160 MILK HYGIENE 



few large companies while the number of small con- 

 cerns is steadily decreasing. 



[In America this tendency toward centralization of 

 the business is very marked in most large cities, and 

 especially in New York and Boston. The reason, how- 

 ever, is economic and is similar to the causes for con- 

 solidation in other lines of trade. L. P.] 



Since milk, as has been said, can acquire harmful 

 properties in different ways, since its composition may 

 vary considerably, and since it may be adulterated in 

 many ways, the milk business must be supervised by 

 public authority, under appropriate laws or ordinances. 

 Formerly, in most large cities, the occasional examina- 

 tions had reference only to the fat content of the milk 

 (transparency test, determination of the specific gravity, 

 etc.), and in many places, even at the present time, no 

 further progress has been made. But our present 

 knowledge makes it obvious that such an examination, 

 in comparison with the standard that should be estab- 

 lished to guard against dangerous milk, has relatively 

 little importance. The public control, therefore, is not 

 to be limited to an examination for adulteration and 

 souring or " spoiling " of milk on the market, but must 

 extend to the production and the care and treatment of 

 the milk (including the condition of health of those per- 

 sons who come into direct or indirect contact with it). 

 The enforcement of complete regulations for this pur- 

 pose, of course, is accompanied with great difficulties, 

 and there is no city in the world whose measures in this 

 respect can be said to be ideal. A point to be avoided in 

 such a control is a great increase in expense which would 

 raise the price of milk. This would be a hardship for the 

 public, the importance of which from the economic and 

 hygienic view points, must not be underrated. In the 

 inauguration of a thorough-going supervision it may 



