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The History of Optical Analysis of Milk: The Development and Use of Lactoscopes

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C. Millán-Verdú , Ll. Garrigós-Oltra , G. Blanes-Nadal and M. Domingo-Beltrán

Escuela Politècnica, Superior d''Alcoi, Universidad Politècnica de Valencia, Plaça Ferràndiz i Carbonell, 2, Edifici Ferràndiz, 03801 Alcoi, Alacant, Spain

J. Chem. Educ., 2003, 80 (7), p 762

DOI: 10.1021/ed080p762

Publication Date (Web): July 1, 2003

Section:

History, Education, and Documentation

Abstract

The 19th century use of optical methods to detect the fraudulent adulteration of milk (by means of adding water) is presented in this article. The development and use of these optical methods was based on the principle of diaphanometry and illustrates the conflict that existed between two different approaches to scientific knowledge at that time. On the one hand, there were physicians who were more concerned with the practicality of the methods than on their accuracy; on the other hand, there were physicists who were fundamentally more interested in the accuracy of the results than the practicality of its use. This paper examines that conflict by analyzing the original lactoscope of Alfred Donné and the history of subsequent developments of the lactoscope.