Amount of solids must determine the question of adulteration by water. Amount of solids necessary.

Milk is essentially the food of the growing animal. Supplied by nature for the rapid development of the young calf, it is, with a little modification, admirably adapted for our young children. It is excellent food, too, for some adults; by no means for all. Those who take much exercise, or follow laborious occupations, may make it a useful portion of their dietary. It is rarely suitable for sedentary persons, or for those who have reached the latter stage of life when the powers diminish, and the habits become less active than heretofore. As a drink at meal time, it is for the most part undesirable; for liquids taken with solid food need not be nutritious, indeed, are better not to be so: they are rather required to dilute and dissolve the latter, nutritive material being for the most part abundantly supplied by the solid constituents of a meal.

Milk forms a more suitable form of drink when the fat has been removed, when, in short, it has been skimmed. If the casein is also taken out, as in cheese-making, the whey, which now contains little besides the sugar and the salts, is a very wholesome beverage, when fresh. Milk may be fermented also, and an agreeable light effervescing drink results, known as Koumiss, and largely used in Russian Tartary, where it is made chiefly from the milk of the mare, which slightly differs from that of the cow. The latter, however, is now treated here in the same way, and is in no respect inferior; it is widely recognized as useful in some chronic complaints, and has been more or less successful.

Milk is the food of growing animals.

Not necessarily always suitable to the adult.

Whey.

Koumiss.

Milk as Diet. Precautions.

In order to ensure unadulterated and uncontami- nated milk, it is necessary to adopt habitually certain precautions, or the probability of obtaining that which is impure at some time or another, during the long array of chances which life affords, is not inconsiderable. This fact makes it desirable that the milk trade should be subjected to official sanitary supervision. For the present the following hints for guidance may be useful: First. In country districts, where the consumer is commonly supplied direct from the farm, it should be ascertained that the dairy is completely detached from all the drains of the house and yards, and that the well used for dairy washing should be uncontaminated by sewage. It should be an absolute rule that all vessels are scalded once a day at least with boiling water.

Secondly. When in such districts infectious disease occurs at the dairy farm, whether in the dwelling house or in the cowsheds, no milk should be distributed on any pretext, until the sources of infection have disappeared.

Thirdly. When doubt exists as to the source of milk, as during a fever epidemic, and no milk absolutely beyond suspicion is to be had, it should be well boiled before it is used as food, by which process it is rendered safe. Some of those who have most studied the subject, are so impressed with its importance, and especially in relation to the interests of the family, as to advise that all milk should be thoroughly boiled before it is consumed. They believe that it is wise to regard milk as a raw food, and undesirable, on grounds above stated, for human consumption, until it has been cooked. Continental travellers will do well to take it in this form, and as it is always thus served for cafe-au-lait abroad, there is no difficulty in obtaining it at any time. Fourthly. In all large towns and in the metropolis, milk should be obtained solely from some extensive organization of high repute, well known to have made it an absolute principle of its business to distribute milk solely from sources which are held under vigilant supervision by a competent person. Moreover, every can of milk received from the country for distribution should be examined for quality, before being delivered to the public. This is a mode of proceeding which is now thoroughly understood and practised, at least in London; and there is no real difficulty in adopting such precautions, as well as others not less important, as has been practically proved for several years, at least by one great institution, on a large scale, in this metropolis. For the present, it is incumbent on every housekeeper who regards the health of his family, to exercise caution after the manner here indicated. At no distant period, all country dairies from whence milk is sent away for sale, as well as the public milk - shops held by dealers in towns, will, without doubt, be subject to official inspection, and be regulated by sanitary enactments. In the accomplishment of this ceaseless task of milk distribution, almost nothing can be done by any single individual to avert the dangers to which carelessness and misfortune expose him; while well-devised arrangements of the nature suggested may render him almost secure.

Precautions to ensure purity.

Drainage at the dairy-farm.

Dairyvessels and boiling water.

No milk to be used when infectious disease occurs at the dairy farm.

Milk obtained from doubtful sources to be boiled.

Obtain milk from distributors of high repute.

Described in Dealing with it.