SAFE MILK FOR THE SCHOOLS
[To the Editor of THE SPECTATOR.]
SIR,—Dr. Wilson's article again tempts me to ask for a little space to take up the cudgels in defence of the farmer. I admit that it is, perhaps, presumptuous of me to argue with so eminent an authority as Dr. Wilson, or to cross swords with the various authorities he quotes, but even if it were possible to accept his statement as true that " No raw milk, however carefully produced, can be regarded as absolutely safe for human consumption " I cannot agree with his argument that, therefore, no raw milk should be drunk. Surely it would be as reasonable to argue that no one should use motor-cars because they might be killed by a road accident. In actual fact the argument for the disuse of motor-cars would be stronger on statistical grounds than the argument against drinking raw milk, as the fatalities and disablements from the former cause far outnumber those for the latter. If statistics were available to show whether any disease was caused through drinking Grade A or similar high grade milk in the raw state I am convinced that the risk would be found to be negligible.
Dr. Wilson advocates the pasteurizing of all milk. To my unscientific mind if pasteurizing or boiling is capable, as no doubt it is, of killing the harmful bacilli which may be con- tained in milk it is surely equally capable of destroying its beneficent qualities or at least so changing them that their value is greatly reduced. I know that I would much rather run the risk of feeding raw milk to my calves than of courting the certainty of poor results by feeding pasteurized milk. This experiment with calves has, I understand, been carried out on scientific lines with the results indicated above.
The point I am anxious to make is that I am compelled to feel that the public is being led to approach the problem from the wrong angle. In seeking after absolute safety much that is of the utmost value is being sacrificed, and on balance the loss is far greater than the gain. There can be no disputing the fact that there is a large and increasing quantity of milk being produced throughout the country under really good conditions, and of a guaranteed purity and quality. Why should not the Local Authorities secure supplies of this milk for the school children and in so doing encourage its production in larger quantities, and why should not the farmer who takeS the trouble to produce this milk be paid a price which would be sufficient reward to him for the extra cost of production incurred ?
If, on the other hand, all milk is to be pasteurized, it is obvious that the County authorities who are doing their utmost to encourage and to ensure clean milk production are wasting public funds and had better cease to do so at once, and that we farmers may as well scrap our more expensive methods and go in for the " anyhow " method of milk production at a far lower cost to ourselves.—I am, Sir, &c., Sussex.
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