ADULTERATED MILK. The Englishman of the 26th of October contains some remarks on a case of adulteration of milk, which was brought by the Health Officer of Calcutta before Mr. to be little doubt been
largely
the case
was
as
Cornell; there seemed question having
to the fact of the milk in
and purposely adulterated with water, nevertheless dismissed, having been preferred by the Health
Officer under Section 272 of the Penal Code; Mr. Cornell holdthat under this clause it was necessary that the plaintiff
ing
should prove that the article used to adulterate the milk was prejudicial to human health. The magistrate did not think water could be allowed to be harmful to human
quently
he
was
bable that the
unable to entertain the
majority
of
magistrates,
beings,
conse-
It is very prowith a case of this kind
charge.,
before them, would have arrived at a similar conclusion, being unable to realize the fact that water may contain substances
deadly to human creatures; but it appears there is no necessity to try cases of this kind under the section above referred to, but that they should be preferred under Section 417 of the Penal if the adulteration is
proved,
it
Code.
According
is
necessary to show that the rule caveat emptor doe not In the case of adulterated milk, it must be demonstrated
only apply.
to this
clause,
that the water, or any other foreign material, was added to the milk by the vendor, with an intention to defraud the purchaser; and the case would be removed from tho caveat emptor.
operation
of the rule
I
question naturally arises as to the standard by which judge of a certain sample of milk before we Can say with certainty if the milk has been adulterated with water; or if its cream has been taken from it, so as to render it comparatively useless as an article of diet. The quality of the milk depends much, as we all very well The
we
can
THE INDIAN MEDICAL G-AZETTE.
284)
on the kind of food consumed by the cow. If the animal entirely on grain, its milk may, nevertheless, be very poor. But, as a rule, we may declare that a specimen of milk in this country which gives less than 5 per cent, of cream, or has a specific gravity, when skimmed, below 1030, has been robbed
know,
is fed
of its cream,
or
else watered.
The test enables
a
judgment
to be formed
to the means
as
by which milk has been rendered poor. If it gives 5 to 7 per cent, of cream, and, when skimmed, has a specific gravity of not less than 1030, it possibly comes from poor cattle, though it may be a rich milk robbed of its cream and slightly watered. Milk giving 6 to T per cent, of cream, and having a specific
gravity adding
of 1020 to 1025, has
probably
water to
If the same
good
milk.
been rendered poor by only gave 2 to 3 per
cent, of cream, it would probably have been robbed of cream as well as watered. Milk yielding 5 to 7 per cent, of cream, and having, when skimmed, a specific of 1032 to 1033,
gravity
has
probably unfrequently
mixture
sold
been robbed of its skimmed milk as
new
milk.
cream
and not watered.
is added to This is
new
Not
milk, and the.
equivalent,
in
effect,
to
the cream, and is thus indicated by the cream measurer. Apart from the character of the latter, in some cases, however, an unadulterated milk must give less than 10 per cent, of cream.
robbing
Dr.
Parkes,
in his work
Practical
Hygiene, (3rd ed., p. 235) milk, and describes which enables us to detect not only the removal of cream from a given specimen, but also, if the milk is rich in butter, this instrument may be employed after a little practice with accuracy, and will enable us, together with a knowledge of the specific gravity of the given specimen, to determine if it has been tampered with ; and if on oath we can declare this to be the case, our remedy lies in an appeal against full details
gives Yogel's instrument,
as
on
to the examination of
the vendor under Section 417 of the Penal Code.
[December 2,
1872.
largely
the case
was
as
Cornell; there seemed question having
to the fact of the milk in
and purposely adulterated with water, nevertheless dismissed, having been preferred by the Health
Officer under Section 272 of the Penal Code; Mr. Cornell holdthat under this clause it was necessary that the plaintiff
ing
should prove that the article used to adulterate the milk was prejudicial to human health. The magistrate did not think water could be allowed to be harmful to human
quently
he
was
bable that the
unable to entertain the
majority
of
magistrates,
beings,
conse-
It is very prowith a case of this kind
charge.,
before them, would have arrived at a similar conclusion, being unable to realize the fact that water may contain substances
deadly to human creatures; but it appears there is no necessity to try cases of this kind under the section above referred to, but that they should be preferred under Section 417 of the Penal if the adulteration is
proved,
it
Code.
According
is
necessary to show that the rule caveat emptor doe not In the case of adulterated milk, it must be demonstrated
only apply.
to this
clause,
that the water, or any other foreign material, was added to the milk by the vendor, with an intention to defraud the purchaser; and the case would be removed from tho caveat emptor.
operation
of the rule
I
question naturally arises as to the standard by which judge of a certain sample of milk before we Can say with certainty if the milk has been adulterated with water; or if its cream has been taken from it, so as to render it comparatively useless as an article of diet. The quality of the milk depends much, as we all very well The
we
can
THE INDIAN MEDICAL G-AZETTE.
284)
on the kind of food consumed by the cow. If the animal entirely on grain, its milk may, nevertheless, be very poor. But, as a rule, we may declare that a specimen of milk in this country which gives less than 5 per cent, of cream, or has a specific gravity, when skimmed, below 1030, has been robbed
know,
is fed
of its cream,
or
else watered.
The test enables
a
judgment
to be formed
to the means
as
by which milk has been rendered poor. If it gives 5 to 7 per cent, of cream, and, when skimmed, has a specific gravity of not less than 1030, it possibly comes from poor cattle, though it may be a rich milk robbed of its cream and slightly watered. Milk giving 6 to T per cent, of cream, and having a specific
gravity adding
of 1020 to 1025, has
probably
water to
If the same
good
milk.
been rendered poor by only gave 2 to 3 per
cent, of cream, it would probably have been robbed of cream as well as watered. Milk yielding 5 to 7 per cent, of cream, and having, when skimmed, a specific of 1032 to 1033,
gravity
has
probably unfrequently
mixture
sold
been robbed of its skimmed milk as
new
milk.
cream
and not watered.
is added to This is
new
Not
milk, and the.
equivalent,
in
effect,
to
the cream, and is thus indicated by the cream measurer. Apart from the character of the latter, in some cases, however, an unadulterated milk must give less than 10 per cent, of cream.
robbing
Dr.
Parkes,
in his work
Practical
Hygiene, (3rd ed., p. 235) milk, and describes which enables us to detect not only the removal of cream from a given specimen, but also, if the milk is rich in butter, this instrument may be employed after a little practice with accuracy, and will enable us, together with a knowledge of the specific gravity of the given specimen, to determine if it has been tampered with ; and if on oath we can declare this to be the case, our remedy lies in an appeal against full details
gives Yogel's instrument,
as
on
to the examination of
the vendor under Section 417 of the Penal Code.
[December 2,
1872.
