396 
culosis, and for acute cases of milk poisoning, which are by no means 
uncommon. 
It is therefore not surprising that some medical authorities (17) 
have gone so far as to express a preference for milk containing cer- 
tain antiseptics, especially small amounts of formaldehyde, to the 
germ-laden milk ordinarily supplied the consumer in cities, and for 
that matter in many places in the country and even on the farm. 
The following communications on the subject of impure and dirty 
milk contain suggestions of great practical value : 
“Impure milk and its evils,” J. H. Atlee, Trans. Med. Soc. Tenn. 1897, 54-61. 
“The clean-milk problem,” Winslow, Northwest Medicine, Seattle, 1904, II, 
315-327. 
“Sources, effects, and prevention of dirty milk,” Harrington, Arner. Jour. Pub. 
Hyg.; 1904, 14, 31-55. 
“Certified milk and the general milk supply of Louisville,” Tuley, Jour. Amer. 
Med. Assn., 1907, 49, 1344-1349. 
While it is more or less foreign to the general scope of this com- 
munication to discuss the economics of the milk question, it may 
not be amiss to point out that the production of clean, wholesome 
milk is largely a matter of cost and education. Medical authorities 
and practical dairymen and milk producers have alike, and more or 
less independently, arrived at the conclusion that clean, cold milk of 
a high grade of purity can not be sold to the consumer at less than 
from 8 to 10 cents a quart, and that in a number of instances where 
the production of such milk has been tried it had only a limited 
sale at 10 cents per quart, on account of the general apathy of even 
those persons well able to afford to pay this price. It is evident, 
therefore, that not only the dairyman, but also the general public, 
is in need of education regarding the necessity for a purer milk 
supply. It is also evident that a price of 8 to 10 cents a quart 
probably puts milk beyond the reach of the poorer classes. There 
are those who are of the opinion that pure high-grade milk can not 
be supplied to the poorer classes except by private philanthropy or 
municipal aid. 
The fact that the Washington milk supply is practically free from 
preservatives and artificial coloring matters is one point in its favor. 
Thus much toward its purification and betterment has probably 
been accomplished by the health officer of the District by the strict 
enforcement of the law regulating this subject. I understand that 
the results of the analyses of the Washington milk supply made in 
the health office and the Bureau of Chemistry, U. S. Department of 
Agriculture, practically confirm the results reached in the Division 
of Chemistry of the Hygienic Laboratory regarding the freedom 
of the milk from preservatives and artificial coloring matters. 
