Up to the present time _dried milk_ has played an insignificant rôle in
the etiology of infantile scurvy. One of the factors which has hindered
the general acceptance of dried milk by physicians and laymen has been
the fear that its use might lead to the development of Barlow's disease.
It is therefore important to consider this aspect of the subject,
especially as dried milk seems destined to be used to an increasing
extent. A recent report to the Local Government Board by Coutts states
that "Millard and Naisch in England confirmed the testimony of Miele in
Belgium, and Gautier and Genevoix in France, that scurvy is not to be
feared" from this foodstuff. This coincides with our experience, namely,
that _dried milk not only does not lead to scurvy, but may contain
sufficient antiscorbutic vitamine to cure this disorder_. Recently a
scorbutic baby was fed with milk which had been dried by the so-called
Just-Hatmaker process--whereby it is subjected on a drum for a few
seconds to about 230° F.--with the result that the hemorrhages of the
gums began to be absorbed in about three days, and all symptoms to
disappear shortly thereafter. This infant received dried milk to the
equivalent of 24 ounces of fresh milk, and this preparation had been
dried and canned somewhat over three months before it was used. Recently
two infants, suffering from marked scurvy, were treated with milk which
had been dried six months previously. The one received only sixteen
ounces a day and the other a quart; both recovered within a few days
after this food had been substituted for malt soup. Not long ago, as
reported elsewhere in a paper by Unger and myself, after curing a baby
of scurvy by means of this milk, it was maintained in health for a
subsequent period of three months on a diet which contained no
additional source of antiscorbutic vitamine. These results are
emphasized as illustrating the peculiar relationship of drying and of
the application of heat to the antiscorbutic vitamine, and because
recently several reports have appeared, for example, that of Barnes and
Hume in England, and of Hart, Steenbock and Smith in this country, to
the effect that dried milk is devoid of antiscorbutic value. The
difference of opinion is due to the assumption that dried milk is a
uniform product and has identical antiscorbutic properties. For milk to
retain its antiscorbutic value, notwithstanding drying, it must have
been rich in vitamine before desiccation, it must have been dried
quickly, and packed within the shortest possible interval in air-tight,
preferably hermetically sealed, containers. As in relation to the
heating of milk, so in regard to its drying, it is not the degree of
heat to which it is subjected which is all important, but rather the
associated conditions. The merits of each process will have to be tested
individually and perhaps even each particular brand of milk.[14]
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account