New Britain herald., 1916-11-29
Contaminated Milk Shakes Seems
 to Have Caused the Disease DIAGNOSIS IN SEVEN CASES
Lyman Burt Agrees to Stop Selling Milk Pending Developments-Pa- trOns of Soda Fountain Affected Widow of Three Weeks Weeds

While admitting that positive proof of the source of Plainvilles typhoid epidemic which may be yet in it's in- cipient stage, will depend on later de- velopments, Dr. J. N. Bull, the town health officer, today announced that he feels satisfied that the disease has been contracted from contaminated milk. After an investigation which was practically concluded yesterday afternoon when Dr. Black, of the state board of health, came here to go over the situation with the local physician, it was found that the seven people, whose illness has been diag- nosed positively as typhoid fever had been using milk sold by Lyman Burt and that they contracted the disease from the fluid. Whether the milk was contaminated at the time of it's delivery or whether the germs found their way into 1t later is seemingly the only question on which hinges positive solution of the problem as to where the epidemic got it's start.
 AS a precautionary measure pr. Bull yesterday suggested that MT. Burt give up delivering milk pend
 
 milkman was willing to follow. In fact MT. Burt accepted the sugges- ton with commando ble quickness and offered no complaint, although stat ing that the milk he sold was pure as far as he knew. Examination of MT. Burt's farm revealed that the place is kept in sanitary fashion. Four other farms from which MT. Burt gets ho health officers report that they found no evidence of insanitary conditions.
 Drinkers of milk shakes purchased at the soda fountain in Louis Con- forti's store appear to be the hard est hit by the epidemic. Six of the seven people now i'll with the disease were patrons of the place and at some time during the past few weeks had drank milk shakes served to them. The other patient used milk delivered at her home by MT. Burt.
 Besides Rosario Pettinato, who died from the disease Monday at St. Fran cis' hospital, those whose illness is said to be unquestionably typhoid are his sister, Mary Rosario, who is also at St. Francis hospital; Lloyd Ed wards, patient at the Hartford hos pftal; Clifford Lee, a colored boy; William Allen of Canal street; William Hirsch of Mountain View and Miss Gertrude Barnes of Broad street The last mentioned is the only one not consumer at Conforti's. Milk sold by MT. Burt has been used at her home, however, and 1t is thought that she contracted the disease through this source.
 At least four other young people
  question during the past few weeks are i'll and while the attending physi- clans are not ready to state that they have made positive diagnosis of the cases, they admit that symptoms of typhoid fever have manifested them selves.
 According to informa ton secured bv the health officer MT. Burt has been delivering milk to twenty three fam flies in addition to serving two stores, one of which is owned by MT. Confor- ti. As far as Is known, Miss Barnes is the only user of milk delivered by MT. Burt, who did not drink the milk shakes. For that reason the author ities are not willing to state conclu- sively that the milk was infected be- fore 1t was delivered Neither can they tell at this time that it was con- taminated in the store. Conditions developing in the homes of the people whom Mr. Burt has served will give the health officer better opportunity to decide as to the original source of the epidemic
 Among those now sick, whose con- dition is causing some anxiety, is son of George Bryant, an ice dealer, James Foran and Clayton Lawrence. None of them Is seriously i'll but the fact that they are thought to have drank milk shakes served at Confor- IT .~ M