PASTEURISED MILK.

Taihape Daily Times, 19 April 1918, Page 6

PASTEURISED MILK.

EXPERT MEDICAL OPINION. SYDNEY, April 10. Dr. Armstrong, in .the bourse of evidence in No. 3 Industrial Court to day, expressed certain opinions concerning the pasteurisation of milk. Domestic pasteurisation, he said, was generally for the destruction, of germs of diseases, such as tuberculosis and typhoid fever. The object of commercial pateurisation was to keep milk, apd this was not believed to be in, itself a desirable thing. Mr. Saunders: The dairymen are not likely to go in for pasteurisation. Judge Curiewis: I wouldn’t trust them if they did. Dr. Armstrong: Even if they did, it could not be held to be desirable. It was- explained by the witness that lactic acid organisms affected the milk sugar, turning the milk sour, and thns giving a warning. The effect of pasteurisation was to kill the lactic acid organisms and the process of putrefaction went on without the warning. ‘‘The great cause of infantile mortality is diarrhoea,” added Dr. Armstrong, “and sale milk is believed to be the cause of diarrhoea. The mortality of infants fed from the mother’s breast is very much smaller than that of children who are fed otherwise. Since legislation was introduced dealing with the milk supply, and keeping it under control, the infantile mortality in all countries where such legislation existed has fallen enormously. Dairy supervision, which was introduced in Now South Wales in 1896, has been followed by a large reduction in infantile mortality. In 19 years it has fallen in New South Wales more than 50 per cent., but it is still much higher than it ought to be,”