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55
4—Others.
Bacillus staphylococcus was found in connection with
the following other employees, viz., I station man (calling
for the milk), 2 pasteurisers and dairymen, 2 cowmen, 4
office staff and 2 shop staff, whilst the extra employee
engaged in the shop temporarily shewed the presence in
her throat of the bacillus staphylococcus and the bacillus
streptococcus.
The bacillus Hoffmanni is, in this Report, regarded as
a distinct organism unconnected with the bacillus KlebsLœffleri
(true diphtheria), though some bacteriologists
regard it as a sign or evidence of contact with true
diphtheria. The bacillus diphtheroides is, however,
in this Report, regarded as a modified or attenuated
form of the bacillus Klebs-Lœffleri (true diphtheria), a
changed type or variant, the one form developing into the
other under certain conditions. If this be the correct
view, the bacteriological results obtained in connection
with the outbreak are significant, as shewing that, whilst
regular distributors Nos. 2 and 19 were actual "carriers"
of the diphtheria germ, regular distributor No. 12 and
"odd" man E.F., were probable "carriers" of the same
germ (modified and attenuated as the effect of time).
It will be noted that the bacillus staphylococcus and the
bacillus streptococcus were also found in these distributors
as also in many others of the employees, pointing
to the diphtheria infected farm milk being also, probably,
pus contaminated and dirty—a condition to be expected
from the ulcerated finger of the cowman, and also having
regard to the unsatisfactory state of the farm G and its
unwholesome water supply as found on inspection.
The work of all employees connected with the
dairy X, who shewed, on examination, suspicious germs,
was stopped.
Milk is a favourable nidus for the development of the
diphtheria bacillus, wihich lives and multiplies therein
more at comparatively low temperatures than at 37
degrees C. (98.6 degrees F.), but so do the commoner
organisms and much more rapidly, thereby tending to
crowd out the diphtheria germs. The presence of the
bacilli streptococcus and staphylococcus in large numbers
in the majority of cases examined lends support to such
having been the case in the present outbreak.