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15
He could not imagine more favourable conditions for the spread of
such an infection; at the same time he must ask the Committee not
to consider this report as final,* as he was still prosecuting the
enquiry.
"It had been suggested to him that the cause of the epidemic lay in
the fact that an opening had been made in the Sutherland Road
sewer at the point of the bi-section of that road by the Eglinton Road.
The sewer was broken into for the purpose of making a man-hole, on
the 16th February, and kept open until the 18th February, and no
deposit was removed.
"On reference to the map which he also presented, showing the
position of the Stafford Road Schools, and the opening in the sewer it
would be seen that 15 of the cases reported from this School from
February 16th inclusive up to February 27th inclusive would not
have occasion to pass this opening on their way to School, and 10
would. Not only that; had this opening been a centre of infection
many more cases in the immediate neighbourhood must have
occurred.
"He gave here a table of all cases of Diphtheria notified in No. 3
District between February 17th and February 28th inclusive. The
Committee would see there were particulars as to date, address and
the school which was either attended by the patient or by children
from the infected house, of 40 cases, and that the schools in question
were implicated in 27 out of the 40. There was also a note as to the
* Subsequent to the Meeting of the Committee the Medical Officer
continued his enquiries, and under his supervision the drains of the
Schools were opened and examined, and found not to run under the
school building, and to be in good condition. As regards the water closets,
he found several of the connections imperfect. The water closets were to be
entirely remodelled on a new plan. Reviewing the whole of the evidence
with this most recent addition, he was still of opinion that the outbreak was
caused by the introduction amongst the assembled scholars, on one or both
of the nights of the parties, of the infection by some one attending them,
probably " A. F.," as previously mentioned.