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of scarlet fever in the human subject. At the farm in question
"the disease first appeared in some newly purchased cows which
had arrived about a fortnight before the first cases of scarlet fever
occurred amongst consumers of the milk. It was subsequently
ascertained that one of these cows introduced the disease, which
spread from shed to shed until the whole herd of 100 cows,
with very few exceptions, were attacked; and that coincidently
with the spread of the disease among the cows, scarlet
fever made its appearance, and continued to prevail, among
the consumers of the milk procured from these sheds." The
malady is described generally as "a specific contagious
disease occurring usually in the first instance amongst newly
calved cows, and capable of being communicated to healthy
cows by direct inoculation of the teats with virus conveyed by the
hands of the cowman. The disease may continue from four to
six weeks, and is characterised by general constitutional disturbance,
a short initiatory fever, a dry hacking cough, sometimes
quickened breathing, sore throat in severe cases, discharges from
the nostrils and eyes, an eruption on the skin round the eyes and
hind quarters, vesicles on the teats and udder, alteration in the
quality of the milk secretion and well marked visceral lesions."
Referring to the eruption on the teats and udder, it is stated that
"from five to seven days after the commencement of the illness one
or more teats become much swollen, and vesicles or bullae soon
make their appearance upon them. These vesicles are usually
rubbed and broken in milking, leaving sores with raised ulceratedlooking
edges. At this period the disease appears to be easily
conveyed to other cows. Shortly after the vesicle has been broken
a brown scab forms upon the sore, and this may remain from ten
days or a fortnight to five or six weeks, a thin discharge escaping
from beneath it until the sore is healed. The milk has a tendency
to become 'ropy' during the illness, but this is not always
present, and as a rule this condition is not apparent until the
milk has stood for five or six hours. The milk from the farm
in question was distributed before this peculiarity had time to
show itself."