Pasteurization of Milk 



29 



tures of the ordinance governing the 

 character of the milk and its bacterial 

 content, the regulations should be spe- 

 cific on how samples shall be collected 

 and handled. For example, in some 

 regions the agent of the health depart- 

 ment takes forth a few cubic centi- 

 meters out of the bottle with a sterile 

 pipette, and takes this sample to 

 the laboratory in a sterile con- 

 tainer. The dealer thus always has 

 the opportunity to claim that the pip- 

 ette or the container were contamin- 

 ated, or that the wind was blowing 

 street dust over everything, while the 

 sample was being collected. The Com- 

 mittee is inclined to favor the pur- 

 chase of an entire bottle of milk direct 

 from the delivery wagon, and sending 

 this in an iced container, to the labor- 

 atory for analysis, for then the dealer 

 cannot complain that contamination 

 was introduced in sampling, but on the 

 other hand it does not allow the dealer 

 an opportunity to get a check on the 

 same sample. 



Milk that is sold as raw or with- 

 out any marking or labeling whatso- 

 ever, is notice to the public that the 

 milk should be cooked before use in 

 order to protect themselves against 

 any possible infection that may be 

 carried by the milk. Milk that is sold 

 as "pasteurized" conveys to the public 

 the impression that no cooking or fur- 

 ther safeguard is required. Any use 

 of the word "pasteurized" or of any 

 designation or marking that may 

 create in the mind of the public the 

 impression that the milk has been pas- 

 teurized when it has not had efficient 

 pasteurizing treatment, or has been ex- 

 posed to possible infection by having 

 had the package tampered with, or 

 bears an incorrect date or any other 

 incorrect data, should be made by 

 law a criminal use of the word 

 "pasteurized." This should subject 

 the person or persons guilty of such 

 crime, or the person or persons 



by whose direction, or connivance such 

 crime was consumated, to prosecution 

 and such heavy legal penalties, as will 

 insure full protection to the public 

 health in the matter of pasteurized 

 milk. 



The word "pasteurized" when ap- 

 plied to milk, should be limited by 

 law to designate raw milk that has 

 been produced and handled under 

 sanitary conditions, that is of good 

 bacteriological, chemical and physical 

 condition, before pasteurization, that 

 has had efficient pasteurizing treatment 

 under competent and responsible oper- 

 ators and supervision, that immediately 

 after pasteurization and in the con- 

 tainer when delivered to the consumer, 

 does not have an excessive bacterial 

 content, and that has not been exposed 

 to unnecessary risk of infection after 

 pasteurizing treatment. These require- 

 ments should be fulfilled in order that 

 the public will not be deceived when 

 they see the word "pasteurized" on a 

 package of milk. 



The opening of a package contain- 

 ing pasteurized milk in any place not 

 licensed by the health department as 

 a milk plant or store, or by any person 

 not authorized by the health depart- 

 ment to handle milk, previous to its 

 delivery to the consumer, is an un- 

 necessary risk of infection and should 

 be prohibited. 



The sole object to be attained by pas- 

 teurizing milk is the elimination of any 

 pathogenic organisms that the milk 

 may contain. Therefore, the treat- 

 ment must be obsofutely efficient, and 

 unnecessary risk of infection after 

 treatment must not be permitted. Pas- 

 teurization is under no circumstances 

 to be considered as a renovating pro- 

 cess ; unhealthy operators, insanitary 

 surroundings, and careless or dirty 

 methods of handling the milk, must 

 not be tolerated. 



