348 MILK AND THE PUBLIC HEALTH chap. 



U.S.A. In 1890 the Medical Society of the State of New 

 Jersey, at his suggestion, appointed a committee of forty 

 physicians to study the relationship between mortalities and 

 milk supplies, and to secure better legislation to improve the 

 milk supply. Failing .in this direction, Coit, with other 

 medical men, started in 1893 the first Commission, which was 

 called the " Essex County Milk Commission." The idea grew 

 but slowly at first, for only twelve were organised in other 

 areas during the next fourteen years. In 1907 the move- 

 ment received a considerable impetus by the formation of an 

 association (The American Association of Medical Milk Com- 

 missions) comprising all the Medical Milk Commissions then 

 in existence. Four annual conferences have been held. At 

 the time of the third annual conference in 1909, at Atlantic 

 City, it consisted of 58 component commissions in the 

 United States and Canada. 



The Milk Commissions exist to ensure the production of 

 a better quality of milk — certified milk. The certified milk 

 movement may be described as a co-operative system between 

 certain members of the medical profession and certain pur- 

 veyors of milk. The former, in the interests of the community 

 and for the benefit of their patients, are willing to lay down 

 the conditions necessary to be fulfilled to obtain a pure milk, 

 and to take the appropriate means to ensure compliance with 

 such conditions. The latter, in their own interests, are willing 

 to comply with the regulations for the sake of the increased 

 price obtainable for their milk. 



Compliance with the requirements of the Commission 

 ensures that a pure milk is obtained, while the use of the 

 word " certified " assures the consumer that it is pure and 

 worth the extra price charged for it by the dairyman, who is 

 put to the increased expense of producing it. 



The term "certified" was copyrighted by Francisco, the first 

 dairyman signing a contract to produce milk under the super- 

 vision of a Commission with the understanding that any Milk 

 Commission should have the right to its use. It is, of course, 

 very important that the expression " certified milk " should 

 not be degraded by being employed for inferior milk, and the 

 restricted use of the term has been upheld in the law courts. 

 This has also been recognised by several of the States, and 



