80 THE POPULAR SCIENCE MONTHLY. 



of ether spray, and, having thus kept the liquid frozen for several 

 minutes, have injected it into the Guinea-pig and rabbit with fatal 

 result. ... I then placed a capillary tube filled with spores in a mix- 

 ture of ice and salt, and kept it there for one hour exposed to a tem- 

 perature of 12 to 15 Cent, below freezing-point ; after thawing, the 

 material was injected into the subcutaneous tissue of a Guinea-pig. 

 This animal died of typical anthrax on the third day." 



We are thus bound to accept the position that the morbific organ- 

 isms, the introduction of which into the human system produces spe- 

 cific infectious diseases, are not destroyed by freezing, but, on the con- 

 trary, that ice collected from an infected water and supplied to house- 

 holds would act as a vehicle for the introduction of the poison of those 

 diseases. In short, a wholesome ice can be derived only from a whole- 

 some water. 



I now pass to my last point. On the 9th of June, 1875, a party of 

 sixteen persons sat down to dinner at a house in South Kensington, 

 and later on in the evening about one hundred and fifty additional 

 guests assembled with the family of the host and hostess in the draw- 

 ing-room ; the service of the house was also re-enforced for the even- 

 ing by seven extra servants. Within five days eighteen of the assem- 

 bled guests suffered from more or less well-marked attacks of scarlet 

 fever ; two others had " sore throats " ; one of the waiters had scarlet 

 fever ; and a few days later a lady, not at the house on the 9th, 

 but who lunched there the next day, was found to be suffering from 

 a distinct attack of the disease. In all, twenty -two persons were 

 attacked. 



The circumstances of the outbreak were investigated by Dr. Bu- 

 chanan, F. R. S., and his report on it is specially instructive as indicating 

 the method in which such an inquiry should be conducted. It was 

 ascertained that the scarlet fever could not have been communicated 

 by any of the guests, by any member of the host's family, nor by any of 

 the servants, nor indeed did the circumstances of the outbreak suggest 

 infection from such a source. On the other hand, strong circumstan- 

 tial evidence was forthcoming in favor of the infection having been 

 communicated by means of some article of food or drink. 



The dinner guests were the principal ones affected ; several of the 

 household who could not have touched any of the articles of food 

 served up escaped altogether, and there was a marked incidence of the 

 disease on those who had several opportunities of eating certain ex- 

 ceptional articles supplied on that day. Up to this point, however, 

 no one article of food had come under suspicion. 



Two special supplies of cream were delivered at the house on the 

 day of the entertainment ; one, which arrived at 4 r. m., was " double 

 cream " from a London dairy, and was used for ice-puddings, custards, 

 and " creams" ; the other, arriving at 5 p. m., was from a Hampshire 

 dairy, and was mainly used as cream. The latter supply was generally 



