587 
In 6 of the above-mentioned cities the supply of milk used in 
infants’ milk depots was certified by Medical Milk Commissions, and 
in practically all of the others it came from sources of undoubted 
purity. 
In 14 of the 19 cities heard from the milk was modified under 
medical supervision to meet the special needs of infants. 
Pasteurization was practiced in 10 cities for a portion or all of 
the milk distributed, the temperature used varying from 150° F. to 
180° F., and the length of exposure being from ten minutes to thirty 
minutes. In the other cities pasteurization was not practiced, al- 
though in Detroit it was done in special cases upon the prescriptions 
of physicians. 
In Rochester the central milk depot, which was in charge of a 
trained nurse, was located at the farm, and the herd was tuberculin 
tested — conditions insuring the production of pure raw milk. 
The extent of the movement may in a measure be estimated by the 
number of depots in operation and the quantities of milk distributed 
during the present year. The latter, if expressed in the number of 
bottles delivered, would mount well into the millions. 
It is the consensus of opinion of those interested in this work that 
the results have been exceedingly beneficial, although it is not possi- 
ble, except in one or two instances, to demonstrate by accurate sta- 
tistics the reduction in infant mortality. This lack of demonstration 
is largely due to the fact that the milk was used by a very limited 
number of the infant population, and to the impossibility of exclud- 
ing other factors, such as environment, climatic conditions, etc., re- 
sponsible for increased morbidity and mortality. Nor is it necessary 
to express in numerical terms the value of such institutions. Their 
educational value alone is sufficient to justify their existence — an 
influence that has extended both to the consumer and to the sub- 
scriber to the milk fund. Mothers have been taught the importance 
of nursing their infants, and when this was clearly impossible the 
method and requirements necessary for the successful use of artificial 
foods. 
Through the cooperation of municipal authorities, the medical 
profession, trained nurses’ associations, and others, instruction has 
also been carried to the homes of infants, with lasting benefit. 
There is great necessity for a wider extension of this movement, in 
order that its benefits may be felt in every congested center of popu- 
lation in the United States. In many of these areas the insanitary 
conditions surrounding the lives of infants are a menace to the State. 
Diffusion of knowledge with respect to all that pertains to infant 
hygiene is therefore demanded. 
