250:. Conn, with help from the City of Edinburgh Health Department, took samples from the sewer and surface water drain system. They discovered an improper connection which meant raw sewage was passing straight into the river. After identifying the housing tenement with the connection problem, Conn found that the source of the typhoid bacteria was a 76 year old woman who was completely asymptomatic. The woman had lived in the house for 13 years and had never once been abroad.
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bacterium was a rare, Asiatic form, Conn was able to link the asymptomatic carrier to several other local typhoid cases dating back to 1963. If not for Conn's detective work and the faulty sewer connection, the source patient would never have known she was carrying the bacterium. All of Conn's work
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She worked at the
Central Microbiological Laboratories at Edinburgh's Western General Hospital until December 1972, when she became a consultant and the Deputy Director of the Western Regional Hospital Board in Glasgow. She retired in 1979. She was a
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and the river was cleaned. Subsequent actions were taken to further clean the rivers in Leith, such as the "Operation
Riverbank" in 1983.
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took place over two months and no further typhoid cases were admitted to the hospital after the source was discovered.
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Conn's systematic investigation stopped a typhoid outbreak in
Edinburgh, as locals ceased drinking from the
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214:. She died aged 93 on 20 March 2013. An imagined exhibition demonstrating her work can be found at the
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N.K. Conn et al. (1972) Water-borne typhoid fever caused by an unusual Vi-phage type in
Edinburgh.
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395:"The incredible story of Dr Nancy Conn, who saved '70s Edinburgh from typhoid using sanitary pads"
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In the summer of 1970, several patients were admitted to the
Infectious Diseases Hospital at
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Conn, Nancy K.; Heymann, C. S.; Jamieson, A.; McWilliam, Joan M.; Scott, T. G. (June 1972).
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Conn, Nancy K.; Heymann, C. S.; Jamieson, A.; McWilliam, Joan M.; Scott, T. G. (June 1972).
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as water sampling devices, Conn narrowed down the source to a surface water drain in
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N.K. Conn (1970) A study of some of the methods of urinary collection in children.
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668:"Water-borne typhoid fever caused by an unusual Vi-phage type in Edinburgh"
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N.K. Conn and R.J. Farrand (1970) Shellfish
Toxicity in Scotland, 1969.
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for
Scotland as an adolescent, named in team photographs as A.K. Conn.
178:, Scotland to James Charles Conn and Margaret Aitken. Her father was a
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N.K. Conn et al. (1959) Systemic candidiasis and endocarditis due to
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known primarily for her work on preventing the spread of
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Agnes "Nancy" Kirkland Conn was born on 27 June 1919 in
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288:N.K. Conn (1969) Coliform bacteraemia in infants.
557:Sears, Charles (2013). "Agnes Kirkland Conn".
358:Sears, Charles (2013). "Agnes Kirkland Conn".
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732:People educated at the High School of Dundee
194:, and in 1945 graduated M.B.,Ch.B from the
442:. Edinburgh: Oliver and Boyd. p. 131.
425:. Edinburgh: Oliver and Boyd. p. 486.
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182:minister, who in 1926 was transferred to
535:Report of the Medical Officer of Health
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747:20th-century Scottish women scientists
737:Alumni of the University of St Andrews
422:Fasti Ecclesiae Scoticanae. Vol. VIII
238:and had drunk the river water. Using
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166:in Edinburgh in the summer of 1970.
439:Fasti Ecclesiae Scoticanae Vol. III
140:Western General Hospital, Edinburgh
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513:"Nancy Conn – Old Weird Scotland"
593:"Dr Agnes (Nancy) Conn Obituary"
304:Journal of Clinical Pathology,
597:Edinburgh Evening News Notices
325:doi:10.1177/003693307001500502
298:doi:10.1177/003693306901400104
16:Scottish scientist (1919–2013)
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339:doi:10.1017/s0022172400022300
253:Since the phage type of the
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144:Greater Glasgow Health Board
538:. City of Glasgow. c. 1970s
212:National Trust for Scotland
158:(1919–2013) was a Scottish
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284:doi:10.1136/bmj.1.5127.944
684:10.1017/s0022172400022300
635:10.1017/s0022172400022300
484:British Newspaper Archive
458:British Newspaper Archive
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742:Scottish bacteriologists
317:Scottish Medical Journal
290:Scottish Medical Journal
192:University of St Andrews
98:University of St Andrews
310:doi:10.1136/jcp.23.1.81
280:British Medical Journal
216:Glasgow Science Centre
222:1970 typhoid outbreak
188:High School of Dundee
88:High School of Dundee
210:and a member of the
436:Scott, Hew (1920).
419:Scott, Hew (1950).
196:Bute Medical School
35:Agnes Kirkland Conn
672:Journal of Hygiene
623:Journal of Hygiene
331:Journal of Hygiene
198:there. She played
180:Church of Scotland
67:Bearsden, Scotland
49:Barrhead, Scotland
571:10.1136/bmj.f7263
372:10.1136/bmj.f7263
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120:Scientific career
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136:Institutions
130:Bacteriology
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61:(2013-03-20)
45:27 June 1919
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727:2013 deaths
722:1919 births
518:13 February
240:Dr. White's
208:Soroptimist
74:Nationality
716:Categories
345:References
337:: 245-253
323:: 169-171
41:1919-06-27
602:27 August
542:26 August
490:27 August
464:26 August
404:26 August
109:Edinburgh
84:Education
579:57160463
380:57160463
308:: 81-84
296:: 23-28
248:Colinton
176:Barrhead
114:outbreak
78:Scottish
702:4555889
693:2130034
653:4555889
644:2130034
164:typhoid
112:typhoid
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565:: 28.
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366:: 28.
242:brand
200:hockey
126:Fields
575:S2CID
376:S2CID
230:with
698:PMID
649:PMID
604:2020
544:2020
520:2023
492:2020
466:2020
406:2020
170:Life
56:Died
31:Born
688:PMC
680:doi
639:PMC
631:doi
567:doi
563:347
559:BMJ
368:doi
364:347
360:BMJ
142:,
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500:^
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