In the 1880s in New York City, a wealthy merchant named Nathan Straus (1848-1931) determined to put a stop to skyrocketing infant mortality (25%+ in urban centers). Many people were suspect of the new food technology, pasteurization.

Straus and his wife, Lina, who had lost a baby and a toddler -- the baby most assuredly to tainted milk -- decided to offer pasteurized milk to poor families at "milk depots."  Mothers and their children could stop in at these cool, clean, convenient places for cheap or free milk. The depots were located all over New York City, near places frequented by the working classes.

Straus (co-owner of Macy's and Abraham & Straus) served for a time as Commissioner of the Department of Health. He was able to provide city leaders with quantified proof that the establishment of milk depots cranked down infant mortality to 7% by 1900 (in New York).

Other reformers tried to clean up milk by establishing a certification system, but the dairy farmers and consumers alike rebelled. Meanwhile, vitamins were discovered, and the healthful aspects of milk were heavily promoted by the government.

Dairy production was encouraged during the wars, and in post-war years, the USDA, together with the dairy industry lobby, told American consumers that milk was vital for everybody's health. Today, the USDA features dairy as one of five food groups (along with vegetables, fruits, protein, and grains).

While nobody wants milk that is as toxic as was the disease-bearing liquid of the second half of the nineteenth century in cities, many people today continue to question the value of milk processing, preferring the whole-milk benefits of unpasteurized, un-homogenized, raw milk. Regulators in many states forbid the sale of raw milk, and surprisingly passionate debate rages.