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25
The remaining seven cases occurred in three houses in Clarence
Street. The first of these was taken to a doctor for a certificate to
excuse attendance at school, as he was thought to have measles. The
nature of the illness was recognised, the doctor visited the house and
found another child there suffering from Scarlet Fever. Nine days
afterwards other cases occurred in the same house, and in the interval
in adjoining houses also.
(2) In April, I reported on twenty-seven cases which were
notified between February 18th and April 8th, an epitome of which
is:—" As regards the manner in which the disease has continued to
spread, I think there is no doubt that direct infection from person to
person through the medium of overlooked cases has been the cause ;
both at school, in the playgrounds, in the streets, and also from house
to house.
" That the schools have been operative—particularly Featherstone
Road Infant School —is shown by the fact that one child on March
28th was found in Featherstone Road Infant School, in the peeling
stage of the disease; and enquiries elicited the fact that his illness
dated from March 14th, and he had continued in attendance at school
all the time, and must have been responsible for the infection of many
of the cases notified during the previous fourteen days.
"Infection from house to house has also been a means of spread.
This is illustrated by the cases occurring in Featherstone Terrace.
The first occurred March 14th at No. 15, another five days later at
No. 13; next were two cases on April 4th and 6th at No. 17, and two
cases have been notified to-day from No. 16. The disease has skipped
one house—No. 14—and a peculiar circumstance is, that this house
was infected last year.
"There can be no doubt that there are mild cases going about
which have escaped observation."
(3) The six cases which occurred between April 8th and May
6th, evidence pointed to their being a sequence of the cases previously
reported upon, four of them occurring in houses in which cases had
been recently notified.
(4) In the cases notified from May to June, there was a suspicion
that a particular milk supply was concerned in its spread.
Out of twelve consecutive notifications—two only being in one
house—four milk vendors supplied the families.
A supplied eight families ; B, C, and D each one.
The suspicion arose very early in these cases, and on investigating
the matter I found the state of affairs as regards cleanliness of milk
cans and utensils very unsatisfactory at A's milk shop. In this
connection I would direct your attention to Page 26 in my Annual
Report for 1903, as to the risks of infection from dirty milk cans.