Allison and Brown (1936) showed that haemolytic streptococci may spread in measles wards as a secondary transmissible infection superimposed on the primary viruscaused disease. Their findings were confirmed by Wright, Cruickshank, and Gunn (1944), who showed in addition that dust particles are possibly an important mneans of streptococcal carriage in measles wards. They found that the oiling of blankets, bed linen, garments, and floors in a measles ward resulted in a 98 % reduction in the numbers of haemolytic streptococci in the air during bed-making, when compared with the numbers in the air of an unoiled control ward; and that the streptococcal cross-infection rate among the patients fell from 58.1 % during a preliminary period with oiled floor alone to 18.6% when, in addition, oiled bed-clothes, garments, and ward linen were in use. The comparable cross-infection rates for the same periods in the unoiled ward were 53.3 % and 73.3 % respectively. The method of laundry oiling was described by Harwood, Powney, and Edwards (1944).Research on the control of air-borne infection was stimulated during the recent war by the occurrence if respiratory infection among men in barracks and other establishments. British workers demonstrated a great increase in numbers of dust-borne streptococci and other bacteria in the air of Army quarters and hospital wards during bed-making and sweeping, and successfully controlled dust-spread bacteria by the application of dustlaying oils to textiles and floors (van den Ende et al., 1940(van den Ende et al., , 1941 van den Ende and Thomas, 1941;. American workers confirmed these observations and introduced new methods of oil application (Robertson et al., 1944; Commissions on Acute Respiratory Diseases and on Air-borne Infections, 1946;Loosli et al., 1946;. In field trials they secured evidence that oiling floors and blankets reduced the incidence of haemolytic streptococcal infection among troops (Commission on Air-borne Infections, to be published).Scope of the Investigation Although the good results of dust control in a measles ward recorded by Wright, Cruickshank, and Gunn (1944) appeared clear-cut, it is notoriously difficult to make strict comparisons between one hospital ward and another. It seemed important, therefore, to repeat the experiment during another measles epidemic and in another hospital. At the same time nursing techniques and other matters, the importance of which had emerged dulring the first experiment, were standardized so far as possible. The investigation was undertaken during 19 consecutive weeks in 1945 in two first-floor measles wards of identical size, design, and aspect. Each ward had a side-room for two cots. In the oiled ward (opened on Jan. 28 and closed on June 7) the following dust-suppressive measures were taken: The floor of the main ward, which was of wood, was treated with spindle oil immediately before the start of the investigation and monthly thereafter (the floor of the side-room, sanitary annexes, and passages could not be oiled, as they ...
