MILK FOR INFANTS.

Press, Volume L, Issue 14985, 4 June 1914, Page 5

MILK FOR INFANTS.

A LIVERPOOL EXPERIMENT.

ELECTRICAL TREATMENT

VINDICATED

(mOM OCB OWN* CO_.aES_»ON"DEI*T.) LONDON, April 24. For somo months past experiments havo been conducted at the Earle road Milk Depot, Liverpool, in the electrical treatment of milk for the purpose of destroying bacteria, and reporthave now been received by tho Liverpool Health Committee from tho City Bacteriologist (Dr. J. M. Beat-tie) and Professors Sheridan Delepine (Public Health Laboratory, Janie. Ritchie (Royal College of Physicians' Laboratory, Edinburgh), and G. Sims Woodhead (Pathological Laboratory, Cambridge). All four reports showed that: — 1. Tho keeping properties of the elec-trically-treated milk aro increased. 2. Thero is a great reduction in tho total number of bacteria of all kinds. o\ The bacillus coli and its allies aro. Absent. Consequently the reports continued tho remits of the observations by the local health department.' DR. BEATTIE'S CONCLUSIONS. Dr. Beattio summarised his results thus:— "A very considerable advance has been made in rendering milk free from disease-producing bacteria without at tho samo timo impairing the chemical constitution of the milk, but absolute , sterilisation has not boon generally accomplished. It may be a matter for i argument whether there is any advantage in obtaining absolute "sterility. lersonally, I am cr minced that the. bacteria which remain, both from their number and from their nature, are not harmful."

Tho following U a sunnnarv 0 f tho results obtained at tho Eafle road Depot, which are confirmatory of those obtained with the experimental plant: 1. That this electrical method ot" treating milk will destroy the diseaseproducing bacteria which are found in it.

--. The main milk-souring bacteria aro either completely destroyed or if : some members of this class' aro left, they may bo neglected as far as the keeping power of the milk is concerned for ordinary household use. 3. Tho milk is not sterilised in thb itnctc.t sense of tho word, but thero is a reduction in tho total number of bacteria by 99.93 per cent, over a series of fifteen daily examinations, and I would point out that even in heat sterilised milk and in pasteurised milk tho whole of the bacteria are not det stroyed, for the reason that some bacteria resist boiling temperature for some minutes, and that at temperatures below the boilftig point they may resist for prolonged periods. This difference is. no doubt, also exhibited towards electricity. 4. Tho milk will keep perfectly aweet for at least throe or four days after treatment, and this period will cover distribution and use in all cases of household milk supplies. The keening power is much prolonged if the milk is protected from al tor-contamination. 6. The chemical constitution of the ru.. ' i** 5 * ""h-ated by the.reports of the p»y Analyst is, co far as can bo ascertained by chemical analysis, unimr-aired, and tho taste is not in any way altered. The milk from this point" of view may be described quite accurately as "raw milk." 6. The milk is not only rendered non-pathogenic as regards ordinary bacteria, but in two cases which the 2ontrol supply was tuberculous the elec-trically-treated milk waa non-tubercu-lous, thus illustrating the destruction of the tubercle bacillus by the large scale plant—a fact already proved with the experimental plant. 7. The milk after treatment is, in my omniou. oerfectly satisfactory as food tor infants. PROFESSORS' FINDINGS. Professor DeJepme found:— 1. The untreated milk was coagulated on the third day at a temperature of 63deg. Fah. (warm room temperature), but that the sample of elec-trically-treated miik. though elightly acid, was not coagulated in four days at the same temperature. 2. From the untreated milk 352.950 colonies per c.c. developed in four days at room temperature, but no colonies *ere obtainable from tho electricailytreated milk ia tea days at the eanie temperature. 3. The untreated milk showed "at least 1700" B. Coli, but this bacillus was absent from tho electrically-treated milk.

4. Bacteria of four typea we-rei found in the treated milk when kept at 37deg. cent, (blood temperature), but the numbers were considerably reduced as compared with the untreated sample. Professor Ritchie found that: —

1. From the untreated milk 180,000 colonies were developed in 48 hours' at room temperature, f-om 1 c.c. of milk. From the electrically-treated milk no colonies were obtainable for six days, after, which 20,000 were estimated • at; room temperature. 2. The ordinary milk contained 1300 B. Coli per c.c, the electrically-treated sample did not contain any B. Coli per c.c.

Professor Sims Woodhead.found:—1. The total, number of bacteria in the untreated milk was 16,000.000: in the treated sample tho number was 185 per c.c. at 37d_g. cent: (body temperature).

2. The untreated milk showed 60,000 B. Coli ncr c.c.; the electrically-treated sample did not contain any B. Coli per c.c.