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attacked with scarlet fever and on 11th February T. N. sickened. He was removed to hospital. On
February 16th, T. N.'s sister began to be ill, and on the 23rd his younger brother was attacked. Both
children were removed to hospital.
The father, mother and three children remaining at home continued to enjoy good health, and
when examined by me on March 31st, they showed no evidence of having suffered from scarlet fever.
The facts that N. was not brought at all into relation with the milk business, and that those of his
children who were attacked had been removed to hospital a month before the occurrence of the milk
outbreak, negative the supposition that infection was communicated to the milk by any member
of the N. family.
2. In a cottage not far from that occupied by N. lived the D.'s. A man who was one of the
three milkers above alluded to lodged in this cottage. Two children suffered from illness in this house.
One of them, J. D., was attacked by scarlet fever on March 21st, and her illness was therefore
not prior to the general outbreak. F. J. D., an infant, had, however, undergone an operation at
St. Thomas's Hospital, and had returned home only to be again removed to hospital just about the time
of commencement of the outbreak.
Enquiry was therefore made with reference to this child, and it was ascertained that he was a
patient at St. Thomas's Hospital from February 9th to March 5th. On admission he was suffering from
difficulty of breathing, and tracheotomy was performed. The wound healed and he was discharged, but
he was readmitted on March 20th, suffering from diphtheria. Tracheotomy was again performed, but he
died on March 21st. There was no evidence of scarlet fever in this case.
The result of enquiry as to the possible source of infection among farm employes and their
families is thus negative. Cases of scarlet fever had, it is true, occurred in the neighbourhood of the
cowshed, but there was no evidence to show that the milk had been contaminated by them.
ni.—As to the manner of distribution of the milk of Air. A. and Mr. B., and the condition of
the cows in Mr. A.'s cowshed.
Mr. A. distributed daily some 27 barn gallons of the milk of his cows in his own retail trade, and
sold some 17 barn gallons daily to Mr. B. Mr. A.'s retail customers were all served on one round, about
16 barn gallons being distributed in the morning and about 11 in the afternoon. There was no possibility
of distinguishing between the milk supplied to different customers numbering 86 in all, save in the
following particulars—
(a) A few customers had, with other milk, the milk from three special cows, which was
sold as "nursery milk," and one family had nursery milk only (this family was not attacked).
(b) Two houses were supplied with milk in the morning only; no one was served with
milk in the afternoon only. No case occurred in the two families having only morning milk.
(c) Mr. A.'s own family received in the morning the milk of a particular cow, an Alderney;
so much of the milk of this cow as remained over went to augment the general supply. In
the afternoon Mr. A.'s family received "nursery milk."
Mr. B. supplied about 260 customers, and his milk was distributed on four different rounds.
(Three " cart rounds," and one " walking round ").
The milk distributed daily consisted of 17 barn gallons received from Mr. A.'s farm, and 20 barn
gallons derived from another source (Mr. X.) On the first round (some 76 houses), only the milk last
referred to, that of Mr. X., was distributed by Mr. B. himself, and no cases occurred on this round.
Mr. B.'s son took charge of the second round (some 63 houses), and served customers with
Mr. X.'s milk exclusively in the morning; in the afternoon he distributed either Mr. X.'s milk or
Mr. A.'s milk. Mr. B.'s man M. took charge of the third round (some 53 houses), and served customers
with Mr. A.'s milk exclusively in the morning, but in the afternoon distributed either Mr. A.'s milk or
Mr. X.'s milk.
The last round, the walking round (some 68 houses), was supplied with what was left over after
customers on the cart rounds had been supplied, the milk remaining in the several churns being mixed,
and then despatched on this fourth round.
Mr. A's milk was fetched either by Mr. B.'s son or by his man; the man always fetched it
in the morning and distributed it to customers in a road leading from the farm, and on his own
special round. In the afternoon either the son or the man fetched it; if the former, he distributed it along
the road referred to, and then on his special round; if the latter, he supplied the customers living
in this road, and then took it on his own round.
The recollection of Mr. B.'s son was that he fetched Mr. A.'s milk on the afternoons of the
17th, 19th and 20th March, and that the man fetched it on the afternoons of the 18th, 21st and
22nd March. The man's recollection was that he fetched the milk each afternoon from tho 18th to the
21st inclusive. There was agreement, however, between them as to the man's having always fetched
Mr. A.'s milk in the morning.
Mr. A. supplied Mr. B. with " nursery milk " from certain special cows (not the same cows which
yielded Mr. A.'s own " nursery milk "). A few families supplied by Mr. B. had nursery milk only. None
of these were attacked.
As to the order of milking at the farm and the manner of distribution of the milk from particular
cows, the following facts were elicited.
The cows were milked in definite order by the three milkers. The two cows from Eltham were
on their arrival on the 17th placed apart, and they were milked last in order of those milked by the head
milkman C. This arrangement obtained until the 19th. On the 20th the two cows were placed in the
general shed, and on this day and on the 21st C was away from work. It is uncertain whether the
Eltham cows were milked last on the 20th, but on the 21st Mr. A.'s groom stated that he milked them,
and milked them last.
In the morning the first milk was given to the carrier who arrived first, and the carrier arriving
late usually waited for the last cows to be milked, and their milk was included in the consignment