MARKET MILK . 199 



THE CAKE OF MILK IN THE HOME (Whitaker) 



If the milk-producer and the milk-dealer .have done their 

 duty, there is daily left at the consumer's door a bottle of clean, 

 cold, unadulterated milk. By improper treatment in the 

 home the milk may then become unfit for food, especially for 

 babies. This bad treatment consists (1) in placing it in un- 

 clean vessels; (2) in exposing it unnecessarily to the air; 



(3) in failing to keep it cool up to the time of using it; and 



(4) in exposing it to flies. 



Milk absorbs impurities — collects bacteria — whenever it 

 is exposed to the air or placed in unclean vessels. Some of 

 these may be the bacteria of certain contagious diseases; 

 others may cause digestive troubles which in the case of babies 

 may prove fatal. Much of the cholera infantum and summer 

 bowel troubles of infants is due to impure milk. The amount 

 of the contamination depends largely on the condition of the 

 utensils and the air with which the milk comes in contact; 

 the air of even a so-called clean room contains many impurities. 

 The science of bacteriology is raising the standard of clean- 

 liness of utensils. Bacteria which get into the milk from the 

 air or from the vessels multiply rapidly so long as the milk re- 

 mains warm; that is, at 50° F. or above. At lower temper- 

 atures the bacteria either are dormant or increase slowly. 

 Cleanliness and cold are imperative if one would have good 

 milk, although if it is consumed so quickly after production 

 that the bacteria in it do not have time to increase much — 

 say within two or three hours — the importance of cold is 

 lessened. Milk from the grocery store or bakery which is kept 

 in a can, open much of the time, possibly without refrigeration, 

 is dangerous and should be avoided. 



The suggestions given here regarding milk apply also to 

 cream. 



