Milk and its Ferments. 139 



think on the whole it is an alarming state of things to find that 

 you have thirty millions of living creatures in every spoonful of 

 buttermilk, and it would be very desirable if Mr. Swan could 

 assure us that these animals were perfectly harmless. One 

 thing we must be glad at, that he has cleared the character of 

 the cow. My own experience in regard to typhoid fever is inva- 

 riably that when you trace it to the milk it is not the cow, it 

 is the careless or filthy human beings that are the root of all 

 the evil. 



Professor FitzGerald — I think Dr. Byers's remarks of special 

 value in this, that it is important, when matters of this kind 

 are brought forward, that those who are not acquainted with 

 the practical bearing of such investigations should be impressed 

 with the fact that these things can at once be seen by those who, 

 like Dr. Byers, understand them. I understand from Mr. Swan, 

 however, that though the milk as it comes from the cow may 

 be free irom organisms, yet it is practically impossible to collect 

 it free from organisms ; and that is the reason why it is 

 absolutely necessary to destroy them afterwards in the way Dr. 

 Byers spoke of. Mr. Scott's remarks were very much to the 

 point as to the real persons who are to blame for infection being 

 carried by milk. My impression is that it would be a very 

 desirable thing if medical men had the power to close a dairy 

 for a time where they suspected such a thing. 



Mr. Swan — It was not my intention to give you any idea that 

 ferments could be as dangerous as the microbes of disease. I 

 hold that ferments are essentially those organisms to which we 

 are under an obligation for doing actual good. It is extremely 

 difficult to separate milk from organisms, except in a laboratory ; 

 the moment it is exposed it becomes contaminated with them. 

 I chose the subject of milk ferments this evening, as it is one in 

 which I perhaps have had exceptional opportunities of observa- 

 tion, having lived in those countries Avhere the fermented milk 

 drinks are made. I should be very sorry to raise an alarm on 

 the subject of microbes, but if you separate ferment organisms 

 from disease organisms this will not be likely. I am thankful 



