I 
211 
1 1 {d) In America. — With the exception of Mr. Thompson, who died 
I in January, 1906, from ‘‘bilateral pneumonia following influenza,” 
I and about whose medical history, qua Mediterranean fever, no evi- 
' dence can be obtained, only 1 person — a woman at the quarantine 
station — took the milk in any quantity. She, however, drank the 
II mixed milk from several goats for a considerable period, and in De- 
'I cember, 1905, suffered from a typical attack of Mediterranean fever. 
li 3. THE RESULTS. 
l! 
In summarizing the result of this unpremeditated experiment sev- 
eral factors have to be considered. For instance, a certain unknown 
: number of goats — more, however, than 2 — were shown to be secreting 
, infective milk after their arrival in America, some three months after 
I' leaving Malta, but there is no direct evidence as to the number whose 
j milk contained M. melitensis during the voyage in summer weather 
^ from Malta to Antwerp. Arguing from analogy with average 
> Maltese herds, at least 6 should have been secreting infective milk. 
The goats purchased by Mr. Thompson were, however, picked ani- 
; mals and heavy milkers, and as experience has shown that the goats 
j yielding the most milk in any given herd are the most likely to be 
i passing J/. melitensis in their milk, the probability is that in this par- 
i ticular herd of 60 milch goats (1 having died the day after leaving 
Malta) the milk from considerably more than 6 was heavil}^ infected — 
I an inference which receives confirmation from the fact that the B 
I officers and the steward who drank “ mixed ” milk each developed an 
I attack of Meditterranean fever, the remaining officer and the cabin 
! boy, with whom the milk disagreed and who consequently did not 
drink it, remained well. 
The members of the crew, on the other hand, each drank “ whole ” 
milk from a single goat, and apart from the possibilities of the milk 
being supplied on any particular occasion from an uninfected ani- 
mal, a reference to Section I (3), shows clearly the possibilities of 
a man who obtains milk, even from an infected animal, avoiding the 
ingestion of infective milk. 
Apart from such considerations, however, it suffices to state the 
net result as follows : 
Of 23® men on board the steamship Joshua Nicholson who drank 
on one or more occasions presumably infected milk, no evidence what- 
ever is available as to 12 and no relevant information as to Mr. 
Thompson; of the remaining 10, 1 suffered from hernia only, 1 
was infected by J/. melitensis at an unknown date, while 8 suffered 
® That is disregarding the 2 men who boiled the milk before drinking it, 
, and the officer and cabin boy who did not drink the milk. 
