198 THE COMMON SENSE OF THE MILK QUESTION 



and the fact that the cities adopting it are among 

 the very first in importance.* 



In most of these British depots the milk is modified, 

 or, as they prefer to say in England, "humanized." 

 The milk mixtm-e is sterilized, as a rule, and sold at 

 something less than the actual cost of production, the 

 deficit being met out of the municipal funds. Gen- 

 erally the municipal authority, through its Medical 

 Officer of Health, or a committee elected for the pur- 

 pose of controlling the depots, makes a contract with 

 some farmer for milk of a certain quality in quantities 

 which must be either increased or decreased within 

 reasonable limits at very short notice. Cows have to 

 be tested with the tuberculin test and the stables 

 and dairies to be subject to very strict supervision. 

 The udders and tails of the cows have to be thoroughly 

 washed, utensils scalded, and the kind of food to be 

 fed to the cows is prescribed. In most instances, 

 though there is no rule that I am aware of which 

 forbids the sale of the milk to whoever asks for it, the 

 children who get the milk get it as a result of medical 

 advice." The vast majority of the infants supplied 

 are sick when they begin to take the milk. This is a 

 universal condition and must be taken into account 

 when the relation of the milk depots to infantile 



* There are several private philanthropies in England which 

 carry on work very similar to the Gouttes de Lait, notably one 

 at York, led by Mr. Seebohm Rowntree. 



