Current Comment

CHEESE AND ITS RELATION TO DISEASE  Hundreds of millions of pounds of cheese¹ are produced annually in the United States; the per capita consumption is placed conservatively at more than seven pounds per person per year; its wholesomeness depends on the quality of the milk from which the cheese is made and the sanitary conditions from the farm to consumption. Important factors are the health and environment of the milk-producing animals and the human beings who participate in the production and distribution of cheese. Apparently public health agencies have given insufficient attention to the sanitary safeguards necessary to insure a safe product. Fabian² has compiled a list of fifty-nine epidemics of disease traced to cheese since 1883. These epidemics caused 2,904 cases of illness and 117 deaths. Probably still more outbreaks occurred, as a thorough search of the foreign literature has not been made. The most frequently reported