Milk And The Public Health (Paperback)

iMILK AND THE PUBLIC HEALTH - 1912 - THE fundamental importance of milk makes it a subject which should be studied and investigated from every point of view. The present volume is entirely concerned with milk in its relatlionship to the general health of the community. A great deal of loose talk is heard at the present time about the dangers of milk-sometimes ill-informed, frequently exaggerated. There can, however, be no question but that this meat food, so widely consumed, so readily polluted, is intimately b connected with the health of the people, particularly of its younger members, aid that the lamentable want of even ordinary care with which it is treated is responsible for an immense deal of sickness, ill-health, and death. While the danger exists, and should be emphasised - by the scientific Public Health investigator, it is for him to neither exaggerate nor underrate it, but first to nzensu e and assess the danger, and then to demonstrate how i t can be removed or at least diminished. The present volume is an attempt to do this. Administrative action should be the outcome of the application of accurately determined kcientitic facts to practical conditions. In Part I. an endeavour has been made to give a summary of our scientific lrnomledge and of the facts with which the patient labours of many investigators have endowed us as to the bacterial contamination of milk and its relationship v vi MILK AND THE PUBLIC HEALTH to disease. While existing knowledge is extensive there are still large gaps to be filled up. In Part IT., for the benefit of the laboratory worker, the practical bacteriological examination of milk is described. The methods and procedures which may be used havebeen set out in some detail, as I know of no book in which the bacteriological examination of milk is adequately treated, while it is manifest that the future efficient control of niilk must be worked in conjunction with systematic bacteriological examinations. In Part 111. the administrative side of the subject is dealt with, including an account of the powers and procedures which are at present used, either in general or for special purposes, and consideration of the practical, administrative, and legal alterations mhich are held to be desirable. All authorities on expert evidence in Courts of Law are emphatic that evidence of fact should be kept distinct from deductions and opinions based upon those facts. In a similar may it is desirable that in text-books as far as possible the scientific facts at our disposal should be presented distinctly, and divorced from the legal and administrative action vl ichhas resulted or which should result as the logical outcome from them. In this way clarity of vision is obtained. If fact and deduction were always separated many of the ill-devised and unscientifically-founded public health procedures which are from time to time advocated would be avoided. In pursuance of this object Parts I. and 111. have been kept as distinct as the intricacies of the subject would permit, even at the risk of some trifling repetition and some measure of cross reference. I have to thank a number of friends for valuable reports and scientific papers giving information upon subject, upon which they are recognised authorities...