130 TWENTY -FIRST RErORT. 



soup ; those remaining were left clear. All those cans were heated in a pres- 

 sure cooker for 1.5 hours at 27 pounds pressure, the pressure at which the 

 safety valve was regulated. The gas was shut off at the end of this time and 

 the pressure was allowed to go down gradually without opening the pet cock. 

 As soon as the cover was removed, the cans were taken out, the covers clamped 

 down immediately, tested for leakage and then stored in a cool place. One 

 or two cans were opened and used during the winter and the contents were 

 excellent. Later in the season, about the middle of April. 1918, one of the 

 cans of chicken soup (without cereal) was taken from storage for immediate 

 use and upon examination, it appeared to be leaking. There was no question 

 of spoilage, as the odor around the rubber was extremely vile. Although the 

 appearance of the can was not noticeably different from normal, no one pos- 

 sessing even a poorly developed sense of smell would ever think of tasting 

 the contents of this can. 



Bacteriological analysis of the liquid from this can resulted in the isola- 

 tion of an anaerobe resembling B. botiiUnus morphologically. One-tenth of a 

 cubic centimeter of the soup was fed to a guinea pig (weight 602 gms.) and 

 the same amount heated to SCi degrees to destroy any toxin present was fed 

 to a second guinea pig (weight 407 gms.) Api'il 20. During a period of 15 days 

 the guinea pig which received the heated soup gradually became more and 

 more emaciated, and finally was found dead the morning of May 4th. Cultures 

 were made from various parts of the body and organs, but anaerobic growth 

 was present only in those taken from the stomach and intestinal contents. 

 The work with these cultures had to stop at this time and has not been resumed 

 since. 



A point worthy- of note in connection with the experiment just cited is 

 the fact that the guinea pig was killed by eating the heated soup, which would 

 not be expected if an ordinary toxin was present. This particular feeding 

 experiment was not repeated, but similar results were obtained in guinea pig 

 feeding experiments, using heated and unheated pea juice obtained from cans 

 of spoiled peas which had produced serious illness on tasting. Tlie guinea 

 pigs fed the heated pea juice died first in every case. This experiment is 

 being repeated with filtered pea juice and 'chicken soup. The pigs now showing 

 symptoms are those fed with filtered heated juice. These peas had been cainied 

 by the cold pack method and heated three hours in a water bath. My personal 

 experiences in feeding experimental animals with heated pea juice (heated 

 to 80 degrees only) make me hesitate to advise the safety of eating of suspi- 

 cious canned vegetables, even after boiling them for five minutes. (Burke; 

 p. 92, Jour. Amor. Med. Assn. 72, Jan. 11, 1919). 



Another- example of an anaerobic organism resembling B. botulinus mor- 

 phologically, Miss Ruth Normington isolated from canned peas, whose com- 

 plete history is known. The pint Mason jar containing the peas, was auto- 

 claved for one hour at 15 pounds i)ressure : all other directions for the cold 



