645 
Significance of a large bacterial content in milk. — While many of 
the numerous varieties of bacteria encountered in milk are of a harm- 
less character, their presence in large numbers is always evidence 
of either milk carelessly handled or milk improperly cooled and 
kept. The j^iesence of gross contamination with the foreign mat- 
ters previously enumerated insures the planting of the bacteria of 
putrefaction and decomposition. Such milk, without suffering any 
material change in its taste or physical appearance, may contain the 
poisons of bacterial activity to a dangerous extent. Xo universal 
standard has as yet been settled upon as to what constitutes an exces- 
sive degree of bacterial contamination of milk. In general it has 
been agreed that for milk sold from cans, anything less than 100,000 
to the cubic centimeter is good; for milk sold in bottles, anything 
under 10,000 must be considered especially good. Yet it is possible 
by the exercise of especial care to produce a milk which the year 
round when delivered to the consumer will have an average bacterial 
content of less than 5,000 to the cubic centimeter. Milk from high- 
grade dairies, when sold in bottles, usually averages from 10,000 to 
100,000 bacteria, while milk sold from cans may range anywhere from 
100,000 to 40,000,000, especially in hot weather. 
Fresh milk'. — By fresh milk, we understand milk less than twenty- 
four hours old when delivered. Under the ordinary conditions pre- 
vailing in the handling of milk it will have undergone such fermenta- 
tive changes as to render it unfit for the use of young children after 
the expiration of this period. The special conditions of care in the 
production of milk which render it safe after a longer time than 
this are unfortunately very far from prevalent. 
Infected milk.— Infected milk is milk contaminated with patho- 
genic germs. Very many instances have been and are still being ad- 
duced of epidemics of the zymotic diseases, such as typhoid fever, 
scarlet fever, diphtheria, and the like, which have been directly 
traced to milk contaminated with their specific bacilli. Such epi- 
demics originate either in the water supply of the dairy farm or from 
sickness among the personnel engaged in handling it. Pathological 
conditions affecting the cow are also contributive to the infection of 
milk. Thus tuberculous disease of the udder is a fruitful source of 
the presence of the bacillus of tuberculosis, and garget, an inflamma- 
tion of the bovine mammary gland, is a very common cause of the 
presence of pus and streptococci. In short, unless conditions affect- 
ing the water supply, the dairy farm, the health of the cattle, and 
rhe incidence of disease among the employees engaged in handling it 
from the coav to the consumer are subject to efficient prophylaxis, so 
long will conditions favorable to the infection of milk obtain. 
Falsification of milk. — It is obvious that milk should be what it 
purports to be. i. e., whole milk. It should, therefore, not be robbed 
