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small superficial excoriations, a scab about the size of half a threepenny piece on the udder and a
similar one on left hind teat. Every teat more or less affected.
" Five dry cows which had been out as the others had been, and living under the same conditions,
presented no evidence of there having been any morbid condition on the udder or teats ; thus
militating against an assumption that the lesions were of traumatic origin. Moreover, two recently
calved cows which had not been milked showed no lesions. The last cow but one in the third shed
was one of the two cows which calved a fortnight ago.
" It should be borne in mind that on the dates of examination the affection from which many
of the cows suffered had already passed the acute stage, but I could definitely state that the
appearances observed were absolutely distinct from those seen in a number of outbreaks of cowpox
which have come under my observation."
It has been shown that most of the milch cows at farmstead X2 and several of the milch
cows at farmstead X1 presented scabs and excoriations on the teats and udders: the conditions
being similar to those first described in 1885 at a Hendon farm by Sir William (then Mr.) Power
and since generally known as those of the " Hendon disease," inasmuch as similar phenomena to
those observed at Hendon have from time to time been found to be associated elsewhere with
outbreaks of milk borne scarlet fever. The existence of these conditions and the absence of any
source of human infection at the farmsteads X1 and X2 make it a matter of interest to examine in
detail the facts elicited with regard to the cows at these farms.
1. As to importation of fresh cows.—No cows had been newly brought to the farms since
the beginning of March, i.e., nearly three months prior to the outbreak of scarlet fever.
2. As to calving of cows.—A cow at farm X2 calved on June 19th. This cow, at the time of
our visit to the farm on June 21st, showed no signs of disease. Prior to this two cows at farm
X2 were said to have calved " a fortnight ago," i.e., about June 5th. Neither of these cows had been
milked, up to the time of our inspection, and their teats and udders appeared normal. Prior again
to this, and roughly speaking some few days before or after the 24th May, three heifers calved, a red,
a roan and a white heifer. The white heifer, we were told, calved first of the three, and several days
before the others. These three animals were on June 21st standing in the first shed at farm X2.
All presented distinct evidence of a diseased condition of the teats. As they had calved within a
few days of one another they were for some time kept together in one and the same shed and they
had since been close companions, and even on the evening of the 20th, before Mr. Dunbar's
inspection, the fact was observed that the three animals kept together when they were out in the
field. The calves of two of these heifers went to market on the same day. We were in the first
instance led to believe that the heifers here in question were the red and the roan heifers. As will
be seen later, this proved to be a mistake. The calves were in point of fact the calves of the white
and roan heifers. We made careful inquiry as to the date, and were informed at first that it was a
particular market day which could be fixed as being either May 24th or June 7th, and therefore from
one of those days onwards the milk of the two heifers would have been sent to the depot. The
difference of opinion among the milkers as to the day upon which the milk from the two heifers
first came into use was a source of considerable trouble to us. There was agreement as to the day
being a Monday, and as to that Monday being the day on which the particular market was
held, hence it was clear the date must have been either May 24th or June 7th ; but while one milker
was confident that the date was Jane 7th the other assured us, and this after some consideration, that
the day in question was the 24th May.
It seemed impossible at first to arrive at any certain conclusion with regard to the matter.
It chanced, however, that the difficulty was afterwards discussed with a gentleman who is
intimately acquainted with the locality in which the farm is situated, and who happened to be
visiting the neighbourhood at this particular juncture. He took a very keen interest in the subject
and made several suggestions with regard to it. Inter alia he pointed out that the dates of coming
into use of milk from freshly calved cows could readily be fixed by noting variations in the daily
amount of milk delivered to the company by the farmer. It was to be expected that an increase in
the quantity supplied from the farm would be from time to time shown as the milk from recently
calved cows freshly came into use, but against this has to be set the fact that some of the cows
would as time went on become dry. The records were obtained from the company's manager, and
Mr. Dunbar, the London County Council's veterinary inspector, again visited the farm, on July 26th,
and obtained the corresponding records from the farmer and made further enquiry into the dates
of calving of cows in the light of these records (see Chart II.). The chart shows that there was
an addition of some seven gallons to the amount of milk supplied from the farm on June 7th. This
day, however, was Monday, and there is throughout noticeable a tendency for the number of gallons
supplied to fall to a minimum on Sunday and to rise again on Monday. But on further questioning the
milkers, the facts as regards the particular Monday, June 7th, became sufficiently clear. The milker
who had hitherto expressed the belief that the milk of the two heifers first came into use on May 24th
abandoned his position and admitted the correctness of the belief of the other milker. It now
transpired, however, that the calves of the white and roan heifers (not those of the red and roan
heifers) were the two calves taken to market on June 7th. Mr. Dunbar asked what became of the
calf of the red heifer, and to this the reply was that the calf died four or five days after it was born.
Mr. Dunbar found that the heifer had on July 26th materially improved in health and the teats and
udder were normal.
It appears likely, therefore, that the whole of the milk of the white, roan and red heifers
came into use for the first time on June 7th; though doubtless some portion of the milk of the
white heifer, and perhaps some of that of the roan heifer, had been sent still earlier than this
date to the depot. The red heifer's milk was not used at all until after the death of her calf, and
thus probably on June 7th. The dates of calving of these three heifers must, on a review of all the
statements made by the milkers, be approximately assigned as indicated on the chart.