New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1873-09-12
Polluted Milfxe
From the London Echo.q

IN aC least Sixty 1dullitS III MaryloDOne,
the Lancet for August l6 atfirms, typhoid
fever has made its appearance, and this is
the eighth known instance in which the
disease has proved 20 have been scattered
by means Of polluted milk. At Penrith,
Islhgton, Leeds iswics), Pafkhead, Chee-
ter and Edinburg the evidence has been
carefully sifted in series Of epidemics, and
in all cases it appears that the evidence
poinss exclusively % milk as the sole origin
of the mischief. The only connecting bond
between the sixty families infected, living
in various parts OF the parishes of Maryle-
bone, Poddington and st. Georges, end of
all eli asses of society, is that they have OBJ
tanned their milk from the same company,
and been furnished by that company with
milk from the same farm, around which
typhoid is and Aas been raging. Number
less apparent anomalies in the spread of
the disease are iaexp!icabte os shis &ypo-
thesis. and on this alonee
Yesterday we mentioned . case o7 a
house wherein SOur servants were left ON
board Hageso Xwo of them used Swiss
milk. and are in gsod health; two took
milk from the company in questione and
both have the typhoid fever. A lady in
Brook street has three children, two OF
whom only cake milk, and chose two only
are attacked On one nobleman's house the
servants take milk from Che suspected COM
panys while the family are supplied Else
where. Five of che servants have the fever
while none of the family have suffered. 3
young lady attacked with typhoid at Nor
wood pro6eA to have ust come 6Om : oSt-
man square, and there so have drank an
unusual quantity of the suspected milk In
DR.. Murchison's own family the Sen dis
ease sesmed to have played the moss fan
sastic tricks, bvt they were all explained OF
tracing the history Of double supply %
milk for dhe houee-ole pure. the other
conveying infection to every. shilG Ebo sue
cessively parto0k Of ie.
The British Nedicaq So,.ps.ep mentions
that there are &e this moment fifteen cases
in Che Gripples' Home, making in all at
lease 200 cases of typhoid fever among per
sons who have drank of the milk of the
same dairy. We need 90 no further in
quoting Che paper devoted sO the analysis
OF such matters. Enoug b has been cited to
afford to every faip inquirer moral GER
tainty that we have ae last. very literally,
traced the destroyer 60 his lair, and found
death in the pot"-the innocent milk pot,
as we have all deemed 1.-THE resource of
the child. the teetOtaier, the vegetarian,
and of every man and woman who shares
snce, twice, or mayhap thrice a day. the
cup of tea, without which 50 fhany labo-
rious lives would De sheerless
Nor is there, so far as yet appeare any
person directly TO blame for all the suffer
ing and loss of these 2O0 terrible cases. The
company which supplied the polluted milk
from one among eight farms in connection
with their establishment. had no reason 20
suspect any evil till the mischief was eff
fected land they have since done their best
to stop it by sending down medical investi-
gators and cutting off the supply of milk
from the suspected farm Immediately on re.
ceiving a telegram advising them 20 do SO.
In the present gross ignorance of sanitary
matters the farmer who supplied Che milk
was wholly unconscious that he was incur
ring any risk for himself or others, though
the pumps which supplied his dairy with
water for washing the utensils, and his
house aor cooking, are fed srom a well lined
with uscemented bricks. and so situated as
20 receive shs sewerage froan dieh into
which drains all the filth Of the farm yard,
house and pig styes. The poor man himself
died some months ago, apparently from col
lapse after enterlc fever. but no medical au
thOrity seems TO dave infeyposed to warn
the widow OF The origie Of Gle mischief,
and she has very naturally lets things az
they were, TILL one of BEG sSne 10 cow at
eacked by the fever.
Truly, the 'solidariey'e oS Aumanite, of
which OF recent years we have begun to
hear. 10 vindicased IN strange ways when
the washing of a few cans with dirty water
in a country farm forms the direct cause Of
disease and death amid sixty households in
London, and score of families in mansions
are plague-smitten because wench in a
badly managed dairy has neglected to dry
her vessels properly before she poured milk
into them, or, perhaps, has purposely left a
pint OF water in each to make her mistress
milk 60 little further
The quantity of water which would be
sufficient, if itself polluted, to pellute a
whole can of milk might be far too small
to be appreciated by the tests in use, as it
would not exceed the difference observable
in the proportion of water in the milk natu-
rally supplied by different cows. Thus we
are reduced to the conclusion that unless
sanitary measures can be enforced all over
England, unless all the water used for
drinking, cooking and cleansing utensils
employed in the conservation of food or
drink be protected against the infiltration
of sewerage, there never can be enjoyed
by any one member of the community,
from prince to peasant, immunity from i'm
mediate danper