The Penn's Grove record., 1888-04-14

Mdk and Infectious DiSedses-An
outbreak of typhoid fever in st. Pam
cras, London, has been traced to the
milk supply directly, and indirectly to
a sycamore tree. During August there
were 223 eases of the epidemic within
a limited area. The sanitary officer
conducting an investigation began by
making a map of the district, showing
the distribution of the houses where
there had been sickness. He was able
at once to discard two theories OF in
lection, namely the condition OF the
Regents Canal and contaminated water
from the mains. and speedily to find an
adequate cause in the milk supply.
Out of 431 persons attacked during the
summer, 1853 were known to obtain
milk from one dealer and the remain
ing 63 might have done so indirectly.
Houses supplied by other dealers es-
capped; and in families which depended
upon the fatal milk cart, those who
drank milk, were attacked while tbCs>
who preferred beer did not have the
fever. The dealer obtained milk from
FIVE farms, but the houses in st. Pam
cras in which the fever had occurred
had been supplied mainly ftom the
same farm. This was in st. Adams;
and as direct evidence that this was
the source of affection, the sanitary
officer ascertaIned that certain porters
In the Dealers employ, were attacked
after drinking the milk, that there
were additional cases on the farm IT.
self. and that houses in st. Albans sup.
piled with the same milk were also In
fected. The investigation having been
narrowed down to a single farm, the
water supply naturally fell under sus-
picion. The milk a n and pals were
found to he washed every day in "A
diary with water obtained from a well
adjoining a cess-pool. A sycamore tree
stood between them and its roots prob
ably gave opportunity for the percola-
tion of leakage from one into the other.
This was the most satisfactory explana-
tion which the sanitary inspector could
give of the outbreak of the fever. 1t
is by 10 meal certain, however, that
the milk was not infected by the prev
alence of the disease at the farm. A
dairyman III Dundee, for example, who
kept his supply Of milk in a o where
his little boy lay Frustrated with scarlet
fever introduced the disease in various
households, until there were seventeen
cases and four deaths. Instances are
constantly arising where infectious dis
ease is directly communicated by means
of milk that has been directly exposed
to contamination in diaries or farm
houses. 1t is possible, therefore, that
the sycamore tree had less to do with
the spread Of eontagiOn than the In
spector supposed. The relative situa-
ton of the cesspool and the well, how
ever, naturally suggested the final step
in his series of ingenious deductions.
An ingenious device for stretching
emery cloth for use in the workshop
consists of a coupe of strips of wood
about fourteen inches long, hinged
longitudinally, and of round, half
round, triangular, or any other shape in
cross section. On the inside faces of
the wood strips are pointed studs, TAX
ing into holes on the opposite sides.
The strip of emery cloth Is laid on to
me In the studs. and the ''6le," as 1t is
called, closed, which fixes the strips on
one side. 1t is then similarly fixed on
the other side, and thus constitutes
what Is called all "emery hle." and
which is a handy and convenient ar
rangement for workshop use.
DOVER CAKE.-One-half pint of