The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1916-06-28

nation of livestock at the Beaver Brook farm by inspectors, that the city having no properly equipped laboratory for pathogenic investiga- ton has relied upon outsiders with the result that delays in getting official re- ports have been encountered, that all the milk supply from the Beaver Brook farm has been stopped in Bridgeport while a critical eXamina- | tion of every COW and person on the | farm is under way.
 1 Health Officer Mcclellan in outlining ] the efforts of the local board of health in determining the cause of infection said in detail today: When infection was first suspected in Beaver Brook milk Inspector A. c. Knapp and Rr. R. D. Martin, attached to the office of 1 the Commissioner of Domestic Ami mals, the latter also veterinarian em- | ployed by the farm, were sent to in | spect the herd. The report returned was that the cows showed no indica- i tions of disease. | 'sAs milk is practically sterile when drawn from the COW, sources of 1nfec- ton were sought in the milk1nen and | the apparatus used for milking. EIV- erything seemed to show that the most sanitary methods were used. The management reported that in order to ascertain whether udder inflammation existed their men were instructed to | test each quarter of the COW by hand
 
 before the automatic milking devices were utilized.
 | "If examination now being conduct ed proves that infection did exist through failure of the human element the Introduction of mechanical means in milking will hereafter rest under a cloud.
 'I do not believe that the inspectors have looked for sore threats in the cows for it would be hard to transmit ba cteri9 from the throat the milk can, nature having provided for con- plete sterilization of milk in the mann
 mallary process, but every means will now be taken in the critical examina- tiOn that is in progress
 Samples of mixed milk were sent to the state meteorological laboratory
 but no official report of the tests has
 reached us. Later we took smears from the threats of every man on the 1 farm which have been sent to the state bacteriologist for examination.
 No report may be expected for several
 days.
 We carefully investigated a report
 that the dairy was buying milk from
 other sources and have definitely as- certaHned from the management of the
 farm that not one drop of purchased
 milk was ever shipped to Bridgeport
 We also traced a runor that in. lection existed in New Haven from milk from the same source and found
 
 1sted before it was located in Bridge port.
 The fact that one employees of the | Beaver Brook farm was suffering witt i quinsy sore throat was carefully look.
 ed into and we ascertained that the
 case had been a mild one, attended by Dr. Ives of Milford, who resortec
 to lancing. The diptheretic possibil ity in this case was eliminated by re suits of the investigation.
 '-Dr. Ober, the local bacteriologist did not examine this milk for tn, not adequate. We are prepared and other contamination. No path ogenic examination can be conducted
 All suspicious cases must be trans } mitted to the state laboratories. t'It must be remembered that iT microscopic examination of milk but ] a very minute quantity can be viewed 7 and it is quite likely that harmful l bacteria would escape observation o1 l including pr. Lewis, the noted Yale
 professor, are said to have examined Beaver Brook milk and reported i 5 free from bacteria. Bacteria is al ways present in milk but not in a de l gree harmful to persons. To ascer l tain absolutely that such is the case [ continued and protracted examina l tions must be resorted to. The ship
 ment of milk from Beaver Brook farm has been stepped until the cause O. S infection has been ascertafned. = This epidemic, grave as 1t is, il