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was greatest in the months of October and November, when 24, or
more than one-half of the total cases were notified.
Careful enquiries were made into every case reported, with a view
to ascertaining the source of infection. In many cases this was
quite obscure, in some the evidence obtained has been sufficient to
fustify a strong conjecture as to the probable cause, and in a few
there has been little room for doubt as to the origin of the disease.
Owing to the fact that enteric fever infection is invariably
conveyed by the mouth, and in most cases through the agency of
contaminated food and drink, special enquiries were made as to
those articles of diet, such as shell fish, fried fish, watercress, &c.,
that are most liable to contamination by the organism of this disease
It was found that among the 44 cases reported, 10 had been more
or less habitual shell fish eaters, and had partaken of this food in
some form at a date that admitted of its being reasonably entertained
as a possible source of infection. Eight others had eaten
fried fish under similar circumstances, and in one case only was
there a history of the patient having eaten watercress.
The following is an account of a series of cases that occurred in
October and November, in which the facts point to the consumption
of shell fish as the probable source of infection. Three cases,
W.N., X.N., and S.N., were notified from the same house in Upper
Edmonton on October 10th, October 13th, and November 1st
respectively. Close enquiries as to the consumption of shell fish
were made in each case, but all denied having eaten any. On Nov.
2nd a boy, R.N., belonging to another family in the same neighbourhood
was notified and, on being questioned, he admitted having
eaten mussels, and stated that he had obtained them at a stall kept
by a boy who was a member of the very family from which the
three cases above-mentioned were notified. On being questioned,
this boy informed me that he had kept a shell-fish stall for some
months at a particular place in the district, where he carried on the
business every Saturday night. His custom was to buy his stock,