98 ILLINOIS STATE DAIRYMEN'S ASSOCIATION 



It may be of interest to know why the idea of pasteurization 

 has not spread more rapidly. The manufacturers and dealers 

 have- often been accused for not being progressive along that 

 line. It is a fact, however, that the manufacturers of dairy 

 products as a class have not spared any money or effort in the 

 matter of improving their products and giving the consumers 

 what they desire but the greater hindrance in the past has been 

 that the consumers were not in favor of pasteurized milk or of 

 dairy products made from pasteurized milk or cream. Even prom- 

 inent physicians have been strongly opposed to pasteurization and 

 through their writings and speeches have done much to- 

 ward keeping up the prejudice of the consumers. 



This attitude of disinterest toward the subject of pasteuriz- 

 ation was plainly indicated a year ago in Iowa when the State 

 Butter Makers Association of that state in co-operation with the 

 Iowa Dair3mien's Association presented a bill to the legislature 

 making pasteurization of cream for buttermaking compulsory. 

 No physician appeared to fight for the passage of such a meas- 

 ure. No representative appeared from any of the women's or- 

 ganizations, consequently the members of the legislature evi- 

 dently considered the measure as unimportant or they possibly 

 considered it as a measure recommended by the Iowa Creamery- 

 men for the purpose of obtaining special personal advantage, 

 and as a consequence it was not accepted. This measure will be 

 presented to the members of the Iowa legislature when they meet 

 again and we shall make a special appeal to the physicians of 

 our state as we need their help. We need the help and assistance 

 of the women who should be vitally interested in the passage of 

 such measure. 



There may be two principal reasons for the physicians tak- 

 ing an unfavorable attitude toward pasteurization : First, the 

 changes brought about in the milk by pasteurization were not 

 fully understood and much less was known about the value of 

 pasteurized milk as a food for infants. Second, The pasteuriz- 

 ing process was for a long time not fully understood by the man- 

 ufacturers. The term ''commercial pasteurization" did there- 

 fore not mean much. It would most often indicate that the milk 



