462 ^'^6 Philippine Jotirnal of Science nn 



ner used, and the marketing of these products should he inter- 

 dicted by laiv. Carabaos' milk and goats' milk, when obtained 

 from healthy clean animals, properly fed, and under proper sani- 

 tary surroundings, are excellent milks, but the requisite condi- 

 tions do not obtain in the Philippine Islands, and with possibly 

 one or two exceptions the conditions regarding the local supply 

 of cows' milk are equally unsatisfactory. Nor is this all, for 

 by no method of reasoning can we foresee a time when it will 

 be practicable to produce satisfactory surroundings consistent 

 with an ample supply of fresh milk at a reasonable price. The 

 present custom of collecting, transporting, and using the local 

 milk supply is unbelievably filthy, unsanitary, and consequently 

 dangerous, and a continuance of the present practice with the 

 facts before us should fix criminal responsibility for the loss of 

 life. A general idea of the methods in vogue in collecting and 

 marketing carabaos' milk is shown in a report by Doctors Abella 

 and Gabriel. Briefly, the milk sold on the streets of Manila — 

 and presumably in other cities as well — is from twenty-six to 

 thirty hours old; has been diluted with tap water, or worse; 

 has been collected and transported in dirty receptacles ; has been 

 milked by unclean persons from unclean animals ; and both chem- 

 ical and bacteriological examination, of course, shows this milk 

 to be just about as bad as it is possible to make it. We have 

 not seen a single sample that would even approach the margin 

 of safety for its use by human beings, and in many instances evi- 

 dences of sewage contamination and the presence of extremely 

 dangerous bacteria are found in samples of milk bought in the 

 open market. The same is true, to a less degree, of so-called 

 fresh cows' milk sold in Manila. Under special conditions, which 

 are obtained only at the expense of a very high cost of produc- 

 tion, surroundings have been produced by which clean milk 

 could be marketed. Notable in this respect is the very excellent 

 work of La Gota de Leche which by careful supervision of model 

 dairies has been able to produce good milk ; but even under these 

 circumstances, which raise the cost of milk to 50 centavos ^ a liter, 

 the distinguished officials controlling the policy of this insti- 

 tution have felt it necessary to sterilize the milk before allowing 

 its consumption by the babies under their care. If sterilization 

 still is necessary after the precautions and expenses incident 

 to the production of milk by La Gota de Leche, the problem of 

 furnishing raw, fresh milk in quantities sufficient to influence 



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