Review of American Chemical Research Volume 10-11 (Paperback)

This historic book may have numerous typos and missing text. Purchasers can usually download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. Not indexed. Not illustrated. 1904 edition. Excerpt: ...and the relative importance of these factors fluctuates in each individual instance. The udder of the cow almost always contains bacteria, and consequently a larger number of bacteria are found in the fore-milk than in the middle or last milking, and the writer of the paper, as the result of a large number of examinations, gives 2 5, ooo--5o, ooo as the average in fore-milk, while the number in the after-milk depends upon whether the milking is done quickly or slowly. When done quickly very few are found, when done very slowly' they were found in one case to equal 57,000. The number of species found in the udder of cows is very small. B. acidi lactit-2' (Conn. No. 206) and B. lactis aerobans (Conn. No. 197) are the only ones that have been found constantly present, and they compose at least 95 per cent. of the bacteria present. The following species have been only more or less variably present, and in no case in large numbers. Though the number of bacteria in the udder of a cow may be large, yet, except in very rare cases, the species present are not harmful to the milk consumer. Still, as it is desirable to keep the number of bacteria in milk as low as possible, it is advisable to milk the first few streams into a separate utensil. Contamination from the animal and milker can, to a very large extent, be prevented by moistening thoroughly the flanks and udders of the cow before milking, by using a covered pail with small opening, and by the milker putting on a clean cotton or lined smock over his clothes, and invariably washing his hands immediately before milking. The milking machines which have been recently introduced are not, according to the data given by the author, entirely satisfactory, and the same may be said as to the...