346 



PATHOGENIC BACTERIA IN MILK 



Abstracts of Typical Milk-borne Outbreaks 

 OF Diphtheria 1 



Little Horton, Bradford, 1879 



{September). 



Total number of cases . . 7 



Deaths ..... i 

 Number of cases amongst 



drinkers of suspected milk . 7 



Percentage on total cases . . loo 



Number of polluted milk sources i 



Number of milkmen . . . i 



Circumstances implicating the milk 

 supply. — At the farm supplying the 

 milk a child had been ill with sore 

 throat commencing on i8th August. 

 Another child was ill in bed with 

 unmistakable signs of diphtheria, 

 commencing 30th August. The milk- 

 cans were dirty and were kept in a 

 scullery in which was a sink with 

 untrapped pipe. Near the milk was a 

 wash-tub, half full of dirty water, and 

 resting on the milk-cans were two 

 bundles of dirty linen from the bed 

 and person of infected child. Houses 

 attacked were not insanitary, and there 

 had been no communication between 

 the families, who were strangers to 

 each other. But they all obtained 

 their milk supply from this source. 



Probable exciting cause. — Human 

 source. 



Reporter and reference. — Dr H. 

 Butterfield (Med. Off. of Health). 

 Brit. Med. Jour.^ 1880, vol. i., p. 953. 



Kilbum and St John's "Wood, 1879. 



Total number of cases . . 264 



Deaths 38 



Number of families invaded . 116 



Circumstances implicating the milk 

 supply. — In an area one and a half 

 miles in diameter, there occurred 

 between 2nd March and 15th June, 

 264 cases of diphtheria ; 78 households 



showed their first attacks during four 

 weeks ending 25th May. Cases most 

 numerous in central part of area, where 

 in four weeks there occurred 175 cases 

 in 70 households. It was found that 

 one man (X) owned two dairies, one 

 at Kilburn and one at Muswell Hill. 

 The milk from these two dairies was 

 not mixed, but the cows were inter- 

 changed sometimes. X supplied two 

 dairies, A 49 gallons daily and B 24 

 gallons daily. A study of the house- 

 holds in the most infected area showed 

 that one-fifth of them obtained milk 

 from A and B. Of 236 households 

 supplied by A, 37 were invaded or 1 5 

 per cent. Of 237 households supplied 

 by B, 31 were invaded or 13 per cent. 

 Of 2227 households supplied by other 

 milkmen 30 were invaded, or 1-3 per 

 cent. The occurrence of the disease 

 was especially marked among children, 

 as will be seen in the results of inquiry 



into 233 of the 264 cases. 



Per 

 cent. 



or -8 of 233 



or 9-0 „ 



or 53-2 „ 



or 13-4 „ 



or 23-6 „ 



— Undetermined. 



All ages 



to I 



1 to 3 

 3 to 12 



12 to 20 

 20 



233 



2 



21 



124 

 31 

 55 



Exciting cause. 

 (?) Cow disease. 



Reporter and reference. — W. H. 

 Power. Loc. Gov. Bd. Rep.., 1879. 



Rugby, 1881 QIarcK). 



Total number of cases . .100 

 Number of cases amongst 



drinkers of suspected milk . 100 

 Percentage on total cases . .100 

 Number of families supplied by 



milkman 40 



* See Note on p. 290 regarding Abstracts. 



