The Cecil Whig. [volume] (Elkton, Md.) 1841-current, 1876-07-15
OUTBREAK OF SCARLATINA.
CURIOUS OCCURRENCE IN ENGLAND.


On the 9th of June, 1875, a gentleman
living at South kensington England, his
wife, and eldest son and daughter sat down
to dinner with dozen guests. There were
in the house at the time another son, three
other daughters and seven servants, besides
charwoman, an extra cook, and five
walters all engaged for the OCCASION
Later in the evening the sixteen persons
who had dined assembled with the other
son and daughters and some one hundred
and fifty more guests, in the drawing room.
4 day or two aiterward some of these per-
sons fell i'll, and within five days the hostess
and three of her daughters, five ladies and
one gentleman of the twelve dinner guests,
three ladies and one gentleman of the even
ing party, and the cook, lady's maid,
kitchen maid, and charwoman among the
servants, eighteen persons in all, were at
tackled with scarlatina sore throat. Two
children who had been sent with their nurse
to the seaside on the day before the dinner
party were not attacked, but lady who
lunched at the house on the 10th was ill
with slight scarlatina on the 18th. One Of
the walters had doubtful illness a few
days later, and sore threats were heard of
in one or two more of the evening guests.
case of one lady, who had not had scarla-
tina before, and all the persons attacked
recovered; one of the gentlemen, however,
had to undergo the operation of trache-
otomy. Here. therefore, were at least thir-
teen people suffering from scarlatna and
six from sore throat, and the only point i'll
common between them was that they had
all been to this particular house. The in
lection, moreover, dated from the day at
which they were at the house, and there
was a singular absence of contagion after
ward. The disease did not spread, and
even in the case of two girls who slept
together for two nights after one of them
had become i'll the other did not take the
disease; there were, moreover, no compli-
cations in the complaint. 1t was quite
clear that peculiar form of illness had
spread from q certain centre at 4 certain
time, and the question for science to dis
cover was whence the evil had come.
So much Importance was attached to the
occurrence says the London Neacs that DR..
buchanan and Mr.. Simon made an exami-
nation, and their report has just been sub
mitted to the local Government Board.
"Dr. Buchanan entered on this inquiry on
the 18th of June. He soon found that
there was no scarlatina about sufficient to
account for the attacks, and that he must
confine his attention to the conditions to
which the particular household and guests
were exposed. The infection was certainly
not operative before the 9th of June be-
cause the two children and nurse, who left
on the Sth, escaped; and it did not exist
long after that day, because the lady who
took lunch at the house on the 10th was
the only other patient In the household
itself there has been no scarlatina for an
indefinite time, nor had the dinner guests
any in theirs; none of the servants had
been in contact with the disease; nor did
any of the guests bring it in their dresses;
though neither of these last points would
explain the case. There was full dust
bin, but not unhealthy So and there was
no disease in the adjacent news. A closer
study of the circumstances suggested that
the infection had to do with the dinner.
Six of the guests attacked were at the
meal as were also the hostess and her eld-
est daughter; moreover, the cook and
kitchen maid were among the servants
attacked, and the guest Of the 10th had
taken lunch. Toward the end Of the in
4uiry an apparent explanation of the out
break was found in the suggestion by the
cook that the extra cook engaged on the
day of the dinner had her hands peeling at
when DIR. Buchanan saw this person, and
she then had no signs of desquamation,
and declared with apparent truthfulness
that she had been perfectly well, and that
nobody in her house had been i'll. DR..
buchanan accepted this assurance, and
looked elsewhere. The attack was not
confined to those who were at the dinner:
if, therefore, the infection was in the food
it was in something which was also par
taken up stairs later in the evening. More
over, as only two men were attacked, the
food indicated seemed to be that which
was most taken by the ladies Of the party.
The theory formed was, therefore, that the
infection had been taken in some way in
connection with the milk or cream used in
forming some Of the dishes at the table, or
with the coffee, tea, and fruit in the even
ing.
The inquiry pursued on this theory
brought out some curious results. An ex-
ira supply of cream had been delivered at
the house partly at and partly at in the
afternoon, and it was found that the 4
o'clock cream was from a London dairy,
and the o'clock from farm in Hamp-
shire. 1t is just possible that the second
quantity contained some admixture of the
first, but that at 4 was all from one dairy,
and was 'double cream" This double
cream was used in the preparation of the
ice pudding, custard and creams, and one
or two jugsful, above the cooks require
ments, went up to the dinner and the even
ing tables for use in tea and coffee and with
fruit. The bulk of the cream used for
this purpose was, however, the o'clock or
Hampshire cream. Here, then, it seems
probable that if the disease was in the
cream at all it was in the O'Clock supply.
The other was partaken of by nearly all
the guests in the evening; whereas this
from the London dairy was taken chiefly at
dinner, and by only few at night. More
over, some dishes made of this cream were
left over, and being taken up to lunch next
day were partaken of by the one guest,