1895.] MICROSCOPICAL JOURNAL. 15 



sources which supplied otlier clubs and a large part of 

 the town's people and could, therefore, not have been the 

 cause of the special infection confined to these three 

 fraternities. 



As soon, however, as it was found that the three fra- 

 ternities each ate raw oysters from the same oyster 

 dealer, the problems began, one after the other, to be 

 solved. It was found that none of the other four frater- 

 nities ate these raw oysters. Two of them ate no oys- 

 ters, a third ate oysters which had been cooked, and the 

 fourth obtained oysters from an entirely different source. 

 Nor could it be learned that the lot of oysters had been 

 used raw to any extent among the people in town, most 

 people cooking their oysters. Another one of the abov^e 

 mentioned exceptions was also explained at once, because 

 the student upon being questioned, stated that about 

 the time of tne initiation suppers he had eaten of the raw 

 oysters in the store of the oyster dealer. The oysters 

 in question were served at each fraternity on the half 

 shell at the beginning of the supper, and it was, there- 

 fore, almost certain that every person who attended the 

 banquet ate of them. Corresponpence and questioning, 

 however, were immediately instituted which resulted in 

 tracing in this way a connection between every student 

 who was suffering from typhoid and these oysters, with 

 one doubtful exception of a student who has not yet been 

 personally questioned. It was learned also that there 

 were in attendance upon these three suppers, in addition 

 to the students in the college, a considerable number of 

 alumni from out of town, and five students from Yale 

 college. Letters were immediately written, therefore, to 

 all of these persons to learn if they had eaten of the raw 

 oysters, and whether they had suffered from any febril 

 disturbances. It must be remembered that the alumni 

 were, as a rule, considerably older than the students and 

 it was, therefore, to be expected that the alumni would 



