1887,] on Etiology of Scarlet Fever. 157 



found that heating milkup to 85^0., or 185° Fah, — that is, considerably 

 under the boiling point, is perfectly sufficient to completely destroy 

 the vitality of the microbe of scarlet fever. In support of this state- 

 ment I can quote, besides the observation given above by Dr. Robertson, 

 the following observations recorded by Dr. Jacob, Medical Officer of 

 Health of High Ashurst and Headley, and reported in 1878, to this 

 effect : — Between June 1 and 7 there were fifteen cases of scarlet fever 

 in three distant houses, the inmates of which had had no communication 

 with infected persons, but had all been sujiplied with milk from a 

 farm where a certain cowman w^orked. This cowman had in his 

 family several children ill with scarlet fever. The cowman continued 

 milking the cows during the illness of his children, though he did 

 not himself have the fever and the milk was not taken into his cottage, 

 but the point which I wish to bring out is this, that other houses 

 besides those in which scarlet fever had broken out had been supplied 

 with the same milk, but no scarlet fever occurred in them, and why ? 

 Because all these have consumed only the scalded milk, I should 

 therefore strongly urge that all milk should have been boiled, at any 

 rate heated to at least 85° C. (that is, 185° Fah.) before being consumed. 

 And, judging by the large number of cases of scarlet fever recorded in 

 these milk epidemics, one is justified in saying that a considerable 

 percentage of the total number of cases of scarlet fever would have 

 been avoided thereby. Not all, because unfortunately the rules of 

 isolation of patients suffering from scarlet fever are not always 

 rigorously carried out, and therefore infection from person to person 

 will occur. Nor would prevention of scarlatina by milk exclude 

 scarlatina by cream. Cream cannot be subjected to heat, and in the 

 epidemic of scarlet fever that occurred in South Kensington in 1875, 

 and that was investigated by Dr. Buchanan, cream was the vehicle of 

 contagium. But, considering the prominent position that milk 

 occupies in every household with children, the possibility of infection 

 with scarlet fever by raw milk deserves careful attention. 



The lecture was illustrated by demonstrations of the micrococcus 

 scarlatinse, in microscopic specimens and in culture tubes obtained from 

 the several sources indicated. 



