A BRIEF SUMMAKY OF THE PROBLEM 169 



adulteration that are very common. Although most 

 communities have drastic laws making these practices 

 illegal, the laws are not always well enforced. Pro- 

 fessor Doane found that in some of the cities in which 

 he investigated the conditions of milk production 

 and distribution these forms of commercial dis- 

 honesty were very common. The ethical opinion of 

 the public was at such a low stage of development 

 that this petty cheating was commonly tolerated. 

 One dairyman told a group of his fellow-citizens, some 

 of whom were his customers, that he always added 

 water to his milk in common with every other man in 

 the business, the rate of adulteration being one gallon 

 of water for every four gallons of milk ! " 



Now, adulteration of this sort is chiefly objection- 

 able because the consumer does not get the amount 

 of food value represented, and, in the case of added 

 water, there is always the danger that the water itself 

 is not pure. As Professor Pearson says, "If a dairy- 

 man is dishonest enough to water his milk, he will 

 probably not be careful about the purity of the water 

 added." " In most places the commoner forms of 

 adulteration are practised to a more or less serious 

 extent. Even where, as in New York and Ohio, 

 the authorities are alert and aggressive, punishing all 

 such offences with impartiality and vigor, there can be 

 no doubt as to their extensive practice. 



The use of preservatives is a form of adulteration 



