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FARMER'S CYCLOPEDIA OF LIVE STOCK 



percentage of infant mortality and a 

 still larger percentage of non-fatal ill- 

 ness in children directly to milk. These 

 troubles range in seriousness from slight 

 digestive troubles to such diseases as 

 diphtheria, typhoid and scarlet fever. In 

 the following paragraphs we discuss 

 briefly the diseases which may be trans- 

 mitted in milk. 



Sources of diseases in milk — Some of 

 these diseases come from the cow; others 

 are of human origin, the milk becoming 

 infected after it is drawn. Of the first 

 class tuberculosis is the most import- 

 ant. Regarding the disease a more ex- 

 tensive controversy has developed than 

 on any other medical subject. On the 

 one side, Koch and his disciples main- 

 tain that tuberculosis is very rarely 

 transmitted to children in cows' milk, 

 and that the disease is usually contracted 

 by inhaling the bacilli. On the other 

 hand, Von Behring claims that nearly- 

 all cases of human tuberculosis come 

 from cows. Behring's proposition is 

 that children become infected from 

 drinking cows' milk and that the dis- 

 ease may develop at once or not until 

 later in life. At any rate there can be 

 no reasonable doubt that tuberculosis 

 may be transmitted from cows to chil- 

 dren. The milk of tuberculous cows 

 may contain tubercle bacilli and should 

 never be used as human food without 

 previous sterilization. 



Foot and mouth disease ma y be trans- 

 mitted in the milk and numerous cases 

 of this sort are on record. The milk 

 from cows affected with cowpox has 

 been reported as causing serious cases of 

 sore throat. The milk of cows suffering 

 from anthrax or pleuro-pneumonia must 

 also be considered dangerous for human 

 food. For similar reasons the milk from 

 cows infected with tetanus or rabies 

 must also be rejected. All forms of gar- 

 get or inflammation of the udder render 

 the milk absolutely unfit for human use. 

 In all such cases pus finds its way into 

 the milk and this in itself is sufficiently 

 disgusting. 



Moreover, such milk causes diphthe- 

 ritic sore throat and various digestive 

 troubles and diarrhea. Finally the milk 

 is unfit for use or dangerous in all cases 

 of acute intestinal disease of cows, fev- 

 ers, especially in puerperal cases, and in 

 all cases where wounds are followed by 

 septicaemia or blood poisoning. In short 

 the conscientious farmer or dairyman 

 would and should not sell to his patrons 



the milk from cows suffering from any 

 serious disease. Such milk is sold, how- 

 ever, especially from cases of garget, pus 

 and all. Fortunately the inspector with 

 improved tests for pus cells and white 

 blood corpuscles is in a position to de- 

 tect such milk and protect children 

 against this danger to some extent. 



Other diseases carried by milk — Be- 

 sides these diseases of bovine origin milk 

 may also carry other diseases of human 

 origin, especially typhoid, scarlet fever, 

 diphtheria and cholera. In the hundreds 

 of epidemics of these plagues traced to 

 milk the disease prevailed on the prem- 

 ises where the milk was produced, at 

 least in the vast majority of cases, and 

 contact of diseased persons or nurses 

 with the milk was proved in the other 

 epidemics. Milk-borne epidemics of the 

 diseases in question are serious enough 

 to deserve the thoughtful attention of 

 dairymen, inspectors, dealers and con- 

 sumers. Kober obtained the history of 

 195 epidemics of milk-borne typhoid. 

 In one outbreak 431 persons contracted 

 typhoid and 62 died as a result of drink- 

 ing the milk from a dairy farm where in- 

 fection spread to the milk from a boy 

 affected with the disease. Kober also 

 collected details regarding 99 epidemics 

 of milk-borne scarlet fever, and 36 epi- 

 demics of milk-borne diphtheria. 



Importance of sanitation — It would 

 be too unsavory a matter to discuss the 

 filthy habits and insanitary conditions 

 which must prevail in order to make 

 such occurrences possible. The dangers 

 attending the use of insanitary milk 

 have become generally known and on 

 that account much less is consumed than 

 otherwise would be. The average indi- 

 vidual fears infection and therefore does 

 not take milk except in small quantities 

 in tea or coffee or when used in the prep- 

 aration of other food material. In order 

 to increase the consumption of this best 

 of all foods it is necessary for all dairy- 

 men to guarantee, and make good his 

 guaranty, to deliver nothing but pure, 

 wholesome milk to his consumers. In 

 some cases this can best be accomplished 

 by the adoption of a general system of 

 pasteurization or sterilization, which will 

 be described as a regular routine under 

 Dairying. Rational milk inspection, 

 properly enforced, will aid greatly in 

 bringing about the desired result and 

 will operate as much to the benefit of the 

 dairyman as to the consumer. 



