FOODS AND PUBLIC HEALTH U 



linus bacillus, in its several types, is widely distributed over the United 

 States and Europe, and is found also in other parts of the world. 



The most prominent symptoms of botulism are prostration, dryness of 

 mouth, difficulty of swallowing, indistinct or double vision, and sometimes nausea 

 and vomiting. Intestinal pain and fever are not usual unless other contaminat- 

 ing bacteria are present also. Death usually results from paralysis of breath- 

 ing. 



A typical outbreak of botulism was reported from western New York 

 State (23). A Christmas dinner was served to 22 people, members of 

 three families. Later investigation indicated that home-canned (cold-pack 

 method) string beans were the responsible food. The beans were re- 

 ported to have tasted somewhat sour, and all who ate them became 

 ill with typical symptoms of botulism. Ten persons became ill and five 

 died, all but one of them in four or five days. The other members of 

 the party did not eat the beans, and none of them became ill. 



In botulism, as in food poisoning, there is seldom any of the offend- 

 ing food available for examination by the time the outbreak becomes 

 evident. The woman who had prepared the meal became quite ill early 

 and died, so no direct information about the beans could be obtained. 

 An empty jar was found which probably had contained the beans. It 

 was empty but had a little rinse water in it which yielded a culture of 

 the botulinus bacillus. Some home-canned (cold-pack method) eggplant 

 from the same home also yielded cultures of the bacillus. The evidence 

 against the beans was circumstantial but convincing. 



Botulism differs from Salmonella and Staphylococcus food poisoning 

 in that it is, for the most part, a disease of the home rather than of 

 public eating places. This is because home-canned foods are usually 

 the source of the poisoning. Factory-canned foods sometimes contain 

 botulinus toxin; for instance. Tanner (16) reports a number of outbreaks 

 traced to factory-canned olives and others attributed to a miscellaneous 

 list of canned foods such as corn, onions (shalots), and sweet corn. 

 Modern industrial packing processes are so perfected, however, that there 

 is little danger from them. A vast majority of outbreaks of botulism 

 result from home-canned foods. The botulinus bacillus grows and pro- 

 duces toxin most readily in meats and in non-acid vegetables such as 

 string beans, peas, spinach, beets, asparagus, and sweet corn. Meats and 

 string beans appear to be the most frequent sources of the poisoning. 

 A few instances have been reported (16) in which the toxin developed in 

 canned fruit, canned pears for example. 



Preventive Measures 



The danger of botulism from home-canned foods is sufficiently great 

 to justify the greatest care, on the part of the housewife, in the choice of 

 canning methods. The cold-pack method so commonly used is depend- 

 able, if it is properly carried out, for use with tomatoes and acid fruits, 

 because the botulinus bacillus does not flourish in an acid environment. 

 The bacillus produces spores which are quite resistant to the cold-pack 

 processing temperature, and the only safe method for processing non- 

 acid foods is in a pressure cooker. Steam under pressure is hotter and 

 has greater penetrating power than has steam in an open kettle. At least 

 ten pounds pressure, for not less than thirty minutes, is usually 

 recommended. Farmers' Bulletin 1471, issued bv the United States De- 



