Milk and its Ferments. 137 



a large number of microscopes being'^brought into requisition. 

 The following gentlemen lent instruments : — Messrs. J. Stelfox, 

 James Wright, A. W. Hutton, G. J Glen, Hamilton M'Cleery, 

 W. S. M'Kce, J. J. Andrew, A. Tate, &c. Lamps were lent by 

 Mr. T. Edens Osborne, while the lantern was manipulated by 

 Mr. J. J, Andrews. 



Dr. Byers. — I have listened with great pleasure and instruc- 

 tion to the very admirable paper brought before us this evening, 

 a paper which indicated an immense amount of original research 

 and trouble taken in its preparation. Looking at it from a 

 private point of view, and also from the view of a physician, 

 there are two facts in Mr. Swan's paper that seem to me to be 

 of the greatest interest. The first is that milk as it comes from 

 the cow is absolutely germ free, and this applies not only to the 

 cow but also to the human being. The second point brought 

 before us is that, notwithstanding all those numerous organisms 

 that Mr. Swan has shewn on the screen this evening (and which 

 he seems to look upon rather with satisfaction and pride), we 

 have it in our power to destroy them. I am afraid in a certain 

 sense I must join issue with him in regarding these organisms 

 as of advantage. When one looks at the question of infant 

 feeding the chief problem is how to prevent these fermentative 

 changes which Mr. Swan has mentioned as depending on 

 organisms ; in a word, how to render the milk of the cow pure 

 again, after it has gone through the various processes in being 

 brought to where it is used. I may mention as of importance 

 the fact that milk has often an injurious effect if not treated 

 properly. In the first year of infant life there is the greatest 

 mortality, and a notable circumstance is that three-fourths of 

 the deaths during this period of infancy occur in bottle-fed 

 children, children artificially fed, the probability being that this 

 is due to some extent to certain fermentative changes in the 

 milk setting up disease in children, which we are called upon 

 to treat. There have been some recent observations shewing 

 rather curiously that certain forms of food which cause a dis- 

 turbance in the cow are again attended with disturbance, 



