I04 MILK AND THE PUBLIC HEALTH chap. 



is not altogether problematical is shown by a recent out- 

 break in Chicago (June-August 1910), when the milk supply 

 of that city was seriously endangered by an outbreak of 

 anthrax. The disease existed for about sixty days, involving 

 twenty farms, and, approximately, 500 cows were exposed to 

 the infection; 87 cows died from the disease. The outbreak 

 was spontaneous, spread rapidly, and required vigorous efforts 

 to prevent its spread. Dairy inspectors from the city were put 

 into the district involved, and by strenuous efforts discovered 

 and quarantined every farm upon which anthrax was found, 

 •or was possibly present. All milk on these farms was de- 

 stroyed, and great care was taken to prevent the sale of milk 

 from infected districts. In consequence of these precautions 

 none of the possibly infected milk reached the Chicago con- 

 sumer at any time. One of the farmers upon whose place 

 anthrax was discovered subsequently became infected with the 

 disease and died, but apparently not through the milk. 



Gaertner Infections. — Although cows are not infrequently 

 infected with one or other member of the Gaertner group of 

 bacilli, and widespread outbreaks of food-poisoning have re- 

 sulted in consequence of the consumption of the infected 

 meat, the writer has been unable to find any records of out- 

 breaks due to the consumption of the milk of such animals. 

 The probable explanation of this is that, with cows so affected, 

 the milk secretion is either stopped or markedly altered. 



Gastro-enteritis. — In cows affected with diarrhoea and other 

 symptoms of gastro-enteritis, the milk is usually abnormal and 

 decomposes rapidly. Such milk is probably liable to produce 

 diarrhoea. The only known instance of which the writer can 

 find record is that recorded by Follenius and Gaffky,^ in which 

 three persons at Giessen became very ill with malaise, head- 

 ache, and diarrhoea after the consumption of raw milk from 

 a cow suffering from haemorrhagic enteritis. 



Sej^tic Conditions. — In conditions such as puerperal septic- 

 aemia, septic metritis, etc., the milk is sometimes markedly 

 altered, and, whether altered or not, no doubt would be 

 prejudicial. 



It is also the universal practice to avoid using for human 

 consumption the milk of quite freshly calved cows. The 



1 Deutsche med. Wochenschr. xviii. p. 297. 



