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14
condition of the dairy and the cowshed, the latter being the most
extensive in the parish. A careful inspection of these premises
—made without warning—failed to reveal anything to account for
the outbreak. There was no sickness in the dairyman's family ;
the water supply was good, the cistern being clean and having
no connection with any drain, soil-pipe, &c. The water supply
at the cowshed was equally satisfactory (the cistern, indeed, having
been erected some years ago at my instance) ; and the sanitary
condition of the premises which are regularly inspected, presented
no features to call for notice. The health of the ninety
cows found in the shed was satisfactory. A diligent enquiry
into the details of the business arrangements failed to reveal anything
; and, lastly, it was ascertained by visitation that there had
been no illness—specific or otherwise—in the homes of any of the
employes. I ascertained, however, that in addition to the ' shed '
milk the dairy had supplies of country milk from two Berkshire
farms in the Wantage and Faringdon Unions respectively. The
Wantage milk—about three hundred quarts—came from a model
farm belonging to a gentleman of considerable landed estate. This
milk was received only in the afternoon, and therefore was the
product of the morning's milking. The Faringdon supply consisted
of one ' churn ' (about 65 quarts) in the morning, and a like
quantity in the evening. All the thirteen families had had country
milk morning or evening. I lost no time, therefore, in putting myself
in communication with the medical officers of health for the Wantage
and Faringdon rural Sanitary Districts, begging them to have
the farms inspected, " With a view of ascertaining (1) whether at or
near them there were, or had lately been, any typhoid fever cases ;
and (2) whether there were any sanitary defect or polluted water
supply to which such an outbreak (as 1 had described) could be
fairly traced ?" These gentlemen, Mr. Barker, of Wantage, and
Mr. Maskelyne, of Faringdon, favoured me with reports which
were exculpatory as regards the health of the people and the cows,
and also with respect to the sanitary condition, water supply, &c.,
of the premises.
Before the first of the reports came to hand, and having
learned that the Wantage evening milk was sent to a large and
respectable dairy in an adjoining parish, I communicated with
the Medical Officer for that district, who informed me that he
knew of no cases of typhoid fever in his district, and that he,
personally a large consumer of milk, was a customer of the dairyman
who received the Wantage milk. It came to my knowledge
at a later period that the Kensington dairyman did not receive the
Wantage milk until some days after the commencement of the
epidemic. There being some unavoidable delay in getting information
respecting the Faringdon milk, the dairyman, acting upon
my advice, and simply as a matter of precaution, gave it up, but