A BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE PROBLEM 171 



the same brand ! '^ He does not know that the sour- 

 ing of the milk is caused by bacteria most of which 

 have entered it as a result of unhygienic conditions. 

 Of course, he may have heard of the requirements of 

 the Board of Health — better stables, new-fashion 

 milk pails, white duck suits for milkers, washing cows' 

 udders and tails, and many other "new-fangled 

 notions" which he disbelieves in and regards con- 

 temptuously as fads of the "young doctors." Such 

 things were never heard of until lately, and people 

 have used cow's milk for ages ! 



He really does not know that the use of salicylic 

 acid grew to be so common in France that the public 

 health was affected and that a commission appointed 

 by the government to inquire into the matter re- 

 ported emphatically that, "The addition of salicylic 

 acid or its derivatives, even in the most minute 

 amounts, to foods, solid or liquid, should not be 

 authorized." " He does not know that the United 

 States Dispensatory says, "Salicylic acid has been 

 used for the preservation of various articles of food, 

 but the employment of it should be interdicted." " 

 He is quite ignorant of the fact that formaldehyde 

 has been shown to impair the digestibility of the 

 casein in milk, causing serious intestinal diseases 

 in young babies." He does not know these things 

 — and if he did, there is the great economic motive. 

 Milk so pure and clean that it will not sour for a very 



