The transmission of typhoid through milk is purely
and solely of human origin. Not only does the cow
never suffer from typhoid fever, so that it is impossi-
ble that germs should be present in either her blood or
her milk, but, even if she should drink infected water
or sewage, it is quite impossible for the germs to pass
through her body and appear in the milk. This has
been put to the most rigid experimental tests a score
of times, not only with typhoid bacilli, but with a
number of other infectious germs, which might by va-
rious possibihties get into the drink or food of the cow,
and invariably with negative results. The milk always
remained absolutely germ-free.
But even if this point were in doubt, we have the
further conclusive fact that every known instance of
the transmission of typhoid through milk has been
directly traced to its handling by a dairyman, or em-
ployee, who was suffering from the disease, or who had
cases in his family which he was nursing, or from ex-
posure to flies which had access to typhoid germs in the
near neighborhood; or even from such infinitesimal
pollution as the washing of the cans and milk utensils
in water taken from an infected well or stream. The
method now agreed upon, of keeping every possible



CRIMES AGAINST THE COW 245

contamination from human sources out of the milk,
would absolutely prevent the transmission of typhoid,
as well as all other diseases, except a small percentage
of possible bovine tuberculosis.
