ILLINOIS DAIRYMEN'S ASSOCIATION. 53 



When the bacteria have entered the milk and have lived in it 

 i few hours, pasteurization may kill them, but it cannot re- 

 move the effects of their lives, the excreta from their bodies. 

 e< »vcr. as pasteurization is usually carried on, it kills the germs 

 which sour milk, the lactic acid germs, only, leaving in the milk 

 the ^}>ore bearing germs ready to do their work. It is these 

 germs that make the milk actually dangerous for children and 

 unhealthy for grown people. By pasteurizing therefore, the 

 milkman removes the signals which nature hangs out to warn 

 the consumer that the milk is approaching the unhealthy stage. 

 I hear men boast that their milk will keep sweet for seventy-two 

 < >r even ninety-six hours. It by no means follows that the milk 

 is healthy when kept thus long. Because the milk is not sour 

 it is not therefore good. I believe that I am safe in saying that 

 milk is past its best estate when it is twenty-four hours old and 

 when it is attempted to keep it for long periods by pasteurization 

 the danger is encountered of killing the harmless bacteria while 

 leaving alive our worst enemies. 



DISCUSSION. 



Mr. Coolidge: — I am interested in this question. It seems 

 to me if milk over 24 hours old is not good a grer;t many people 

 will always use bad milk in the large cities. How can we get 

 our milk to them so they can use it every 24 hours and still be 



ver 24 hours old? This is a serious question to my mind. 



Prof. Smith : — It is a serious question which I cannot 



answer. I only recognize in what I have to say the fact that the 



vr in the use of milk increases with its age and pasteuriza- 



does not lessen the danger but rather increases it. The only 

 way. if you have to supply milk that is 24- hours old or older, is 

 to keep out the bacteria which causes the poison. 



.Mr. Coolidge: — Let me ask another question. Does the 

 pasteurization of milk kill any germs? Does that germ have 

 any effect on the spore bearing germ if allowed to live? Doesn't 

 that ^pore bearing germ develop just the same with age? 



