XIV BACTERIAL POLLUTION OF MILK 237 



Bacteriological Milk Standakds 



It is a matter of much practical importance to consider 

 whether definite bacteriological standards can be set up for 

 milk, if they can be legally applied, and what they should be. 



It has been advanced that it is practicable and proper to 

 have a legal limit of the number of bacteria to be allowed in 

 milk, and such legal bacterial standards have been adopted in 

 several American cities. For example, in 1904 the Boston 

 Board of Health adopted the following regulation : 



No person by himself, or by his servant or agent, or as the 

 servant or agent of any other person, firm, or corporation, shall 

 bring into the city of Boston for the purpose of sale, exchange, or 

 delivery, or sell, exchange, or deliver any milk, skimmed milk, 

 or cream which contains more than 500,000 bacteria per cubic 

 centimeter, or which has a temperature higher than 50° F. 



There are considerable difficulties in the way of adopting 

 bacterial standards for milk, in part due to the rapid multi- 

 plication of bacteria in milk, in part to the great bacterial 

 complexity of even fresh milk. Bacterial standards theoretic- 

 ally may be used either in themselves directly to pass or 

 condemn — the condemnation being followed up by punish- 

 ment, such as exclusion from the area supplied, revocation of 

 licence, or even prosecution — or they can be indirectly used as a 

 means of improving the general supply. With existing know- 

 ledge, and with the present condition of the milk trade, the 

 writer believes that the latter procedure is the only one which is 

 feasible. It does not seem practicable, at any rate at present, 

 to set up any bacterial standards either of the number of bacilli 

 or of the number of any special groups of bacteria which can 

 serve as a basis in themselves of direct administrative action. 



On the other hand, bacterial standards can and should be 

 set up for guidance in administrative work. If a sample is 

 found to infringe them, attention should be specially directed 

 to the supply, the premises being, if possible, inspected, and 

 those responsible warned. Bacteriological examination of 

 milk should be worked hand in hand with sanitary inspection. 

 In this way general improvement of the conditions of millj 

 supply is likely to be effected. Persistent infringement would 

 furnish reasonable grounds for more decisive measures. 



