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some distance turns at right angles and runs eastward to meet Harrow-manor-way. The South Eastern
Railway between Plumstead and Abbey-wood stations traverses the southern portion of the marshes.
The surface drainage from the high ground on the south to a certain extent finds its way across the
marshes, flooding the ditches in time of rain. The chief streams in which this surface drainage is
collected are—
(a) An old watercourse which may be traced from a culvert discharging on the north
side of the railway embankment between Griffen-manor-way and Church-manor-way. Flood
water finding its way into this watercourse may reach the river by several different routes.
It may travel almost directly northwards, it may cross Church-manor-way before it is carried
far in a northerly direction, and it may pursue a still more easterly course and cross Harrowmanor-way
before reaching the river.
(b) A ditch which is situated nearer to Church-manor-way than the last ditch and which
runs beneath the railway and appears to find an outlet mainly by means of ditches which
extend north-eastwards crossing Church-manor-way and Harrow-manor-way.
(c) A stream which, after running by the side of Wickham-lane and continuing northwards
beneath the railway east of Church-manor-way, turns eastwards and crosses Harrowmanor-way.
[A sample of water from this stream was sent to Dr. Klein, and it is referred
to as sample A in his report.]
The crossing of Church-manor-way by intercommunicating ditches is effected at two points ;
similarly two main ditches cross Harrow-manor-way. One of the latter ditches, shortly before it
reaches Harrow-manor-way, forms the southern boundary of the field in which the roan heifer was kept,
and from this ditch the sample Breferred to in Dr. Klein's report was taken. A broadened out portion
of the same ditch constitutes the drinking place of the cows kept in the field. This drinking place is
in more or less direct communication with all three streams referred to above.
There was no water in stream (a) at the point where it crosses the railway line, at the end of
May. Just below this point a very offensive stagnant ditch commenced, but the communication of this
ditch with the stream (a), and therefore with the cows' drinking place, was only traceable on the
assumption that the water levels were raised a few inches, a condition of things which would of course
obtain after heavy rain. Stream (b) was in a less polluted condition than the ditches of stream (a);
on its banks a gipsy party was found encamped. Stream (c) was known from previous inquiries to
receive, more or less intermittently, the overflow from a number of cesspools. On consulting the
notification returns, however, it was found that no case of typhoid fever had been recorded during the
early months of 1895 as having been removed from a house draining into stream (c).
A review of the facts which have been detailed shows that it is not possible to frame any positive
conclusion as to the way in which infective property was communicated to the Princes-road milk.
Careful inquiry made as to illness occurring among persons associated with the premises yielded
a negative result, nor could it be ascertained that any case of enteric fever had, within a period of
several months, occurred in the neighbourhood of the shed.
Defects existed in the drainage arrangements at the Princes-road premises, but it did not appear
likely that the milk had by reason of such defects been exposed to contamination.
There was no ground for suspecting pollution of the water supplied to the shed. Kent Company's
water was being distributed over a wide area, but the epidemic occurred in a limited area
and in association with a particular milk supply. It was of course possible that the water used for
washing cans, utensils, &c., was liable to local contamination. No leakage, however, could be detected
from the service pipes on the premises, and 110 evidence could be obtained that the mains in Princesroad
and Barnfield-road were defective. The tank just outside the cowshed was suggested as a possible
source of mischief. No evidence was however forthcoming to show that this tank was liable to specific
pollution.
Finally, the possibility that the milk was rendered infective by the existence of a diseased condition
in the cow remained to be considered. Only one animal in the shed had been newly brought upon the
premises within a period of upwards of three months prior to the outbreak, and inquiry showed that
this animal, previous to its removal to the shed on March 1st, had been consuming sewage-contaminated
water. The possibility presented itself that the heifer in question, on arriving at Princes-road, was
the subject of some condition which resulted some six or seven weeks later in the milk becoming
infective. Examination was therefore made of the milk of this heifer, and the animal was killed and
examined by Dr. Klein. The results of this examination were, however, negative.
W. H. Hamer,
Assistant Medical Officer of Health.
Appendix.
Dr. Klein's report.
St. Bartholomew's Hospital,
June 25th, 1895.
I have now completed the inquiry into the Plumstead water and Plumstead milk, and beg
herewith to report thereon—
1. On May 22nd I received, through Dr. Hamer, a small bottle of milk from a roan cow. This
sample was examined in two lots of 25 c.c. each, to each lot sufficient solution of phenol was added
before incubation in order to exclude microbes not colon bacillus or typhoid bacillus. Both these