THE MILK SUPPLY REVIEWED

New Zealand Times, Volume XXVII, Issue 5734, 1 November 1905, Page 7

THE MILK SUPPLY REVIEWED

(To the Editor "N.Z. Times.”) Sir,—As an addendum to my letter on the above, published to-day, I wish to say that I have just received confirmation of one' important statement, viz,, that a belief is gaining ground that heating milk for babies' use is responsible for the abnormal death of infants and physical deterioration in the rising generation. The confirmation comes from the papers read and discussed at the autumn conference in London of the British Sanitary Inspectors' Association, Sir James Crichton-Browne, Bart., M.D., presiding, which hold its meetings on 17th, 18th and 10th August last. The entire conference of about 300 doctors agreed that boiling the milk for infants' use was responsible for the prevalence of rickets and tabes mesenteries, and assigned the cause to the destruction of necessary bacteria not yet properly understood. I offer tho suggestion that the question will be better understood when they attribute the cause to the loss of albumen. Albumen coagulates at IBOdeg F., aud as milk for the very young is always very viscous and viscosity is lost in the operation of -boiling,' it stands to reason that in heated milk the principal element in the milk the baby’s system looks for has been dissipated .—I am etc., HENRY BODLEY, October 28th,