The Duty of the Consumer 



house, sufficient cause to discard the por- 

 tion of milk it has touched. A good rule to 

 follow is that only the amount needed for 

 immediate use should be taken from the 

 main supply in the ice box. 



The exact value of pasteurization and 

 sterilization of milk should be clearly under- 

 stood and the effect of these processes not 

 exaggerated. They are effective for the time 

 being and are a protection against the con- 

 tamination which has already taken place. 

 They do not, however, operate to control 

 future contamination, and it is folly to sup- 

 pose that milk once heated to 174 F., or 

 even to the boiling point, has been made 

 proof against the action of bacteria, which 

 enter after the milk has undergone either of 

 these processes. Pasteurized milk and ster- 

 ilized milk cannot be exposed with impunity, 

 nor can they be preserved without proper 

 icing. The same care and treatment ac- 

 corded raw milk must be given to them if 

 the good effects of the heating processes are 

 to be retained. 



139 



