Thousands Of Babies Lost Their Lives During The 1850s Due To Falsely Advertised Swill Milk, Which Was Produced By Feeding Dairy Cows Leftover Mash From Whiskey Distilleries

During the 19th century, babies in New York were being poisoned. Almost 8,000 babies per year suffered from uncontrollable diarrhea and died in the 1850s.

Doctors struggled to figure out the cause behind all the deaths. The public came up with some theories, such as cholera infantum and marasmus, but there was not sufficient evidence to confirm that these diseases were the culprits.

Finally, in 1858, a journalist named Frank Leslie determined that milk was responsible for the infants’ deaths. More specifically, it was swill milk, which was produced by feeding dairy cows leftover mash from whiskey distilleries in Brooklyn and Manhattan.

Distillers were trying to maximize profits from their leftover grain. At that time, Americans considered cow milk to be a good substitute for human milk because it was supposed to be full of nutrients.

Lower-class mothers found swill milk appealing because of how affordable it was. Vendors would sometimes sell swill milk for just six cents per quart. By purchasing swill milk, the mothers could wean their babies off human milk sooner and go back to work.

Swill milk also served as a solution for middle-class moms. They were having multiple children but still needed to abide by societal rules out of politeness, such as leading the household and being available for visiting.

If they were nursing all the time, they would not be able to do those things effectively. Additionally, wearing corsets may have played a role in weaning infants earlier. Plus, some men didn’t like their wives to be nursing.

So, New Yorkers slowly made the shift to swill milk, which was falsely advertised as “Pure Country Milk.” It wasn’t possible for actual pure milk to be transported to Manhattan from rural farms without spoiling. New York City also lacked grazing pastures for the cows, and shipping in natural food was extremely expensive.

Distillers worked around these issues by attaching metal sheds to their facilities, where they fed cows with hot cereal byproducts. That way, they could save some money and still produce milk in the city.

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