----- Original Message -----
From: "Tom Bridgeland"
>   These days bovine tuberculosis is nearly extinct in western countries.
> This is the form of tuberculosis that caused so many hunch-backed
> children in the old days.

My mother-in-law has an old family photo ca. turn-of-the-century of a
girl/young woman (not sure about her age) who had tuberculosis of the spine.
I didn't know it was caused from milk.

> A bigger modern concern is Brucelosis, which is still fairly common. It
> causes a severe recurring fever over the course of a year, and kills
> you slowly. In cows it causes abortion. Farmers usually have these cows
> slaughtered too, to prevent the rest of the herd getting it.

Undulant Fever, I think it's called.  Actually, Tom, brucellosis is not
common any more.  Back in the 80's the Feds exerted a lot of pressure on
states to eradicate it and become certified free.   My husband tested and
re-tested (and vaccinated) thousands and thousand of cows over several years
to cull the hot ones.  These were from beef and dairy herds.  States really
didn't have any choice but to participate since not to do so meant embargoes
on inter-state export.   The U.S. has been officially brucellosis-free for
several years.  Husband says the Feds still monitor for it and every rare
now and then a hot cow will pop up in some or other state as an isolated
incident for which there's no known transmission.  Now vaccinations are
required only for dairy heifers that are shipped out of state.

 > There are other diseases that can be spread through raw milk.

Not sure which ones you have in mind, but I don't doubt that there are some.
Many, many dairy herds have bovine leukemia and anaplasmosis, but since
these diseases aren't known to pass to humans, the milk passes into the
commercial food supply network.  There is an upper limit on the amount of
leukemia that's permitted, but I don't know what it is.  I like/eat some
dairy in (usually) small amounts, but knowing of the "bonus" in it sort of
turns my stomach when I think about it.

Theola