DANGER OF STERILIZED MILK.

Dominion, Volume 7, Issue 1986, 17 February 1914, Page 10

DANGER OF STERILIZED MILK.

—, fr... . ■, SIR ALMROTH WRIGHT'S. VIEWS., Sir Almrotb. Wright has 'given his ■ views to a representative of "Tile Times" on Mr. Robert Mond's statement that sterilised milk is dangerous, to! tho,children fed upon it. Mr. Mcnd•based his. opinion on investigations, conducted-' at his experimental' farm at Ooombe Bank, Ssvettoaks, .and; at th.e Infants' Hospital; Vinaeht.Square,.Lon-. don. These investigations- also- indicated,, according 'to 'Mr, MiomV, . that tuberculosis was not conveyed by milk to human beings. • Sir Almroth said that the question waa one of the greatest importance, and required most careful 'investigation. It was. a question the State.mu'st. take up and solve; it' 'not be, solved without scioirtifie. research. He had demonstrated; that wheri milk was, boiled thoi lime, and maguesitim salts wero precipitated, and settled at the bottom of the. vessel. • The upper portion of such milk would not curdle, with ronnet, as fresh milk did. If. howeter, a drop of acid'was added to" the sterilised milk, the lime salts were again dis-. solved and spread, through- tho milk, It then curdled at once with rennet. In the normal process -of digestion fresh milk, .thanks to its lime salts, was curdled in the stomach. But in the- ease of sterilised milk, the tendenoy would be for the limo salts, th.r<swri down by boiling, to be left deposited ' at ' the bottom of tho jug. Tho child would therefore not 'got them. It would he drinking a fluid other than .normal Biilk and differing from normal milk, in respoot of curd-formation. Milk was a complex fluid, feeautifnlly balanced' as regards its various constituents,and containing- tho essentials nf nutrition. Ono could not suppose that tho loss or decrease of a particular con. stituont—excepting,, of course, an alteration deliberately mado fox a specific purpose in a specific fail to .affect tho value of tlio milk. High medical authorities had stated that children fed on sterilised milk were apt to contract scurvy. Ho suggested that the precipitation'and consequent loss of tho Hmo salts was Tcsponsiblo for tho condition in theso ensos. The body required those salts and could not Domain healthy without tltf.m He thought that too much was being made at present of so-called exclusion of infection and .hygiene. Infection could not bo completely excluded. The well-fed .well-iiourisiipd.- child nnsspssed j nowors of,resisting disease, irhich were : its best protection-