192 AGRICULTURE OF MAINE. 



scarlet fever organism are eliminated mainly in the discharges 

 from these organs. The typhoid and cholera organisms are 

 eliminated mainly in the feces. 



Now when the germs of these diseases enter the human sys- 

 tem there elapses a space of from 3 to 4 days in the case of diph- 

 theria, to about 2 weeks in the case of typhoid fever, before the 

 symptoms of the disease appear. When the disease appears 

 we can take care to disinfect the discharges and keep the sick 

 person away from milk so as to free them from danger ; but 

 during this preliminary incubation period we are unaware of 

 any danger from the infected person, and so he goes about his 

 business, although eliminating the bacteria of disease unknown 

 to himself and all others. If the infected person, during this 

 incubation period, handles milk either in milking or at any 

 point in its marketing he will introduce into it the bacteria of 

 the disease in question, v/hich will be transmitted to the users, 

 and so be the cause of an epidemic. It is almost impossible to 

 ao anything with these incubation cases, as we do not know 

 that anything is the matter with them until they become sick. 



Then there is the person who may have any one of these dis- 

 eases in such mild form as to simply feel mean and run down ; 

 but is not sick enough to call a doctor or take to his bed. Such 

 persons are represented by the so-called "walking typhoid case" 

 and the "latent diphtheria case." These persons are eliminating 

 the germs of the disease just as well and fast as would one who 

 IS so sick as to be confined to his bed. If these persons handle 

 milk in any way they will infect it, with very serious results in 

 the form of an epidemic. This element of danger we can 

 control by never allowing any person to be employed in any 

 way in the production of milk who is not in the best of health. 

 Any person feeling in any way ind.isposed should be excluded 

 from all contact with milk. 



Then there is the person who has clinically recovered from 

 these germ diseases, but who, although physically well, is still 

 eliminating the germs of the disease. He is free from the dis- 

 ease, but not from the cause of it, and so can infect any milk 

 or other food with which he may come in contact. This class 

 of persons is known as the "Bacillus Carrier." Some carry the 

 uacilli for but a short time, while others have been known to 

 carry them for years, — in one case for 18 years. Tliis class of 



