ONE FOSSIBILITY OF INFECHNG OYSTERS 
With TYPHOID: BAGIEEL 
By CYRUS“ WO FIELD) M.D: 
ASSISTANT BACTERIOLOGIST, DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH, N. Y. 
HIS work was undertaken at the suggestion of Dr. William 
H. Park, Director, Research Laboratory, Health Depart- 
ment, to determine whether or not the oyster could be a means of 
infection, and, if so, under what conditions it would act in this 
manner. The oysters were kept at the New York Aquarium, 
where all facilities were granted. 
TECHNIQUE. 
The oysters were placed in large glass jars containing about 
8 gallons of sea water, balanced with vegetable life. The specific 
gravity of this water varied from 1.012—-1.014, which was much 
lower than that of deep-sea water, but not very different in any 
respect from that over the oyster beds in most localities where 
oysters are grown for the market. 
The first tank was infected by introducing a litre of a 24-hours 
bouillon culture of Bacillus typhosus, and thoroughly mixing it. 
At the end of 24 hours the water in the tank was discolored, and 
at the end of three days was very foul. The oysters were tightly 
closed. In this first experiment there were placed in the tank, 
besides the oysters, some soft-shell and little-neck clams. The 
little-neck clams were as tightly closed as the oysters, but the 
soft-shell clams had their siphons fully extended and some were 
evidently dead, as they did not retract them on their being 
touched, while others retracted them but slowly. 
It was evident that the tank was now unbalanced; that is, the 
vegetable life in it failed to give off sufficient oxygen to support 
. the animal life, and that the mollusks were rapidly dying. 
They were removed, and three oysters and two clams were ex- 
amined. In oyster No. 1 no typhoid organisms were found. This 
