GENERAL CONSIDERATIONS 9 



toward efiFects. Infected milk may cause disease and death 

 a week, a month, even a year or more afterwards. The 

 connection is not clear to persons who have not given the 

 matter careful consideration, and is therefore shrouded in 

 mystery and no little skepticism. 



Babies are killed with milk in an insidious way. If, in- 

 stead, the babies should be scalded to death in boiling milk, 

 the incident would have the elements of human interest for 

 the newspaper reporter. 



For these reasons the dangers in milk do not strike the 

 popular imagination. The effects of prevention seem ob- 

 scure and negative. — The results of cure are evident and 

 positive. This is one of the handicaps from which preven- 

 tion suffers. If Jenner had discovered a cure for small-pox, 

 and if that cure were only half as effective as vaccination, 

 every civilized country in the world would do him homage. 



The need of patience — slow but sure progress 



It is perfectly plain to. anyone who has made a special 

 study of the milk supply for large cities that nothing short 

 of a social and economic revolution will give us an im- 

 mediate approach towards clean, fresh, and safe milk for 

 the "inmates" of our large cities. The difficulties are so 

 perplexing that even idealists have said to me in private 

 conversation that they consider that the milk question will 

 never be solved. I take no such pessimistic view. I know 

 the difficulties, and I know the end will be slow in coming, 

 but it is attainable and will be reached. It cannot be done 

 by spasmodic and sensational attacks upon the contractor, 

 the farmer, or the milk driver, which in some cities seems 

 to be part of the day's fun. Newspaper campaigns some- 

 times confuse, often react, and thus may actually impede 

 rather than help the final solution. Real progress in this 

 case can only be achieved through patient, well-considered, 

 and persistent effort that will gradually give us what we 

 want; namely, clean, fresh, and safe milk. 



