INFECTION BY MILK 101 



Indigestion of cows very often leads to a lessening of 

 milk secretion and, at the same time, to a change in its 

 taste and composition. The milk may have a bitter or 

 salty taste and appear to be thinner, is sometimes yel- 

 lowish in color and coagulates very easily. When such 

 changes are present, or when there is simply a disturb- 

 ance of digestion, the milk should not be mixed with 

 other milk designed for sale. The question here is not, 

 however, one of the contaminating micro-organisms, nor 

 does it relate strictly to the passage of a disease from 

 cattle to man. 



j. " Calf cholera." It is well known that under this 

 common term are grouped infections of the intestines 

 (usually caused by colon bacilli, less often by proteus 

 forms) and umbilical infection, with or without local 

 inflammation, (arthritis, pyaemic processes, bacteriae- 

 mia) ; the latter infection is sometimes caused by colon 

 forms, sometimes by staphylococci and streptococci and, 

 rarely, by necrosis bacilli or other bacteria. 



An endemic outbreak of these infectious diseases 

 signifies a great propagation of the causative bacteria 

 in the cow stable and, therefore, it is most probable that 

 the milk becomes infected while being drawn. There are 

 no positive cases that prove that milk from a farm where 

 calf cholera is prevalent, has caused disease of children 

 or adults, but as no special attention has been given to 

 this matter, it is quite natural that such cases as may 

 occur are not fully understood. Milk from such a herd 

 should be regarded as suspicious and its sale as " nurs- 

 ery milk ' ' should not be allowed until conditions on the 

 farm have been improved. 



&. Septic metritis. In septic inflammation of the 

 uterus, which is specially prevalent in herds where cows 

 in calf are purchased from dealers, great quantities of 

 ichorous exudate are secreted and expelled from the 



