PUEB versus pueified milk 259 



scribed it for me; suffice it to say that he found out 

 that the servant who prepared the child's food had 

 a notion that "so long as the milk was well boiled 

 it was all right." She " thought it could not be boiled 

 too much." I could give particulars of several other 

 cases very similar to this one. 



To sum up: It seems reasonably certain that pas- 

 teurization, sterilization, or any other process of heat- 

 ing milk to a temperature high enough to have a ger- 

 micidal effect impairs it to some extent. On the 

 other hand, there is abundant evidence to show that 

 the gain is far greater than the loss. And it is a 

 most significant fact that among the radicals, the ad- 

 vocates of such methods of inspection as will insure 

 clean milk, there is universal agreement that, until 

 we can obtain milk of the desired standard of purity, 

 cleanliness, and freedom from disease germs, it is best 

 to pasteurize milk for infants. 



(3) It is objected that to establish depots for the sale 

 of pasteurized milk would be a mistake for the following 

 reasons, among others : (a) It is an extension of pater- 

 nalism. The city or state ought to leave that to the 

 mothers, taking care only to see that the supply is pure 

 and good, (b) Where there is so much doubt as to the 

 efficiency of the process, it should be optional with parents 

 whether they give their babies pasteurized milk or un- 

 pasteurized milk; (c) The effect of pasteurization would 

 he to make the milk producers and milk dealers careless, 



