July, 1908.] 



39 



Live Stoek. 



matters. Thus it is recorded that the 

 Congress was of the opinion that the 

 milk destined for consumption in its raw- 

 state, and especially for infants' food, 

 must be supplied from healthy and well- 

 fed cows which have been milked dry, 

 further that it be well cooled after 

 milking, and be of normal composition. 

 The Congress was also of opinion that 

 authorities should endeavour to eradi- 

 cate tuberculosis, and for this purpose to 

 institute veterinary supervision of the 

 cattle, as well as hygienic supervision of 

 the cow-houses, and medical supervision 

 of the persons charged with the milking 

 and with the treatment of the milk at 

 the farms. 



In how far these opinions, which carry 

 such weight with them, are likely to 

 have an influence on the future of dairy- 

 ing in this country, it is, at the moment, 

 very difficult to say. 



The hygienic conditions under which 

 some of the byres in the United King- 

 dom a re conducted are repulsive in the 

 highest degree, and, in many cases, the 

 most absolute disregard is paid to the 

 primary conditions of cleanliness. 



Milk is the essential food of a large 

 portion of the nation, and it has been 

 estimated that there are forty -two gal- 

 lons per head per annum consnmed in 

 one form or another. Any hidden dan- 

 gers, therefore, which may lurk in it 

 should be controlled by legal enactment. 

 In some countries, such as Holland, there 

 is complete control, and the milk is 

 luoked upon as being a possible vehicle 

 in the carrying of disease, and it is 

 treated, therefote, by Pasteurisation, 

 and in some cases by sterilisation, in 

 order to obviate any danger. The Dutch 

 practice is of a very interesting nature, 

 aijd more especially can this be seen to 

 advantage at a large daity institution, 

 run on co-operative lines, which exists 

 at The Hague. The daii y supply of this 

 Institution is derived Ironi thirty-one 

 ccv.keepers, who aie also shareholders, 

 and amounts to from 3,100 to 3 300 

 gallons per day. The main purpose of 

 the daiiy is the distribution of milk, 

 and that is accomplished in a manner 

 which is altogether admirable, not only 

 by means of small hand-carts, but also 

 by larger vehic les, but in any case it is 

 always uuder control. 



There is, of course, a considerable dif- 

 ference between the two aspects which 

 characterise the milk trade in this 

 country, namely, milk selling and milk 

 producing, and in modern practice the 

 two businesses are kept entirely separa te. 

 In The Hague, as we have seen, this 

 method has been abolished, and the 

 farmers sell their milk themselves direct 



from their own depots. The advantages 

 of such a system lie in the absolute 

 control which it trives of the sources of 

 supply, as it is quite obvious that vete- 

 rinary inspection can be methodically 

 carried out in the byres belonging to 

 such an organisation as we have in- 

 dicated, and it pays to retain the services 

 of a bacteriologist and chemists, in order 

 to test with accuracy whether the milk 

 is pure or not. 



The disastrous effect which an impure 

 milk supply may have cannot be too 

 greatly commented upon. In so far as 

 the food of children is concerned, the 

 records of various institutions which 

 have for their object the reduction of 

 infantile mortality by means of a pure 

 milk supply, show an encouraging state 

 of affairs in the saving of lives. Unfor- 

 tunately it is difficult in the United 

 Kingdom to eliminate from the general 

 statistics of infantile mortality what 

 may be the percentage of deaths which 

 are due to poisoned milk. It is notorious, 

 however, that for fifty years in England 

 and Wales our vital statistics show on 

 the average the large total varying from 

 154 per 1,000 births to 139 per 1,000. In 

 Scotland, during the last fifty years, 

 the numbers per 1,000 have stood at 

 about 120. 



I have said that it is a difficult matter 

 to prove conclusively that such milk in- 

 stitutions as have been established in 

 this country for the supplyiug of milk, 

 either in the raw state or in a modified 

 form, have successfully saved the lives 

 of many children. There are many 

 difficulties iu the way of makiug such a 

 statement, but we have the clear testi- 

 mony of the Hun. Nathan Straus, in 

 connection with the Infant Asylum at 

 Randall's Island, New York, where, 

 after a great deal of effort, he was 

 allowed to supply the whole of the milk 

 consumed in an institution devoted to 

 the care of the waifs picked up in the 

 streets of New York. He found the 

 death-rate at 41 3(i per cent, in 18D7, and 

 offered them to supply the milk to the 

 institution, but his offer was declined. 

 In 1898 he had his offer accepted, aud the 

 following statistics show the result of 

 his introduction of clean milk :— Iu 1897 

 the death-rale per cent, out of 1,181 

 children was 44*36; in 1898, the year in 

 which Mr. Strauss was allowed to instal 

 a Pasteurising plant and supply milk 

 free, the d^ath-rate fell to 19-80 per cent., 

 the number of children treated being 

 1,284. In 1903, the death-rate was still 

 lower, namely, 18 63 per cent. Such a 

 gigantic saving of life is surely much to 

 be desired. 



In the town of Rochester, again in 

 New York, Dr. George Goler has car- 



