One of the reasons milk and dairy products are considered wholesome is because they’re healthy and safe. There’s a reason for this—it’s called pasteurization. Remember Louis Pasteur—the chemist who, in 1862, discovered a breakthrough process that helped prevent nasty diseases brought about by micro-organisms, i.e., germs, such as typhoid, diphtheria, scarlet fever and Q fever. By heating food, such as milk, for a brief period of time the germs are reduced or destroyed.