One hundred years ago
Dr Klein on infection from milk [to the Editor of the Spectator] SIR,—I must beg to protest against your remarks upon this subject. You say, — 'Somebody is always adding a new hygienic terror to life.' (June 4th, p.755.) Surely this is not a true view. Dr Klein is spreading the knowledge of facts of great practical value to society, and at the same time pointing out the means of safety. This cannot be 'adding a new terror', but the contrary. 'Fore- warned is forearmed,' and in this case knowledge is certainly power of the most valuable kind. The moral is, — Always boil your milk. I have done so for years; if not wholly as a precaution, also because it is neither safe nor nice to eat any animal food raw.
Your concluding remark, 'We only hope that no doctor will discover living microbes in bread, for if he does, it will be necessary either to starve, or to live as our fathers did, in profound indiffer- ence to all hygienic counsels,' needs the addition of 'and die prematurely in consequence'. But both are unneces- sary, because the discovery of the anti- dote is sure to follow that of the bane. — I am, Sir, &c,
JAMES E. HUXLEY, M.D.
Maidstone, June 6th.
The Spectator, 11 June 1887
Previous page
