science · 10 August 1859 · 165 years ago
In 1859, the first full-time Inspector of Milk in the U.S. was appointed by the city of Boston, Massachusetts, as authorized by a state law passed on 6 Apr 1859. Three years earlier, a state law against adulteration of milk had been signed by the Governor (30 May 1856), but it was ineffective, as it depended on individuals making a claim in court. The 1859 law provided an official to crack down on fraud. It established a ten dollar fine for selling “swill milk,” the poor, thin output of cows kept in unsanitary conditions and fed on distillery refuse. Contaminated milk was a serious public health hazard, sometimes deadly to infants. A milk inspector was authorized to enter the premises of handlers of milk and to take specimens for analysis, the results of which were to be held as evidence and used for prosecution.
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