126 



THE MILK QUESTION 



dairy farms located in Southboro and Northboro, where 

 the disease prevailed. While no record has been obtained 

 of any well-defined cases of tonsillitis in direct contact with 

 the milk, cases are known to have occurred at the proper 

 time in a family on one of the farms and in a family of 

 employees at the Deerfoot Dairy. It is presumed, then, 

 that the actual infection got into the milk from a bacillus 

 carrier or a mild or missed case. A careful veterinary ex- 

 amination failed to disclose any disease of any of the cows 

 furnishing the milk in question sufficient to account for the 

 infection. 



The mixed milk at the Southboro dairy and the separate 

 milk from all the individual dairies are examined by Pro- 

 fessor S. C. Prescott, who gives the following records for 

 the month of May : 



BACTERIA PER CUBIC CENTIMETRE IN SOUTHBORO 

 BOTTLED MILK 



The above table gives the counts obtained from samples 

 of the mixed milk at the Southboro dairy, and represents 

 counts made after twenty-four hours at 37 C. The samples 

 of milk were also examined, after centrifuging, for leuco- 

 cytes and streptococci, with no excess of either in any 

 sample. 



The disease jumped from the focus around Southboro 

 to Boston by express, and the outbreak was rather strictly 



