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24 Report of the Medical Officer of Health.
and although he supplies a large number of customers in Wandsworth,
the area covered being considerable, yet all the cases occurred
in two streets which join Garratt Lane within a few yards of each
other. Of the cases supplied by this dairy, five are members of
the same family living in the same house ; two are members of the
same household ; while two others, boys aged 11 and 12, are friends.
In each of these three groups the disease could easily have been
spread by direct personal contact.
Three of the 13 cases did not obtain their milk from the dairy
in question. Two of them are brother and sister, and there is a
definite history of one assisting in the household duties of the family
where five cases occurred, and she was most probably infected from
one of them. In the third case no history of possible contact
infection can be obtained.
The possibility that infection has been conveyed by other foodstuffs
has been investigated, but no evidence that this occurred
could be ascertained.
In none of the cases was there a history of shell-fish consumption.
In seven cases it Was stated that the patients made fairly frequent
visits to a fried-fish shop in Summerstown. This shop has been
inspected, and the process of frying seen in operation, but no source
of infection could be traced. The fish is all gutted, and the frying
is carried out thoroughly, while the persons working on the premises
were all in good health.
In one case it was stated that the patient had eaten watercress
from well-known beds in the neighbourhood.
In 10 of the cases, the relatives stated that the patients never
partook of ice-cream, while in three, some had probably been eaten,
but the information on this point was indefinite.
With regard to water supply, the house where five cases occurred
was supplied by a cistern which was very dirty when inspected.
This water was examined bacteriologically, and no bacilli of the
enteric group were isolated, though the specimen was much below
the standard of London water as regards coliform bacilli. It was
stated that all the members of this household drank large quantities
of water.