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(4) That better (or best) class houses, though infected;
(comparatively) out of proportion to others, were
not more generally involved, more milk (generally
uncooked) being drunk in such houses;
(5) That the infection was most irregularly distributed
Croydon, Penge and Lambeth suffering out of all
proportion, and that the localisation of the infected
houses was peculiarly limited in certain districts and
parts of districts, e.g., even certain roads, and that
large areas and several large Institutions, known
to be supplied with the suspected milk in the
infected areas, escaped the disease ?
Evidence in support of infected milk supply.
In Upper Norwood there are two large local dairies,,
which, for convenience, may be designated in this Report
as dairies X and Y, in connection with which children of
distributors of milk had been officially notified, at the end
of November and beginning of December, 1913, as
suffering from diphtheria. These children were removed to
hospital, viz.: 2 connected with dairy Y on November 27th
and 1 connected with dairy X on December 3rd, 1913,
respectively. Disinfection was carried out and the work
(distributing milk) of the fathers was stopped. The
3 infected children had attended Woodland Road
L. C. C. School (Girls' Department), and also Christchurch
Sunday School, so that it is possible that
they caught the disease one from the other by
personal contact, coming home from or going to
school, at school, or at play, whilst it may be mentioned
that, in connection with the first cases notified, viz.. the
2 children of the distributor of milk from dairy Y, a
local sanitary defect at the house in the living room on
the first floor was discovered, viz.: a foul and defective
(untrapped) sink waste, which might render the throats of
the inmates of such room liable to develop diphtheria,
on account of the foul air given off from such a defective
appliance tending to render the throat congested
and a suitable nidus for the diphtheria germ. The milk
supplies of these children were obtained from dairies X
and Y respectively, it being customary in the trade for
distributors to be allowed each a certain amount of milk
daily by their employers, for the use of themselves and
their families.
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