PATHOGENIC BACTERIA IN MILK 



Number of families supplied by 



milkman 416 



Number of such families invaded 26 

 Percentage ..... 6 

 Number of polluted milk sources — 



several. 

 Number of milkmen . . . i 



Circumstances implicating the milk 

 supply. — Prevalence of scarlet fever 

 in the vicinity of the farms supplying 

 the milk to the dairy. The outbreak 

 was sudden and declined in 9 days. 

 All the cases save three, consumed the 

 implicated milk. 



Probable exciting cause. — Human 

 source. 



Reporter and reference. — Dr Row- 

 land. Annual Report for Richmond, 

 1894. 



Stroud Green, 1895 {February). 

 Total number of cases . . 233 



Circutnstances implicating the milk 

 supply. — Of the first 200 cases all but 

 13 got their milk from the same dairy, 

 while of 60 patients in the local 

 infectious hospital 58 got their milk 

 from this source. Cows healthy, but 

 milk came from 2 villages — in i of 

 which scarlet fever was prevalent, and 

 in the other case scarlet fever actually 

 existed in the farm supplying the 

 Stroud Green milk. When milk from 

 these sources was stopped the epidemic 

 declined. 



Probable exciting cause. — Human 

 source. 



Reporter and reference. — D r C lothier . 

 Brit. Med. Jour., 1895, vol. i., p. 549. 



G-lasso-w, 1899 {A ugusf). 



Total number of cases . . 47 

 Number of cases amongst 



drinkers of suspected milk . 38 

 Number of polluted milk sources i 

 Number of milkmen, i, who had 



milk from 3 other farms. 



Circumstances implicating the milk 

 supply. — At the farm in question there 



were 3 unmistakable cases of scarlet 

 fever (and one death) and 2 illnesses, 

 both accompanied by sore throat. The 

 mother of one of the scarlet fever cases 

 was a milker at the farm. There was 

 also evidence to show that the domestic 

 washing of infected clothes was carried 

 on in immediate proximity to the scald- 

 ing of the milk vessels. 



Probable exciting cause. — Human 

 source. 



Reference. — Rep. of Medical Officer 

 of Health of the City of Glasgow, 1899- 

 1900. 



"Walmer, 1899 {January). 



Total number of cases . . 34 



Number of families invaded . 21 



Number of polluted milk sources i 



Number of milkmen ... 2 



Circumstances implicating the milk 

 supply. — Two milk-retailers obtained 

 their milk supply from a certain farm 

 in the Easting Rural District. On this 

 farm a milker was attacked at end of 

 December 1898 with suspicious scarlet 

 fever symptoms. 



Probable exciting cause. — Human. 



Reporter and reference. — Loc. Gov. 

 Bd. Rep., 1 899- 1 900, p. 50 (Dr Sweet- 

 ing)- 



Edinburgh, 1899 {February). 



Total number of cases . . 11 

 Number of polluted milk sources i 

 Number of milkmen . . . i 



Circumstances implicating the milk 

 supply. — -The dairy and farm were 

 clean and satisfactory, the cows 

 healthy. But a girl who had milked 

 the cows and attended in the shop 

 during February was found to have 

 suffered from sore throat. Sir Henry 

 Littlejohn adds that though there was 

 no direct and authentic evidence of the 

 contamination of the milk, he believes 

 that the milk did, in fact, convey the 

 disease. 



Probable exciting cause. — Human 

 source. 



