office, where the mixing is done in the laboratory. The necessity for carrying such a large amount of milk tends to diminish the working capacity of the inspector. Samples collected are labeled at the time of collection and a record kept by the collector. The samples collected are delivered to the chemist or to his assistant and are immediately analyzed. If the result of the analysis shows that the circumstances warrant such action, prosecution is instituted by the analyst. The inspector who collected the sample testifies as to its origin and the analyst testifies as to its composition.

Recently arrangements have been made whereby the vendor can, when a sample is purchased, be supplied by the inspector with a portion of it, duly sealed, so that the vendor can have an analysis made independent of the official analysis, if he so desires. This, however, does not do away with the necessity for reserving in the health office a portion of any sample upon an analysis of which prosecution is to be based, since the reserving of such samples is required by statute.

The results of all analyses are transcribed from the laboratory notebook to the official laboratory record, and thereafter are entered upon index cards so that the results of the analyses of all samples procured from any one dealer can be seen by a glance at his laboratory card. On this card are subsequently entered memoranda showing the results of such prosecutions, if any, as are instituted. If the analysis shows that the sample of milk purchased does not conform to the legal standard, the vendor is notified of that fact, and if it is the purpose of the department to institute a prosecution against him a portion of the sample is reserved, duly sealed and kept under lock and key, so that the vendor may obtain it and submit it to an independent analysis if he so desires. All samples that are found to be of standard quality are delivered to one of the local charitable institutions supported at public expense. It was formerly the custom of the department to inform the vendor of every sample of milk purchased as to the result of the analysis, without reference to the quality of the milk analyzed, whether above or below standard. It was discovered, however, that in some cases, vendors of milk were exhibiting in their places of business official reports of the analysis of samples of high grade, while failing to display reports showing the collection of bad samples. As the practice was liable to mislead the public, the sending out of notices giving information as to the analysis of samples at or above the legal standard was omitted.

No analyses of samples of milk submitted by dealers are made, and only under exceptional circumstances are analyses made of samples of milk submitted by private citizens. It is the general practice of the department with respect to the latter class of samples to make anal

yses only when the person submitting the sample signifies his ability to testify that the sample submitted is in the same condition which it was when it was left at his residence, and his desire or willingness to prosecute the vendor if the sample be found to be of an unlawful character. Upon receipt, however, of complaint as to the quality of the milk delivered to any individual, whether a consumer or a dealer in milk, the department will, if other official business permits and the complaint seems to justify such action, collect a sample or samples from the suspected vendor through the department's own agents and make the necessary analyses. Examinations of this character for dealers in milk are, however, restricted to the smallest possible number, since if any other course were adopted the requests from dealers for such service would probably be so numerous as to interfere with the general work of the department.

The practice of the department with respect to the analysis of samples of milk for dealers works no hardship on the larger dealer, since for his own protection from a purely commercial standpoint he is or should be prepared to have all milk which he purchases analyzed in his own place of business. The smaller dealer can not well do this, and to him it would be of advantage if from time to time he could obtain analyses of the milk which he purchases, without cost or at a reasonable charge. It would be advisable, therefore, to increase the laboratory facilities of the health department, and to authorize the analysis of samples of milk and of other foods for reasonable fees, so that dealers in milk or of other articles of food or of drugs might be able better to supervise and control the articles which they handle. Fees from such a laboratory might be adjusted so as to make it self-sustaining and to permit the force of the laboratory to be increased, if necessary, in proportion as the work and, therefore, the fees increased. By this method the needs of the dealer could be met and the regular inspection work of the department need not be interfered with.

In order to reduce to a minimum the time spent in the police court by the chemist and his assistant, and by the inspector detailed for the collection of samples of milk, and in order to limit the amount. of clerical work connected with the service, cases are not referred daily to the corporation counsel for prosecution, but only at the end of each week. The chemist after the close of the week prepares a report showing the work done in the chemical laboratory and showing also the names and addresses of all persons who have sold samples of milk or other foods, which during the preceding week have been found to be of an unlawful character. On this report the chemist recommends either that a prosecution be instituted or that it be not instituted. The minimum amount of butter fat which milk must

contain in order to permit its lawful sale as whole milk is 3.5 per cent. This standard is a reasonable one and should insure the sale of a high-grade article. At times, however, even the most careful deal-t may allow his milk to fall below it. The practice of the departmen requires that wherever a sample of milk is found to contain addei water or a preservative, or to be colored, or to contain less than 3.27 | per cent butter fat, prosecution is to be instituted as a matter of course. If the butter fat is 3.25 per cent or more, but less than 3: per cent, then prosecution is or is not instituted according as the entire recent record of the vendor is good or bad. If his milk has been repeatedly below 3.5 per cent, then even though the present sample shows more than 3.25 per cent, prosecution is instituted. I cases within this class, where the element of judgment enters, the inspector submits with his report and recommendations a statement showing the recent record of each vendor. A similar practice is in force with respect to cream, the legal standard for butter fat being 20 per cent, and prosecution being instituted as a matter of course if the amount contained in a given sample falls below 18 per cent. and being instituted or not, according to the entire recent record of the vendor, where the amount of butter fat is 18 per cent or more and yet less than 20 per cent.

In the chemical laboratory are analyzed samples of water from wells on dairy farms. These samples are collected by inspectors of dairy farms, and if from near-by farms are brought to the chemist by the inspector. If from outlying farms, as, for instance, those in the Frederick district, samples are forwarded by express.

CONTAGIOUS-DISEASE SERVICE.

Attention has already been called to the difficulty which an inspector of dairy farms incurs in any effort that he may make to detect on the farm cases of communicable diseases, such as typhoid, scarlet fever, or diphtheria. For the information of those of the readers of this report who are not familiar with technical matters relating to milk inspection, it is necessary to add that by no known method of chemical or bacteriological analysis can the possibility, or even the probability, of the presence in milk of the typhoid bacillus or the diphtheria bacillus be excluded with any reasonable degree of certainty that the colon bacillus is a not infrequent inhabitant of milk, its presence indicating merely contamination with the exerement of the cow and not even suggesting sewage pollution; and that the organism that causes scarlet fever is as yet entirely unknown. Under such circumstances, the following method has been adopted to facilitate the detection of contagious diseases on the dairy farm:

Upon receipt by the health department of a report of a case of typhoid fever, scarlet fever, or diphtheria, an inspector from the health department visits the premises where the patient is and ascertains the name of the dairyman who furnished the milk consumed by the patient prior to the onset of his illness. The dairyman is immediately notified to discontinue leaving milk bottles at the infected premises or apartment until after the recovery or removal of the patient, of which event he is notified at the time of its occurrence. Bottles containing milk, if left at infected places, may be taken into the sick room and possibly even directly used by the patient, and then, in view of imperfect methods of disinfection adopted by the attendants and of imperfect methods of cleaning adopted by the dairymen, may be the means of spreading disease. The name of the dairyman who supplies milk to the patient having been ascertained, and the dairyman having been notified to discontinue the delivery of bottles at the infected place, the case is entered on the records of the health department to the dairyman's account. This is done by the inspector in charge of the contagious-disease service personally, and if at any time it seems that the number of cases being charged to any one dairyman is out of proportion to the size of his business, due regard being paid to the general extent to which the disease is prevailing in the District, then inquiry is immediately begun to ascertain whether his milk supply is or is not exposed to infection. Such investigations are made by medical officers in the contagious-disease service and by the veterinary surgeons in the milk-inspection service. The local establishment of the milk dealer is visited and an effort made to ascertain whether he or anyone in his family, or any employee or his family, or anyone to whom they have been exposed, is suffering from the disease under consideration. A similar course is pursued with reference to the dairy farm. The water from the dairy farm is analyzed, if there is any indication for such procedure. If the circumstances show that the milk supply is exposed to infection, then immediate action is taken to remove the danger. Permits are suspended or revoked, with or without notice, if circumstances indicate that such action is called for, and are renewed or reissued only after all danger is passed. In some cases it has been found possible to remove the source of danger without putting the dairyman out of business, and whenever possible such measures, less radical so far as the dairyman is concerned, have been adopted. While the method outlined above for detecting and removing danger from infected milk is not ideal, in that it does not reveal the presence or the location of the disease until a small or possibly a large number of persons have been infected, yet, so far as is known, it is the only practicable method that has yet been devised. The safety of the community with respect to the possible spread of communi

cable diseases of human beings through milk depends primarily of clean intelligent dairying, and for this there is no substitute.

COST OF MILK INSPECTION.

It is not difficult to state exactly the amount appropriated specifically for the milk-inspection service, but it is impossible to do more than to approximate its actual cost. Some of the time of the health officer and of certain other officers and employees in the employ of the health department is given up in part to the service named, and a part of the contingent expenses of the service are so closely bound up with the general contingent expenses that accurate separation is impossible. The following statement shows, however, approximately the present cost of the service per annum:

Annual cost of milk-inspection service.

SPECIFIC APPROPRIATIONS.

1 inspector, dairy farms_

5 inspectors, dairy farms, at $1,000_

1 inspector, dairies__

1 inspector, collecting samples

1 inspector, assisting chemist.

Traveling expenses.

GENERAL APPROPRIATIONS.

[Pro rata chargeable to milk-inspection service.]

20 per cent salary of health officer.

50 per cent salary of chief clerk

10 per cent salary of chief inspector.

25 per cent salary of chemist___

5 per cent salary of inspector in charge of contagious-disease service.

20 per cent salary of clerical force of health department..._

2 per cent general contingent allotment to health department_ 20 per cent of allotment for postage..

$1.200

5.000

2,000

$700

1.100

180

430

120

1.760

70

124

4000

40 per cent contingent fund for chemical laboratory_

Total

15,804

Statements showing the amount specifically appropriated for the milk-inspection service, and the work accomplished, are appended." Time and space will not permit a discussion of the claim made by some that the efforts of the Government to bring about an improvement in the milk supply have resulted in an increase in the cost of milk to the consumer. The increase in the price of milk is in keeping with the increase in the price of almost everything else and is territorially too widely spread to have been brought about simply by the

See page 723.