104 THE MILK SITUATION IN THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA. 



the committee for the pronunciamento that the danger of contracting 

 disease from milk contaminated up to the moment of pasteurization 

 is removed by that process and that if the product be afterwards 

 handled in accordance with well-defined precautions, including the 

 maintenance of a temperature below 50 F., there is absolute safety 

 in its ingestion and its potability is considerably enhanced. Dr. 

 Melvin, Chief of the Bureau of Animal Industry, takes the positive 

 ground that efficient pasteurization would greatly reduce the 'danger 

 of all kinds of infection and minimize the prospects of subsequent 

 contamination of the milk. Surg. Gen. Torney tersely notes that " it 

 would prevent the transfer of these infections from the farm to the 

 city." E-avenel corroborates this pronouncement when stating that 

 proper enforcement of pasteurization would entirely prevent all in- 

 fection, and Winslow supplements this with a caveat that the milk 

 be kept clean after treatment. While this substantive approval of 

 pasteurization as a means of purifying milk is largely concurred in 

 by the health officers who have assisted the committee, there are a few 

 exceptions. Dr. Kennedy, health officer at Atlanta, Ga., for example, 

 states that, in his judgment, milk does not need pasteurization, and 

 that for a city of the size of Atlanta pasteurization has been found 

 by him to be harmful rather than beneficial in its results; and Dr. 

 Goler, health officer of Rochester, N. Y., adds that pasteurization as 

 practiced in that city is only used to preserve dirty milk. Dr. Levy, 

 chief health officer at Richmond, Ya., while harmonizing with the 

 view that pasteurization would decrease the amount of infection from 

 diphtheria, typhoid fever, scarlet fever, and tuberculosis " to the 

 fullest extent if properly done," couples this affirmation with the 

 admonition " that pasteurization may do great harm in other direc- 

 tions." Mr. Corbin Thompson, one of the representatives of the 

 Dairymen's Association, takes the extreme view that infection with 

 the diseases mentioned would not be diminished by compulsory pas- 

 teurization, but, on the contrary, would be increased. 



BACILLUS CARRIERS. 



Though it is generally admitted that cleanliness in the production, 

 transportation, and distribution of milk is a potential factor in insur- 

 ing against the causation of disease through the agency of milk, it is 

 pointed out by the Chief of the Bureau of Animal Industry, the Sur- 

 geon General of the Navy, Surg. Gen. Wyman, of the Public Health 

 and Marine-Hospital Service, and other advisers of the committee 

 that while cleanliness will greatly reduce the danger of infection it 

 will not entirely remove such danger, since it is now very generally 

 recognized that the germs of disease may be conveyed by cleanly 

 persons in their clothing or otherwise, and especially by persons 

 knows as " bacillus carriers " and those having " walking cases " of 

 disease. It is also essential, of course, that the milk be initially de- 

 rived from noninfected cows. It is the recognition of these possible 

 sources of contamination and infection that furnishes the strongest 

 argument in favor of pasteurization and the tuberculin test. 



EFFECT OF PASTEURIZATION ON THE PRICE OF MILK. 



In support of the prediction that pasteurization if generally com- 

 pelled would not increase substantially or even perceptibly the retail 

 price of milk, it may be cited that notwithstanding the ordinance 



