330 



PATHOGENIC BACTERIA IN MILK 



Probable exciting cause. — Human 

 origin. 



Reporter and reference. — Dr E. 

 Wende. American Jour. Med. Assoc, 

 1900, vol. i., p. 151. Welply reports six 

 typhoid epidemics due to "creameries" 

 in the States. Lancet, 1894, vol. i., p. 

 992. 



Great Hairtvood, Lancashire, 1895 



{^January). 



Total number of cases . . 80 



Deaths 5 



Number of cases amongst 



drinkers of suspected milk . 80 



Percentage on total cases . 100 

 Number of families supplied by 



milkman . . . . • 147 



Number of such families invaded 49 



Percentage .... 33.3 



Number of polluted milk sources i 



Number of milkmen ... . i 



Circumstances implicating the milk 

 supply. — Dairy-maid, who milked the 

 cows and washed the utensils, suffered 

 from ambulatory enteric fever. No case 

 occurred outside the particular milk 

 supply. The outbreak ceased after the 

 removal of the dairy-maid. Drinkers 

 of raw milk attacked most virulently. 

 The incubation period from 2 to 14 days. 



Probable exciting cause. — Human 

 source. 



Reporter and reference. — Dr Sar- 

 geant (County Med. Off. of Health).^^"/. 

 Med. Jour., 1895, vol. i., pp. 1 1 lo-i 1 1 1. 



Providence, U.S.A., 1895 (A'iw^wz^ifr). 



Total number of cases . . 30 



Deaths 3 



Number of cases amongst 



drinkers of suspected milk . 30 



Percentage on total cases . 100 



Number of polluted milk sources i 

 Number of milkmen . . . i 



Circumstances implicating the milk 

 supply. — A boy working at dairy, who 

 had recently driven a night-soil 

 waggon, became sick with typhoid 

 fever in middle of October. A sister 

 of the boy was taken ill 10 days later. 

 Their mother nursed them both and 

 also tended the dairy, washing the milk 

 utensils, including a cloth strainer. 



Reporter and reference. — Dr S warts. 

 Monthly Bulletin R. I. Bd. of Health, 

 December 1895. 



Shettleston, Lanarkshire, 1895 



{October). 



Total number of cases . . 35 

 Deaths 2 



Circumstances implicating the milk 

 supply. — The incidence was greater in 

 the new tenement houses than in the 

 old cottage houses. In 15 cases in 

 8 families it was found that the milk 

 came from one dairy. On inquiry it 

 was found that a case of typhoid had 

 been notified there on 28th September, 

 but the patient had been ill since 

 14th September, and had been nursed 

 by one of the family who also took 

 part in the dairy work. In the main 

 the disease was of a mild type. 



Probable exciting cause. — Human 

 source. 



Reporter and reference. — Dr J. T. 

 Wilson (Med. Off. for Lanarkshire). 

 Brit. Med. Jour., 1895, vol. ii., p. 1204. 



Liverpool, 1897 (September')} 

 Total number of cases . . 27 

 Circumstances implicating the milk 



1 This outbreak was apparently due to infected ice cream. Such outbreaks 

 have appeared in various places, including a number in the metropolis. Special 

 reports and records of such epidemics have been made by Murphy, Hope, 

 CoUingridge, Newsholme, Newman, and others. Klein, Foulerton, Delepine, 

 Wilkinson, Pakes, etc., have reported bacteriological investigations (Loc. Govt. 

 Bd. Reports, Medical Officer's Reports, Brit. Med. Jour., 1897 ; Practitioner, 

 1892, etc.). 



