December 1, 1908 
THE AUSTRALIAN GARDENER. 
Ata medical congress held iu Paris, a 
ee oe report of which appeared in the * Matin’ 
of October 16 last, Professor Vallee 
stated that while in the United States, 
where pigs are fed on grain, tubercolosis 
was rarely found among them, it was re- 
markable that in Hrance, where they are 
9) is given skimmed milk, the percentage of 
: al V" animals suffering from the disease is as 
Milk and Death. 
AN EXPEKT’S VIEWS. 
A correspondent of the London ‘ Morn- 
ing Leader, writing from Heidelberg, 
under date November 7, epitomises a 
conversation with Mr. Nathan Straus, the 
well-known merchant, philanthropist, on 
the subject of tuberculosous cows 
Cows are so liable to consumption that 
the finest pedigree and the cleanest, most 
perfectly appointed stables, aro insuffi- 
cient guarantee of wholesomeness. 'or 
example, it is a fact, as reported in the 
‘New York Times’ of August 17. 1907; 
that in a herd of 19 beautifully bred; 
perfectly kept cows, the property of Mr. 
Pierpont Morgan, six were found to be 
suffering from consumption so badly that 
they were killed—six out of 19 this was 
a chance discovery. Jor strangely 
enough, consumptive cows remain in 
fairly perfect condition, indeed often look 
better than those in normal health. 
They do not waste away as human beings 
do. The Germans recognise this so well 
that they speak of consumptive cows as 
‘fat Krenchmen’ (fette Franzosen.) 
A young girl developed consumption. 
Inquiries were made as to the possible 
origin of the disease. It was found tha’ 
a very fine cow, a winner of many prizes 
had been killed six months before because 
it was suffering from tubercolosis, The 
young girl had been drinking milk from 
this animal. Pigs die of consumption, 
and a considerable percentage of all the 
animals killed are said to be so diseased, 
They contract it from milk. In parts of 
Germany itis vow forbidden to give 
skimmed mill: to pigs. It is not, how- 
ever, to give it to children. 
high as 40 por cent., the figure rising even 
to 95 per cent. on some dairy farms. And 
unfortunately it is becoming more and 
more clear that tuborcolosis is taken by 
us human beings not so much from the 
air we breathe as from the food we eat. 
Facts like these made such an impres:- 
upon the mind of Mr. Nathan 
Straus, of New York, that 15 years ago 
he began preaching in season and out of 
season upon the dangers of raw milk ; 
sion 
Being a rich man —he is one of the most 
prominent merchants of New York, well 
known in public affairs, and a supporter 
of all charitable enterprises—Mr. Straus 
organised a scheme for supplying steri- 
lized or pasteurised milk to the poor at 
least. Besides his large central plant, he 
has many depots scattered over the 
city. 
Here * whole” milk is pasteurised and 
put up in bottles. Besides this, milk 
specially prepared and diluted according 
to the prescriptions of physicians, is put 
into small bottles for infants, each bottle 
containing enough for one meal. Hight of 
these bottles (each is fitted with a nipple) 
give the baby food for 24 hours, and as 
each bottle contains not more than 
enough for a single meal, the child runs 
little risk of ever getting sour milk. 
These eight bottles are sold for two- 
pence-halfpenny, though all New York 
doctors are authorised by Mr. Straus 
when their patients are very poor to 
write a prescription for free milk, which 
will be honored at any of his depots: 
Those who’ can afford to pay the small 
charge mentioned do so, but on the whole 
output Mr. Straus receives less than one 
half the cost price. “ And 1 do not count 
my own time,” he said, with a laugh, “1 — 
give nearly the whole of it now to this 
campaign, and the time, I need hardly 
say, fis worth much more than all the 
milk.” 
e 
year preceding the 
27 
But the results show how well worth 
while has been this expenditure of time 
and thought, In an address given before 
the New York Academy of Medicine a 
year ago Mr. Straus said :—“ I have had 
the satisfaction of seeing the death-rate 
among the children ih the city of New 
York under five years of age reduced 
from 963 per thousand to 63 per thousand 
per annuin.” He might, indeed, have 
put the results in a still more striking 
death-rate of 
children under 5 years of age for the hot 
form by quoting the 
summer months only—that is to say, for 
In 1891, the 
opening of the 
June, July, and . August. 
pasteurised milk depots, that rate was 
126 per thousand. Last year it was 63 
per thousand. 
Mr. Straus is at present staying at 
Heidelberg, where he is demonstrating 
the process of pasteurisation. It is very 
simple. The milk is first strained through 
a piece of fine muslin, and it is interesting 
to notice how many blaeks and specks 
and impurities one finds left on the 
Passing through this, the milk 
falls into a bottling machine—a small 
strainer. 
‘cistern with some two dezen little taps 
bottles 
brought along in a crate are placed 
directly under these taps. A handle is 
moved, and ina moment the two dozen 
bottles are filled. They are then corked, 
bet only lightly, so as to permit the 
escape of gases, and then placed in a. 
below. A couple of dozen 
pasteuriser, which is nothing but an oven 
in which steam is forced till the tempera- 
There 
the milk remains for 25 minutes. At the 
end of that time the corks are driven. 
home and the bottles placed under a cool 
spray. The process is complete. That 
milk is pure and perfectly safe. It will 
remain so for at least 24 hours. The. 
ture within rises to 157 degrees. 
flavor is absolutely unimpaired. 
Sterilisation is a somewhat more 
thorough process. It means simply that 
the temperature must be some 30 degrees 
higher. The milk can then be kept 
longer, but it loses slightly in flavor, and 
perhaps just a little in nutritive quality. 
These two simple machines, the bottler 
and steam oven, with a bottle-washer,, 
