Sterilization 

 means the killing of all the germs that may be present in milk. Pasteurization 

 means the destruction of the disease germs that are of more common occurrence 

 in it, such as those of tuberculosis, typhoid fever, diphtheria, etc. The investi- 

 gations * * * have shown that the common or pathogenic bacteria are 

 unable to retain their life and virulence when they are exposed to a temperature 

 of 60 C. or 140 F. for a period of 20 minutes, and that the value of milk as an 

 article of food is not perceptibly affected by the designated temperature. 8 



Opposition to pasteurized milk, even for infant use, is gradually 

 disappearing, and it is becoming a matter of general acceptance that 

 raw milk is apt to be dangerous and heated milk is the only safe milk 

 for the use of mankind. It has been objected that in pasteurization 

 some of the bacterial toxins or poisonous germs are not killed at the 

 temperature ordinarily used, but Rosenau 3 observes (see Appendix 

 F) that the true bacterial toxins are knowm to be destroyed by heating 

 to a temperature of 60 C. for 20 minutes, and that if milk contains 

 bacterial toxins not destroyed by pasteurization it will contain these 

 same poisons if the milk be consumed in its raw state, the heating of 

 the milk preventing at least the further formation of such injurious 

 substances. 



Theobald Smith, a recognized authority on the subject of milk in 

 relation to health, in discussing Kotch's paper on " The pasteuriza- 

 tion of milk for public sale," 4 says : 



It seems to me that the real difficulty of the present condition is the trans- 

 mission of specific disease germs, which are not easily controlled by any amount 



1 Journal of the American Medical Association, Vol. LIV, No. 5. 



2 Further Observations on the Milk Supply of Washington, D. C., by G. Lloyd Magru- 

 der, M. D., read in the section en preventive medicine and public health, American 

 Medical Association, St. Louis, Mo., June, 1910. 



8 Circular No. 153, Bureau of Animal Industry, U. S. Department of Agriculture. 

 * American Journal of Public Hygiene, Vol. XVII, May, 1907, p. 200. 



