A GREAT EXPERIMENT

Evening Post, Volume CXI, Issue 69, 23 March 1931, Page 10

A GREAT EXPERIMENT

MILK AS A FOOD

PROOF OF THE DRINKING

RAW AND PASTEURISED

The question of the comparative food values of "raw" and pasteurised milk has been thrashed out by doctors and dietitians all over the world, and likewiso by critics: and layman 'enthusiasts, including .those in Wellington, but - the opponents could not convince each other. -There was only one way to settle Iho question, and that was to' carry out a big enough test to obtain, by averagiug out,' the-general effect of milk diets of the two kinds upon children. That 'test has :'b'een; made in Lanarkshire, Scotia-:!, wiUj 20,000 childron, and the finding is that ra-\v. and pasteurised milk "are equal in their marked beneficial effects" and that—and the point is important—where ' "certified" raw milk is not obtainable pasteurised milk as a safer food is preferablo to mero milk. The big scale test was made possible by a grant of £5000 from tho Empire Marketing Board, and a, contribution of1 £2000 from tho Contral Advisory Committee of the Distressed Mining Areas (Scotland), while others contributed sums making up about £500. The milk investigation in Lanarkshire, which was carried out in the first half of 1930, differed in several important respects, says the report, from any similar investigations. The number of children under observation was no leBB than ; 20,000, half of whom were given tho-milk and the other half used as "controls." For the first time a special official grade- of milk alone was used.. All the milk supplied was grade A (tuberculin tested) milk. Of the 10,000 children who received tho milk daily for the period of investigation 5000 consumed it pasteurised, while the o^her 5000 consumed it raw. Thus there was conducted a test on a very large scale of the nutritional value of raw tubercle*vfrec milk as opposed to that same milk wheu pasteurised. In all, 67 schools came into the scope of the investigation. Both tho milk-fed children or "feeder" group and the "control" group were drawn from children from 5 to 18 years of age (both years inclusive), representative of the average child. Tho sexes were, as far as possible, balanced in each age group. "WETS" AND "DRYS.", . At the commencement of the test, when the selection of. the "feeders" and "controls" had to be made, there was almost universal regret that all could not be included in the former category. When, however, the scheme was fully explained to the children, the "drys" took the decision in a sporting spirit, and concealed their chagrin very successfully. There was a very general and definite opinion among the teachers that the appearance of tho milk "feeders"l showed quite an obvious improvement after the scheme had been in operation for six or eight weeks. Ono teacher went so far as to write: "In the playground buoyancy and pugnacity are developing to an alarming extent." The general improvement in" the physique of tho children was very obvious in a great many directions. . Many teachers were quite emphatic in stating that montal lassitude gave place to alertness, especially among the younger children, while others were of opinion that tho effect of the milk feeding was to produce some drowsiness for a period. THE RESULTS. In analysing therecords of 17,159 children, the report stated that with few exceptions the differences w^ere in favour of the milk fed groups. A comparison of the effects of pasteurised and raw milk showed that in the case of changes in' weight the differences wore small, non-uniform, and' statistically in the majority of cases quite insignificant. The general deduction seemed justifiable that there was no evidence of greater effect on growth in weight in raw compared with pasteurised milk or vice versa. ' , In the case, of heights the raw milk group showed in boys a uniform though very small advantage over the. pasteurised milk group, and in two of these 9 to 10 to 11 years were apparently significant. In girls the differences were not- constantly in favour of ono group. Here, again, one was not justified in believing that there was a substantial advantage- of one over the other type of milk. CONCLUSIONS. Tho conclusions are summarised in the report.as follows: — ,The influence of the addition of milk to the diet of, school children is reflected in a definite increase in the rate of growth both in height and weight. There is no obvious or constant difference in this respect between boys and girls, and there is little evidence of definite relation between the age of the children and the amount of improvement. The results do not support the belief that the younger derived moro, benefit than the older/children. As manifested merely by growth • in weight and height the increase found in younger children through the addition of milk to the usual diet is certainly not greater than, and is probably not even as great as, that found in older children. In so far as the conditions of this investigation are concerned, the effects of raw and pasteurised milk on growth in weight and height are, so far as we can judge, equal.