Raw v. Pasteurised Milk

Dominion, Volume 24, Issue 182, 1 May 1931, Page 11

Raw v. Pasteurised Milk

Sir, —Mr. W. H. Bennett has made statements which call for comment. . I suggest that he and I carry out an interesting experiment. Milk is a complete food, and for six weeks he should live on pasteurised milk alone, and I on raw. At the end of the period Mr. Bennett will, I predict, be anything but well, and will have definite signs of pyorrhoea. I, on the other hand, will be reasonably well, with perhaps constipation to some extent.

Uh Howe, of Boston, has proved that pasteurisation definitely causes pyorrhoea through the loss of anti-scurvy properties. Mr. Morgan, bacteriologist at Wallacevflle, says publicly that pasteurisation is weak in that it does not destroy sufficient of the invading bacteria, and that it does upset the balance of the original form by destroying the beneficial lactic acid ferments. A committee of doctors and dentists could see that the details are carried out, and I suggest that several ladies be asked to interest themselves.

Pre-natal care and proper food will ensure children being born with a chance of being healthy and having sound teeth. A visit to the Wellington Hospital to see the number of infantile paralysis cases and a visit to the dental clinic to see the awful number of decayed teeth would surely stir people up to the fact that prevention is much more sensible than attempted care. It would be much more to the point to go back to the herd and the dairy and stamp out doubtful conditions, rather. than put milk, good and bad, through pasteurisers and pipes which, in Mr. Morgan's opinion, are unsatisfactory from the sanitary and bacteriological points of view, because .of the dried casein left over and containing spore forms of the most virulent type. It has been proved that the cause of dental disease is wrong food, and I have been attempting to do my duty to humanity by getting patients to go in for prevention with marvellous results, which can be shown. From my own experience I simply must condemn pasteurised milk and cream. In the event of Mr. Bennett not agreeing to take his own medicine I am prepared to consider an offer to do so; although I don’t altogether like the prospect, as I have already had one unfortunate experience. In attempting to regain my health lost at the war I was getting from my dairyman raw milk and supposedly raw cream. During a period of some three weeks I hnd several nasty turns, especially after taking the cream. I then complained and was informed that for those three weeks I had been supplied with Wellington Council cream. It took me some three months to get over the effects. —I am, etc., J. S. FAIRCHILD. Wellington, April 27.