274 BACTERIA IN OTHER FOODS 



(1) That in a number of cases of illness occurring among young 

 persons of a susceptible age, the symptoms were strictly identical, 

 and were characteristic of poisoning by ingestion of toxic material. 



(2) That the cases reported followed the ingestion of ice-creams. 



(3) That ice-creams subsequently obtained at shops frequented 

 by the patients contained bacilli of a virulent character. 



(4) That the symptoms observed were those generally following 

 the ingestion of material containing such bacilli. 



(5) That where pathogenic bacilli were found, the ices had been 

 manufactured under insanitary conditions. The majority of the 

 manufacturers are aliens, and although the premises may be kept in 

 a fairly sanitary condition, their personal habits unfortunately leave 

 much to be desired where the preparation of food is concerned. 



Dr Klein examined 24 samples of ice-cream from the same 

 locality, and found 13 (or 54 per cent.) to be poisonous to guinea- 

 pigs.* The writer traced 18 cases of typhoid fever in 1902 to the 

 consumption of contaminated ice-cream.-)- Owing to outbreaks of 

 this nature the London County Council (General Powers) Act, 1902 

 (sects. 42-45), has given powers for controlling this trade : 



(a) Ice-cream must be made and stored in sanitary premises. 



(b) It must not be made or stored in living rooms. 



(c) Strict precautions must be taken as to protection from con- 

 tamination. 



(d) Cases of infectious disease must be reported. 



(e) The name and address of the maker must appear on street 

 barrows. 



These regulations are new for London, though they have practi- 

 cally been in existence in Glasgow since 1895, and in Liverpool since 

 1898. 



It should not be forgotten that ice-cream may have deleterious 

 effects on the consumer owing to its low temperature or to the 

 presence of alkaloidal poisons of the nature of tyro-toxicon which 

 have been detected in such substance as well as in milk (Mount 

 Morgan outbreak) and cheese (Michigan and Finsbury outbreaks). 



Ice contains bacteria in varying quantities, from 20 per c.c. to 

 10,000 or more. Nor is variation in number affected alone by the 

 conditions of the water, for samples collected from one and the same 

 place differ widely. The quality follows in large measure the 

 standard of the water. 



Water bacteria, B. coli, putrefactive and even pathogenic bacteria, 

 have been found in ice. Many organisms can live without much 

 difficulty, and are most numerous in ice containing air-bubbles. 



* Report of Medical Officer of City of London, 1902, pp. 116-26. 

 t Report on Health of Finsbury, 1902, p. 67. 



