398 APPENDIX. [No. XXXVI.B. 



contains any putrescible matter, it will stow itself by an ofiFensive odour, 

 and the amount in tlie milk may be determined by tbe amount of the odour 

 and the length of time over which it is exhaled. Experiments are still 

 proceeding on this matter. 



Many attacks of typhoid fever have been traced to milk; and as it 

 is no small difficulty, from the nature of the case, to trace an attack of 

 typhoid fever to milk, we may assume that there have been ten attacks 

 from that cause for every one that has been detected. 



When milk has been the vehicle of typhoid poison, the following causes 

 have been assumed : — 



1. Foul water, containing typhoid poison, had been added to the 

 milk. 



2. The milk had absorbed the typhoid poison from the air. 



3. The cow had been in a diseased state. ' 



4. The cow had drunk sewage. 



5. The cow had eaten sewage deposited on the outside of the grass. 



6. The cow had eaten grass the juices of which have been affected. 



In the last cases the milk becomes putrescible, and, according to all 

 known science, capable of either producing or conveying the poison. 



In the recent epidemic at Marylebone, the source of the typhoid was 

 traced to milk supplied by the Reform Dairy Company, and there the clue 

 appears to be lost ; and much more information is required, under aU the 

 circumstances of the case, before any one is warranted informing a decided 

 opinion. 



The Reform Dairy Company, however, had, some years ago, a contract 

 with the Metropolitan Sewage Company for the supply of milk from the 

 sewage farm at Barking. 



The Reform Dairy Company complained that the milk would not keep, 

 but turned sour and stank. 



By direction of the Refoi-m Dairy Company the Metropolitan Sewage 

 Company added to the milk at various times sulphate of soda, silicate of 

 soda, phosphate of soda, and sulphide of sodium, to prevent the milk from 

 going bad ; nevertheless, the Reform Dairy Company alleged that the milk 

 still continued to be very bad, and in the spring of 1869 the Reform Dairy 

 Company claimed a considerable sum of money for damages on account of 

 loss of customers from the bad inilk, and proceedings at law were taken 

 by the Refoi'm Dauy Company to I'ecover the same. 



The Reform Dairy Company attributed the mischief to the bad water 

 the cows drank ; and the water of one well was reported by an analyst 

 " as unfit for man or beast." 



Since the action, the Reform Dairy Company were so impressed with 

 the danger of putrescible milk from sewage-grounds, that they determined 

 to have no moi-e sewage milk 



It appears that two epidemics of typhoid fever have appeared in esta- 

 blishments whilst supplied with milk from the Croydon Sewage Tarm, one 

 at Beddington Schools, by the Wandle, where about sixty were attacked, 

 and three died ; one at the Clerks' schools, where one child and one gover- 

 ness died. The second case was communicated to me by the Secretary 

 lately, and was not known to me before. In these two cases it has been 

 stated that there were unfavourable conditions in the houses, beside the 

 supply of milk. 



