6 MASS. EXPERIMENT STATION BULLETIN 426 



Six severe cases of typical botulism developed; the first showed symptoms 

 in 24 hours, and the remainder within 72 hours. Of this number one died on 

 the 27th, two on the 28th, and one on the 29th. A later report of a fifth death 

 was received. The first four of these persons ate heartily of the beans, and it is 

 probable the fifth did, also. The sixth, a child of nine years, said she did not, 

 but she had severe typical symptoms. 



Of the remaining persons at dinner, five tasted or, at most, ate only a few beans, 

 and showed some symptoms; two others tasted of the beans but did not become 

 ill; w^hile nine persons who did not partake of this article of food remained well. 

 One child was uncertain as to whether she had eaten of the beans or not, but 

 showed no symptoms; while another, who had tasted of the beans, showed signs 

 of "grippe." • CI. botulinum, Type B, was obtained from the empty jar which 

 had contained the beans (Geiger, Dickson, and Meyer, 1922). 



6. At Santa Cruz, California, in 1943, a woman died as a result of tasting 

 the contents of a jar of home-canned beet greens containing botulinum toxin. 

 The beet greens had not been processed in a pressure canner. When they were 

 opened, it was noticed that they were not good and they were thrown out. Before 

 throwing them out, the woman tasted them and decided definitely that they 

 were not good and spat out what she had put into her mouth. This occurred on 

 Friday and on Tuesday she died. Type A CI. botulinum toxin was isolated from 

 the canned beet greens (California Extension Service, 1943a). 



7. In New Rochelle, New York, three cases of botulism, two of them fatal ' 

 occurred in a family as a result of eating a home-canned eggplant preparation* 

 "The home-canned food mixture consisted of eggplant chiefly, green and red 

 peppers, vegetable oils, tomato, dash of garlic, pepper and salt. This food mixture 

 had been canned in August, 1943, by a member of the household who explained 

 that the eggplant was washed, cut in slices and boiled for five to ten minutes in 

 water with the tomato and garlic. The peppers were washed, cut in slices and 

 fried in an oil product containing choice cottonseed and corn oils and extra fine 

 olive oil. After the cooking process of the peppers and the eggplant had been 

 completed, a portion of each was placed in nine hot sterile glass jars and sealed. 

 The food was not processed in a water bath after it had been sealed. The food 

 had not been heated before serving." A laboratory diagnosis showed that 

 Type B botulinum toxin was present in the product (Hicks, 1944). 



From a study of available information regarding botulism outbreaks from 

 home-canned foods, it is obvious that almost without exception they have been 

 caused by carelessness and the use of faulty canning techniques. The use of 

 water bath processing or the open kettle canning method for low-acid foods with 

 their resultant understerilization has been responsible for many outbreaks. It 

 is likely that most of these outbreaks would not have occurred had the food been 

 cooked sufficiently to destroy the toxin after removal from the can. A good 

 illustration of this is shown in the outbreaks which occurred when a housewife 

 tasted of the product before cooking it and then cooked it prior to serving on 

 the table. In some such cases the housewife died while the rest of the family 

 who partook of the cooked product were not stricken. Some cases of botulism 

 from home-canned foods processed in a pressure canner have been reported. In 

 such instances the underprocessing of the product probably resulted because 

 the pressure canner w^as not in good condition or not correctly operated or im- 

 proper process times were emploj'ed. 



OUTBREAKS OF BOTULISM FROM HOME-CANNED FOODS 



Unfortunately it is impossible to obtain a true picture of the number of out- 

 breaks of botulism caused by home-canned foods. It is not a common and wide- 

 spread type of poisoning and because of the infrequency of outbreaks it is not 



