THE MILK SITUATION IN THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA. 119 



milk for infant feeding, prepared in some cases in accordance with 

 certain prescribed formulae intended to approximate as nearly as 

 possible the composition of mother's milk. 



ESTABLISHMENT OF INFANTS' MILK DEPOTS. 



To meet this necessity, milk depots have been established, largely 

 under philanthropic auspices, in many of the principal cities of 

 America and Europe. The first depot in the United States was in- 

 stituted in 1889. The movement was accelerated in 1892, when Dr. 

 Henry L. Coit, of Newark, N. J., formulated a plan for the produc- 

 tion of pure milk under the auspices of medical milk commissions. 

 In 1893 the Medical Society of Essex County, N. J., adopted the plan 

 and organized the first medical milk commission in the United 

 States. The commission contracted with a dairyman 1 (for terms of 

 agreement see Appendix AO) to produce milk according to the 

 standards of purity formulated by Dr. Coit in connection with the 

 original plan. 



A recent report by Asst. Surg. Gen. J. W. Kerr, of the United 

 States Public Health and Marine-Hospital Service, 2 presented before 

 the American Association of Medical Milk Commissions on June 6, 

 1910, recites that 28 cities in the United States are now supplied with 

 infants' milk depots and milk dispensaries for the relief of the poor, 

 many of these institutions maintaining substations for the distribution 

 of milk and imparting advice with respect to infant hygiene. 



It may be noted in this connection that the local Straus pasteuriza- 

 tion laboratory has six substations geographically distributed with a 

 view to meeting the convenience of the largest number of patrons of 

 the poorer classes. The milk is received at the local laboratory before 

 8.30 a. m., and is modified and pasteurized before 11 a. m., affording a 

 much more rapid delivery into the hands of the consumer than is the 

 practice among local dairies in the distribution of unmodified and 

 unpasteurized milk. A physician is in attendance also during certain 

 hours daily to indicate the formula best suited for each particular 

 infant. 



CERTIFIED MILK. 



The standards of purity formulated by Dr. Coit in 1893 gave rise 

 to the term " Certified milk," and the precedent then established has 

 since been followed in many cities of the country, not less than 63 

 commissioners having since been organized to encourage the production 

 of pure milk for clinical purposes. Without the establishment of 

 these voluntary supervisory commissions it would be impossible to 

 provide practically for the production of certified milk, which latter 

 high-grade product has grown to be so important a factor in facili- 

 tating the healthy growth of infants and in accelerating the recupera- 

 tion of invalids. 



Specific bacterial standards for pure milk have been adopted, 

 limiting the number of bacteria allowable and inhibiting the pres- 

 ence of pathogenic organisms. The numerical standard fixed in most 



1 Bulletin No. 56, Hygienic Laboratory, Public Health and Marine-Hospital Service, 

 March, 1909, pp. 615-619, inclusive. 



2 Public Health Reports, No. 50, Washington, 1910. 



