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creams were eaten by four only of the invaded households, and the
ice creams were obtained from four different shops at great distances
from each other. During the B period eleven households consumed
ice creams which were obtained from eight different sources, three
of which were outside the Borough. It will thus be seen that the
hypothesis that ice creams have had any connection with the epidemic
must be abondoned.
Fried Fish.—An epidemic of enteric fever has been traced by
Dr. Hamer of the London County Council to this article of diet, it
would therefore not be out of place to consider what relation this
article of diet may have had to the outbreak in question. By fried
fish is meant the fish prepared in the common fried fish shops. I
am of opinion that the conveyance of infection by this means must
be a very rare event, but the possibility of its occurrence must be
thought of in any investigations relating to the spread of enteric fever
in large towns.
During the A period, seven households admitted the consumption
of fried fish during three weeks prior to the onset of the illness, and
the fish was obtained from five different sources.
During the B period, fried fish was consumed in twenty-nine
households, but the fish was obtained from fifteen different sources.
In face of these facts, it cannot be maintained for a moment that the
slightest suspicion attaches to this food as a medium for the conveyance
of enteric fever.
Drainage and Sanitary Defects.— Inspections were carefully
made in every house in which a case of enteric fever had occurred,
but no wide-spread insanitary condition was found to exist competent
to call forth an outburst of enteric fever such as that under
enquiry. To go into details, it was found that out of 132 houses
sanitary defects were observed in 32 of them, the remainder being.