SOCIETY MEETINGS. 
905 
It is a little heavier than water. Its specific gravity varies from 
1029 to io 33- The first milk given after birth is called colus¬ 
trum. It contains a large proportion of albuminoids and is not 
fit for food except for the new born, and any milk having a 
large amount of sediment is suspicious. Particles of dirt are a 
sign that germs are abundant. Thus dirty milk may be dan¬ 
gerous as well as disgusting. The dirt in milk consists mostly 
of particles of dead skin and manure which fall into the pail 
from the body of the cow during milking, but dirt and dust in 
the vessels used for handling milk and unclean attendants are 
also common sources of dirty sediment in milk. Milk from un¬ 
healthy or unthrifty cows or that which has been handled by 
sick persons is dangerous, as it contains infectious germs, or 
foreign substances which may affect the health of the con¬ 
sumer. 
The germ of diphtheria, typhoid and scarlet fever and 
tuberculosis (consumption) have been found in milk and thus 
transmitted to man and spread from family to family. Fever¬ 
ish cows, those having just given birth to young, and some¬ 
times cows that have been milked a long time, produce milk 
which should not be used. Any milk having unnatural ap¬ 
pearance or odor should be discarded. The most common 
forms of fraud practiced with milk are the removal of part of 
the cream by the aid of a milk separator and the addition of 
water. 
Most communities have laws against adulteration, but they 
are not as rigidly enforced as they should be. The law in this 
State requires at least three per cent, of butter fat, but the cus¬ 
tom among dairymen is to have their milk come only within 
the bounds of the law and no more. If a dairyman is dishon¬ 
est enough to water his milk he will not be careful about the 
purity of the water added. Contagious diseases have been 
traced directly to contaminated water added to milk for the 
purpose of adulteration, or which has been used to rinse the 
cans. 
The most common substances contain salicylic acid, boric 
acid, borax or formaldehyde. These are not regarded as poi¬ 
sons, but when taken regularly in small doses in milk they 
have an injurious effect upon the system. 
But here is not where the danger lies. The chief object of 
inspection is to determine whether the meat and milk products 
are from animals that are free from diseases, especially tubercu¬ 
losis. It has been known for some years that the milk of cows 
