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for a few minutes. This process effectually kills all the germs
in the milk, but it has certain disadvantages. It alters the taste
and colour of the milk, it destroys the fine emulsification of the fat
and probably makes the milk less digestible. A great deal has
been written that boiled milk causes scurvy, but there is no positive
evidence of this, and opinions seem to be very much divided on the
question. In spite of the drawback, it certainly seems better to
drink boiled milk under present conditions, even if it be slightly
less digestible than raw milk.
Efforts have been made to overcome the drawbacks of boiled
milk by pasteurization. By pasteurization is meant the heating
of the milk at 165° F for 20 or 30 minutes. It has been claimed
for the process that it kills 997 out of every 1,000 germs in the milk.
At any rate, it probably kills all the germs that produce specific
disease, But pasteurization in practice does more, it necessitates
a better method of delivering milk than that employed in most
places, and avoids the danger of contamination in the house. Dr.
Dufour set the example in 1894, at Fecamp, in France, and the
" Goutte de Lait " may be regarded as the precursor and to some
extent the prototype of the Infants' Milk Depots in this country.
The first depot in this country was instituted in St. Helens,
and the example has been followed by many other places, such as
Liverpool, Battersea, Lambeth, Finsbury, &c., and one of the most
recent ones was opened in 1906, at Woolwich.
Most of these are under the control of the Sanitary Authority,
but some are the results of philanthropic action.
In principle, the system adopted by Mr. Nathan Straus, in
New York, is very similar to that of the Infants' Milk Depots of
this country. The milk is obtained from a farm where the cows
are periodically examined. The cowsheds are frequently inspected, the
cattle are groomed, and every precaution is taken that strict
cleanliness is observed. The milk is strained and cooled immediately
it is drawn from the cow. It will thus be seen that every care is