MILK-BORNE DIPHTHERIA 337 



does not exclude occurrence among cows of " cold or other minor 

 ailments." ^ 



This was the first occasion on which milk was shown to be 

 definitely implicated in the spread of diphtheria, and although the 

 fons et origo was not discovered, the inquiry drew attention to the 

 possibility of such a channel of infection. 



Between 1878 and 1882, there were several epidemics of 

 diphtheria traceable, more or less, to the milk supply. The small 

 outbreak at Little Horton, and the large one at Rugby School, 

 may be taken as fair illustrations. In the former, the origin of the 

 infection was probably human ; in the latter, the origin was 

 supposed by the investigator to be bovine. But there was little 

 progress in the matter until 1882. In that year, Dr Parsons 

 investigated an outbreak at Devonport, in which there was some 

 evidence of milk conveyance of infection.- In the same year, Mr 

 Power inquired into a "sore throat" and diphtheria epidemic 

 affecting more than sixty persons at Hendon. Six of the patients 

 died. In the first ten days there were fifteen households affected, 

 thirteen of which obtained milk from a particular dairy. Multiple 

 cases occurred in these households. Mr Power, after full inquiry, 

 finally set aside as unlikely, various channels of infection, and 

 thought that the " possible explanation of infectiveness of the 

 milk" was by "causes operating through the cow herself, and 

 enabling her to furnish milk capable of inducing diphtheria or 

 throat illness in persons consuming it" The milk itself was 

 ropy or stringy, especially so four or five days before the throat 

 illness broke out. No cause of the ropiness was detected. 

 The cows were apparently well so far as the farmer could re- 

 member. " But," adds Mr Power, " ailments of animals so trivial 

 as to be disregarded or even unnoticed by people about them, 

 may have larger concern with occurrence of specific disease in the 

 human subject than has heretofore been thought likely."* 



It may be here remarked, that in 1883 Klebs discovered the 

 specific bacillus of diphtheria, and in the following year Loffler 

 isolated it in separate culture. Hence on the occurrence of the 

 next epidemic of diphtheria traceable to milk, the problem came 

 more within the region of scientific tests. The first epidemic 

 following the discovery of the Klebs-Loffler bacillus occurred in 

 1 886, in York Town and Camberley.* It was investigated by Mr 



^ Local Government Board Report for 1878 (W. H. Power). 

 * Local Government Board Report, 1883-84, pp. 42-48. 

 3 Ibid., p. 49. * Ibtd.,\ZZb, pp. 311-326. 



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