BOTULISM AND HOME CANNING 5 



At the same time there may be nausea and vomiting with or without diarrhea. 

 These symptoms seldom persist longer than 48 hours. 



The disturbances of vision which soon follow, as evidenced by a dimness of 

 vision, are often the first indication of the serious nature of the illness. Early 

 in the illness the third cranial nerve is usually involved accompanied by a loss of 

 reflex to light stimulation, and other disturbances of vision. The pupils are often 

 irregular in contour and unequal, and complete loss of accommodation soon 

 follows. 



Swallowing and talking becomes difficult at the same time or soon after the 

 onset of visual disturbance. The tongue may become somewhat enlarged and 

 sluggish in its movement. One of the salient features of botulism is the extreme 

 muscular weakness exhibited by the patient. Mentality is usually unimpaired 

 during the disease. In uncomplicated cases the temperature remains subnormal 

 during the entire illness. 



As the disease progresses the action of the heart muscle becomes impaired and 

 the pulse rate may become very rapid. The combination of rapid pulse and sub- 

 normal temperature is one of the striking features of botulism. As the respir- 

 atory muscles become fatigued there may be partial or complete asphyxia, 

 and death is usually due to cardiac or respiratory failure. 



When recovery does take place, it is an extremely slow and tedious process. 

 When convalescence is complete there seems to be no permanent disability. 



Botulism is characterized by a high mortality rate. Information based on 

 outbreaks in the United States, Canada, and England has established a mortality 

 rate of between 60 and 70 percent. 



TYPICAL CASES OF BOTULISM FROM HOME-CANNED FOODS 



In order to demonstrate the characteristics of botulism outbreaks, the follow- 

 ing cases may be cited: 



1. At Los Angeles, California, in 1920, a woman tasted of string beans from a 

 can which appeared spoiled. She developed botulism and died the sixth day. 

 Fowl botulism was caused among chickens which ate the remnants of the beans 

 (Geiger, Dickson, and Meyer, 1922). 



2. Home-canned string beans caused illness in three persons, two of whom 

 died, at Rocky Ford, Colorado, in 1927. The beans had been put up according 

 to procedure advised by a home canning jar supply company based upon a govern- 

 ment bulletin. The beans had a foul odor during cooking (Tanner, 1933). 



3. Five persons at Pueblo, Colorado, in 1921, developed symptoms of botulism 

 after eating home-canned beets; three of them died. As far as could be deter- 

 mined, the beets possessed no undesirable characteristics (Tanner, 1933). 



4. Three persons died from eating home-canned asparagus at Seattle, Wash- 

 ington, in November, 1917. The asparagus had been canned according to direc- 

 tions for the "cold pack" process and was processed for three hours in boiling 

 water. Remnants of a salad partaken of by those who were ill was fed to chickens. 

 They died of limber-neck, and a bacteriological examination of the crops and 

 gizzards of ten chickens yielded a virulent strain of CI. botulinum, Type A 

 (Damon, 1928). 



5. On Christmas day, 1928, a family from Fredonia, New York, and two 

 from Westfield, New York, assembled in Westfield for a Christmas dinner. 

 Twenty-five people were present, about half of the number being children. The 

 dinner consisted of fresh killed chicken, macaroni and cheese, potatoes, bread, 

 and home-canned green and yellow beans. 



