198 



BACTERIA 



dirty habits of the milker. Such a common practice as 

 moistening the hands with saliva previously to milking may, 

 in cases of tubercular milkers, effectually contaminate the 

 milk. Again, it may become polluted by dried tubercular 

 excreta getting into it. Such conveyances must be of rare 

 occurrence, yet their possibility should not be forgotten. 



An infant suckled by a tuberculous mother would run 

 similarly serious risks of becoming infected with the disease. 



In Liverpool, Dr. E. W. Hope, the Medical Officer of 

 Health, has organised an admirable system of examination 

 by skilled bacteriologists to find to what degree the Liver- 

 pool milk supply is contaminated with tubercle. The final 

 result of this pioneer work, which ought really to be under- 

 taken by every great corporation responsible to the citizens 

 for a pure water and pure milk supply, is to the effect that 

 in Liverpool 5.2 per cent, of the samples of milk taken 

 from the city shippons contains tubercle bacilli. As regards 

 the milk sent in from the country, the return is that 13.4 

 per cent, is contaminated with the bacillus of tubercle. 



Such results are very significant, and indicate the import- 

 ance of all large corporations obtaining the service of system- 

 atic and periodic bacteriological examination of the milk 

 supply. Nor are the results surprising, for when we remem- 

 ber the habits of the tubercle bacillus we cannot conceive 

 a more favourable nurture ground than the typical byre. 

 *' Nothing worse than the insanitary conditions of the life 

 of the average dairy cow," says Sir George Brown, late of 

 the Board of Agriculture, '* can be imagined.*' It will be 

 obvious that the above facts make it incumbent upon re- 



