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It may be added that the importance of the Jarvis and Tipper
cases was so great that bacteriological examinations and reexaminations
were again and again made, and several different
cultures prepared and tested (physiologically and otherwise), by
independent bacteriologists, with the result that there can be
little doubt but that the Jarvis family (except the father, and,
perhaps, Alice and Rose) i.e., 4 in number, together with Joseph
J. Tipper, had all had attacks of mild Diphtheria (potential or
actual), more or less recently at the time of the Outbreak. Two
separate outbreaks were the result—one at the Lambeth
Parochial Schools and the other at the Lambeth Workhouse
Infirmary. The disease spread more rapidly at the Schools than
at the Infirmary by reason of the fact that children were the
chief inmates of the former and adults of the latter—diphtheria
being a disease of childhood, and comparatively rare amongst
adults.
The Vincent's organisms found were connected, apparently,
with a concurrent outbreak of Vincent's Angina or Ulcerative
Stomatitis.
Even allowing that the modified (involuted) Klebs-Lœffler
bacilli found in the throats and noses of the Jarvis family were
so attenuated as to be incapable, except under certain definite
conditions, of infecting others, their clothes alone, not having
been disinfected, might have carried the Diphtheria infection.
In this connection, it may be mentioned that, at the Lambeth
Parochial Schools, there is no efficient disinfecting machine yet
provided; notwithstanding the fact that the Guardians decided,
by resolution, on May 14th, 1903, to provide such an efficient
machine at the Schools, on account of the Measles Outbreak,
1902-3, being, in part, caused by the want of such.
Why the Disease spread into the Main Buildings.
The channel through which the disease spread into the Main
Building (C South) was Joseph J. Tipper, who contracted his
infection, whilst under treatment for ''Stomatitis and Catarrh," in
the Schools Infirmary, from Willie Jarvis, who was being treated
in the same Ward for Stomatitis, but who was, at the time, also
suffering from a mild, unrecognised, infection of Diphtheria, as
shewn by bacteriological examination. Willie Jarvis occupied
a bed next to Joseph J. Tipper from April 22nd to 25th.
Joseph J. Tipper, with the diphtheria bacilli in his throat (but
unrecognised), was, unfortunately, allowed to pass on April 28th
directly from the Schools Infirmary back into C South Block