70 EXPEEIMENT STATION RECORD. 



A dish of spaghetti was prepared in the laboratory under conditions simulat- 

 ing as nearly as possible those under which the original dish had been pre- 

 pared, and inoculated with a broth culture of the typhoid bacillus of the strain 

 obtained from the carrier. This material, which was 5 in. deep and from 9 to 

 13 in. in diameter, was baked in the hot oven of an ordinary gas range for 15 

 minutes. At the end of this time the temperature in the middle of the spaghetti 

 had risen from 16 to 17° C. and after standing in the room for one-half hour 

 rose to 21° as the heat penetrated to the inner portion. Cultures made from 

 the contents of the dish at various depths, after this baking, all developed 

 colonies of the typhoid bacillus. 



The spaghetti was next introduced into a hot air sterilizer, which had been 

 heated to between 160 and 170°, and was subjected to tliis temperature for 30 

 minutes. At the end of that time the appearance of the dish suggested thor- 

 ough cooking but the temperature at the top was found to be 54° and at the 

 middle only 23°. Cultures made from the contents of the dish, at various 

 depths, after this baking showed the presence of typhoid bacilli. 



Tlie dish of spaghetti was finally introduced into an oven maintained at 

 207 to 214° and subjected to this temperature for one-half hour. Examination 

 of the dish at the end of this period showed the temperature just beneath the 

 surface of the spaghetti to be 83°, at the middle 28°, and at the bottom 48°. 

 After standing in the room for one hour the temperatures were 46° near the 

 top, 42.5° at the middle, and 43° near the bottom. Cultures taken from the 

 middle of the dish showed an abundance of typhoid bacilli. These results 

 showed conclusively that the baking, which the dish had received after being 

 infected, was not sufficient to produce sterilization. 



Portions of the sauce were sterilized, inoculated with the same strain of 

 the typhoid bacillus, and allowed to incubate. A study of the rate of develop- 

 ment of the bacteria showed the sauce to be a good culture medium for the 

 typhoid bacillus, although somewhat inferior to sterilized skim milk. In the 

 opinion of the author the results of this investigation demonstrate that " cooketl 

 dishes must be considered as possible conveyers of infection unless it can be 

 shown that the method of cooking would produce complete sterilization. The 

 slowness with which heat penetrates dishes like the Spanish spaghetti shows 

 that very prolonged heating would be necessary for sterilization of large 

 dishes of such food. Ordinary baking merely incubates the interior of the.'^e 

 masses of food." 



Some results of the first year's -work of the New York State Commission 

 on Ventilation, C. E. A. Winslow, D. D. Kimball, F. S. Lee, J. A. Miller. 

 E. B. Phelps, E. L. Thorndike, and G. T. Palmer {Amer. Jour. Pub. Health, 

 5 (1915), No. 2, pp. 85-118, figs. 11). — The problems studied by the commission 

 during the first year involved chiefly the determination of biological standards 

 for good ventilation, and dealt mainly witli the investigations of the physiological 

 effects of high heat, alone or combined with high humidity, chemical effluvia of 

 various sorts resulting from human occupancy, drafts or exposure to cold air, 

 and air of extremely low humidity. 



It was found that a very high room temperature, such as 86° F. with SO per 

 cent relative humidity, produced slight but distinct elevation of body tempera- 

 ture, an increase in declining heart rate, a very slight lowering of systolic blood 

 pressure, and other physiological derangements. These extreme conditions of 

 temperature and humidity, however, showed no effect upon rate of respiration, 

 respiratory quotient, rate of heat production, rate of digestion, and carbohydrate 

 or protein metabolism : nor was the actual power to do either mental or physical 

 work diminished, but the inclination to do such work was diminished. 



