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The Care of Babies: Pasteurization

Pasteurization, if the milk is afterwards kept clean until used, will certainly eliminate all danger of diarrhœal or other intestinal trouble. But observe that this process merely kills the living bacteria then present in the milk. It does not eliminate dirt, nor any chemical poisons cast off by germs which the milk may contain. Nor does it prevent the milk from afterwards becoming contaminated with other bacteria. Pasteurization, in other words, is not a panacea for making dirty milk wholesome. Nor is it a substitute for painstaking cleanliness in the home.

It is a makeshift at best, but nevertheless should be adopted whenever the milk delivered at your door is known or suspected to be warm, stale or dirty. As a rule unless you can afford to buy certified milk, it is better to pasteurize the milk and be on the safe side. But it is a good plan, before doing so, to consult your physician.