# Are milk and cheese really full of pus cells? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [February 21, 2013, 9:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-milk-and-cheese-really-full-of-pus-cells/651010 "2013-02-21T21:11:21Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 9\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Michael63129](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/3da27b/32.png) [@Michael63129](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Michael63129)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2013, 5:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-milk-and-cheese-really-full-of-pus-cells/651010/21 "2013-02-22T17:55:12Z")
> [@ladyfoxfyre](#): > > I’m curious about this statement. Is the point to show that vegan/vegetarian people are hypocrites, and since they can’t avoid eating _all_ animals, any attempt to eat fewer is stupid? > > I swear, for as much as the stereotype is that vegans/vegetarians are “'militant” and push their beliefs on everyone, I encounter way more asshole meat eaters who salivate at the thought of pointing out inconsistencies in their diet choices. Really? How many web sites are there out there that are all about how ethical and healthy vegan is? I sure see a lot more vegan sites pushing their agenda than vice-versa. This thread (and the site the OP links to, of which the claims of “pus cells” are just a tiny part) is a good example of what they might push to make people become vegan; I was merely pointing out that vegan food has a lot of yucky stuff in it as well. ---
**Author:** ![Hari\_Seldon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hari_seldon/32/5173_2.png) [@Hari\_Seldon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hari_Seldon)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2013, 6:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-milk-and-cheese-really-full-of-pus-cells/651010/22 "2013-02-22T18:21:45Z")
You want to hear something outrageous: Milk is just modified sweat. Well, milk glands are just evolved sweat glands. And in some very primitive mammals (echidna, for one), the young just lick the sweat off the mother’s body. ---
**Author:** ![VOW](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/vow/32/3043_2.png) [@VOW](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/VOW)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2013, 6:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-milk-and-cheese-really-full-of-pus-cells/651010/23 "2013-02-22T18:22:09Z")
I’ve heard the “pus cells” argument to push the agenda for organic and/or raw milk. Obviously, these arguments work on NON-thinking people, because organic usually translates into “contains dirt” and raw milk is no doubt teeming with wee beasties. Non-pasteurized milk, and especially human breast milk fed to babies as nature intended, is filled with living cells. That’s the beauty and the benefit of milk. Nothing to see here, folks. Keep moving, move along, don’t obstruct traffic… ~VOW ---
**Author:** ![ladyfoxfyre](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/ad7895/32.png) [@ladyfoxfyre](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ladyfoxfyre)\ **Post date:** [February 25, 2013, 12:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-milk-and-cheese-really-full-of-pus-cells/651010/24 "2013-02-25T00:34:15Z")
> [@Michael63129](#): > > Really? How many web sites are there out there that are all about how ethical and healthy vegan is? I sure see a lot more vegan sites pushing their agenda than vice-versa. This thread (and the site the OP links to, of which the claims of “pus cells” are just a tiny part) is a good example of what they might push to make people become vegan; I was merely pointing out that vegan food has a lot of yucky stuff in it as well. So your contention is that because there are a lot of vegan websites pushing the idea that the diet is healthy, that’s the same as jumping at the chance to point out that vegans are hypocrites? My experience with people in real life, vegans and non, is that when a meat eater finds out a person is a vegan, they take the opportunity to ridicule them and/or criticize their choice as stupid or unnatural, or hypocritical somehow. I’ve never met a militant vegan, and I know a ton of them. ---
**Author:** ![Chimera](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/8e8cbc/32.png) [@Chimera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chimera)\ **Post date:** [February 25, 2013, 1:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-milk-and-cheese-really-full-of-pus-cells/651010/25 "2013-02-25T01:34:24Z")
> [@ladyfoxfyre](#): > > My experience with people in real life, vegans and non, is that when a meat eater finds out a person is a vegan, they take the opportunity to ridicule them and/or criticize their choice as stupid or unnatural, or hypocritical somehow. I’ve never met a militant vegan, and I know a ton of them. Then your experience is significantly different from mine. I’ve met quite a few militant vegans. ---
**Author:** ![KermitTheFrig](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/47e85d/32.png) [@KermitTheFrig](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KermitTheFrig)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2013, 12:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-milk-and-cheese-really-full-of-pus-cells/651010/26 "2013-02-26T00:35:13Z")
> [@Chimera](#): > > Then your experience is significantly different from mine. I’ve met quite a few militant vegans. Me too. And a lot of those are also anti-vaxers, believers in homeopathy and are intolerant to wheat and non-believers. ---
**Author:** ![samclem](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a9a28c/32.png) [@samclem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/samclem)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2013, 1:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-milk-and-cheese-really-full-of-pus-cells/651010/27 "2013-02-26T01:14:57Z")
> [@VOW](#): > > I’ve heard the “pus cells” argument to push the agenda for organic and/or raw milk. Obviously, these arguments work on NON-thinking people, because organic usually translates into “contains dirt” and raw milk is no doubt teeming with wee beasties. > > Non-pasteurized milk, and especially human breast milk fed to babies as nature intended, is filled with living cells. That’s the beauty and the benefit of milk. > > Nothing to see here, folks. Keep moving, move along, don’t obstruct traffic… > ~VOW > [@ladyfoxfyre](#): > > So your contention is that because there are a lot of vegan websites pushing the idea that the diet is healthy, that’s the same as jumping at the chance to point out that vegans are hypocrites? My experience with people in real life, vegans and non, is that when a meat eater finds out a person is a vegan, they take the opportunity to ridicule them and/or criticize their choice as stupid or unnatural, or hypocritical somehow. I’ve never met a militant vegan, and I know a ton of them. > [@Chimera](#): > > Then your experience is significantly different from mine. I’ve met quite a few militant vegans. > [@KermitTheFrig](#): > > Me too. And a lot of those are also anti-vaxers, believers in homeopathy and are intolerant to wheat and non-believers. MODERATOR STEPS IN. People. We’re straying pretty far afield of the OP. Get back to it. Put down the vegan angle. ---
**Author:** ![Yllaria](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yllaria/32/3452_2.png) [@Yllaria](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yllaria)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2013, 3:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-milk-and-cheese-really-full-of-pus-cells/651010/28 "2013-02-26T03:19:07Z")
> [@samclem](#): > > . . . Put down the vegan angle. Is that, like, a boomerang shaped carrot? ---
**Author:** ![furryman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/furryman/32/99_2.png) [@furryman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/furryman)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2013, 5:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-milk-and-cheese-really-full-of-pus-cells/651010/29 "2013-02-27T17:10:10Z")
Anything with the name ( **leukoc** ytes) ‘Lucas’ in it can’t be good for you. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-milk-and-cheese-really-full-of-pus-cells/651010.md?page=1)