32 DAIRY TECHNOLOGY 



Epidemics Spread by Milk. There are on record over 

 500 epidemics of typhoid fever, scarlet fever and diph- 

 theria that were traced to the milk supply. 



One ,of the worst milk epidemics on record is the 

 typhoid epidemic at Stamford, Conn., in 1895. Stamford 

 is a town of 15,000 population and had for some months 

 been comparatively free from typhoid fever. During 

 the nine days following April 14, 1895, l6 cases were 

 reported, and 24 noted as suspicious. 147 of the 160 

 cases, and all of the suspected cases, used milk from one 

 dairyman. Between April 15 and May 28, 386 cases 

 living in 1 60 houses were reported. The dairy was closed 

 April 21, and on May 6, just fifteen days after the sale 

 of milk was stopped, the outbreak had practically subsided. 

 Of the 386 cases, 352 (9*^.2 per cent) lived in houses taking 

 milk from the same dairyman, 12 were known to have 

 used this milk at a cafe supplied by him, 2 obtained it 

 at a bakeshop selling the same milk, and 2 obtained it 

 in other ways, making 368 cases so traced, or 95.3 per cent. 



Sources of Milk Contamination. Similar epidemics 

 of scarlet fever and diphtheria are on record, the source 

 of the milk contamination being probably one of the 

 following : 



1. Water supply. 



2. Hands of milker. 



3. Can, pail, cooler or other utensils. 



4. Transportation. 



5. Air and dust of stable. 



6. Bottles. 



7. Deliveryman. 



J. W. Eyre has shown by experiment that B.' typhosus 

 and B. diphtherias are able to proliferate in milk. Since 

 the causal organism of scarlet fever has not been isolated, 



