122 THE MILK QUESTION 



eased persons milked the cows, in one of the epidemics the 

 same person nursed the sick and handled the milk; and 

 two of the outbreaks were supposed to be due to disease 

 of the cows. Diphtheria bacilli were actually isolated from 

 the suspected milk in two of the epidemics. 



One of these diphtheria epidemics is especially interest- 

 ing and is cited as an example of a milk-borne outbreak. 

 This occurred in Dorchester, Milton, and Hyde Park, 

 suburban towns near Boston, and is fully reported in the 

 "Monthly Bulletin" of the State Board of Health of 

 Massachusetts for May, 1907 (vol. n, no. 5, p. 117). There 

 were a total of seventy-two cases in this outbreak, eighteen 

 of which occurred in Milton, thirty-six in Dorchester, and 

 eighteen in Hyde Park. All the cases occurred in the week 

 of April 12 to 19, in the year 1907. All the cases in these 

 three towns were traced to two dairies, which we will call 

 A and B. Both these dairies obtained some milk from a 

 dairy farm where it was discovered that a child had been 

 attacked with the disease on April 1 1 . In this case the cooler 

 in which the milk was mixed was washed in the house by 

 the person who had the care of the sick child. Prompt 

 action on the part of the local authorities in excluding the 

 sale of milk produced from this dairy farm brought the 

 outbreak to an immediate close. It is interesting to note 

 that the proprietor of the dairy farm himself came down 

 with the disease after the outbreak had nearly subsided, 

 and that dairyman A's son, who drank the infected milk, 

 was one of the earliest victims. 



As a rule, outbreaks of diphtheria due to milk are less 

 frequent and less extensive than outbreaks of typhoid 

 fever or scarlet fever. 



" Septic sore throat" Streptococcus tonsillitis 



A disease variously known as "septic sore throat," 

 "streptococcus tonsillitis," "angina," "sore throat," etc., 

 is sometimes conveyed by milk. Outbreaks of sore throat 



