How should milk be handled when bottled milk is purchased?

It should be cooled as just described, as its temperature is usually somewhat raised during transportation If it has been bottled at a dairy, the cream or the top-milk may be removed after an hour or so.

How should milk and cream be handled when they are purchased in bulk?

Such milk should never be used for infants when it is possible to obtain bottled milk, as it is much more liable to contamination.  Both cream and milk should be poured at once into covered vessels and kept in the coolest place possible.  The cream and top-milk will seldom rise upon such milk with any satisfactory regularity.

What are the important things to be secured in nursery refrigerators?

Absolute cleanliness is essential; hence the inner portion should be of metal.  Those made entirely of metal are unsatisfactory as in them the ice melts very quickly.  If the ordinary metal refrigerator sold is encased in a wooden box, we have the best form.  Another easy way of securing the same result Is to make for the refrigerator a covering or “cosey” of felt or heavy quilting, which can be easily removed when wet or soiled.

The compartments of the refrigerator should be so arranged that the bottles of milk are either in contact with the ice or very near it.  The supply of ice should be abundant.  Often the amount of ice is so small, and the bottles so far away, that the temperature of the milk is never below 60 deg. or 65 deg.  F. To be really effective a refrigerator should have a temperature where the milk is placed of not over 50 deg.  F. The temperature should be tested with the nursery thermometer from time to time to ascertain what results are being obtained.  Spoiled milk owing to a faulty refrigerator is to be blamed for many attacks of acute illness among infants.  Next to the feeding-bottles it is the one thing in the nursery which should receive the closest attention.

THE MODIFICATION OF COW’S MILK

Can cow’s milk be fed to infants without any changes?

No; for although it contains similar elements to those in mother’s milk, they are not identical, and they are not present in the same proportions.

Is this a matter of much importance?

It is of the greatest importance.  There are few infants who can digest cow’s milk unless it is changed.  To change cow’s milk so as to make it more nearly resemble mother’s milk is called modifying cow’s milk.

How is this milk whose proportions have been changed distinguished from the original unchanged milk?

The changed milk is usually called “modified milk”? the original unchanged milk is known as “plain milk,” “whole milk,” “straight milk,” or is referred to simply as “milk.”

What are the principal differences between cow’s milk and mother’s milk?