Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1914-09-18
Sec. A. G. Young of State Board
Of Health Finds York Har-
Dor Typhoid Fever Out
break Due to Bad Milk
STATE HOUSE CHAT
Change of Location of State Aid
Road in Rome Granted
College Instructors
Confer-Notes
Next meeting of the Governor and
Council, 10 A. NJ, Wednesday, Sept. 80.

On account of sudden outbreak OF
typhoid fever at York Harbor which
started in that village in the third
week of August an appeal was made
to the office of the State Board OF
Health to investigate the matter. An
investigation was made by DR.. A. g..
Young, secretary of the board and
the following report was made:
With the exception of a few earlier
cases in the town which could not be
connected with the later ones, the
outbreak which caused grave concern
came quite suddenly. The rapid oc-
currence of case after case within a
few days was suggestive of milk
bourne infection, or of infection from
a typhoid fever carrier" A search
ing inquiry was made in the places
where most of the persons who came
down with typhoid fever had taken
their meals, as to the possibility OF
any symptoms among the help par
ticularly among the cooking and serv-
ing employees, which might indicate
that they had had a typhoidal attack.
typical or slight, recently or sometime
in the past Inquiries in that diree-
ton and the results of some labora-
further entertainment of that sus-
picion.
THE milk supply of York Harbor
has been delivered by four milk deal
ers. 1t has come from fourteen
farms or homes The number of
cows owned by these milk producers
has ranged from one to twenty six.
1t was found that the Glenn Cottage
and the cottages of Mr.. Varrell in
which or from which most of the cas-
es seemed to originate had receive
their milk supply from one milk
dealer, who had only one COW himself,
but who bought milk from his neigh
bors. each of whom had a compare
lively small number of cows
"A careful inquiry was made in re-
gard to the habits of each of the per-
sons who had taken their meals at
these two places and who had con-
tracted typhoid fever. 1t was found
that some of them had been in the
habit of using one or more glasses of
raw milk at one or more of their daily
meals. Others had taken milk upon
cereal or breakfast foods. On the
other hand, some of them disliked
milk, and so far as could be learned,
used it in no form as milk. 1t was
further learned that the proprietors
of these cottages had been quite lib
eral in furnishing ice cream which
was made in their own establishments.
The ice cream was made from cream
diluted with milk and it was learned
that In both places 1t had been the
custom of the person who was en-
trusted with the making of the ice
cream to pour off the cream from the
top of the milk cans for the purpose
of increasing the supply of cream, and
also TO be used as a diluent of the
cream in making up the ice cream
mixture. In both places the ice cieam
mixture received no heating or cook
ing before il was frozen. A careful
inquiry was made as to whether all of
the persons who had contracted
typhoid fever had taken ice cream.
While, as has been mentioned, it was
found that some of the guests abb
stained from milk as a beverage, 1t
could not be learned that any person
objected to ice cream or did not use
1t. so far as could be developed
therefore. 1t appeared that all of the
persons who had come down with
typhoid fever had used the milk in one
form or another, which had come
from the dealer whose milk supply is
under suspicion.
Every one of the fourteen farms
from which the milk supply of York
Harbor had come was visited. and a
careful investigation was made. in
Guiding the names of the mixers,
their method of milking, whether the
cows were brushed or otherwise
cieansed before milking, the kind of
milk-pail. what was done with the
milk as soon as a pail was filled, the
method of cleansing and caring for
the milk-pails and other dairy uten