192 REPORT OF THE COMMISSIONER OF FISHERIES. 



In brief, the results of their experiments are the following: "The 

 03"ster does not, under normal conditions, contain, either within its 

 body or in the liquor inclosed by its shell, any microbe than can grow 

 in phenolated gelatin or in phenol broth." Three species of bacteria 

 were isolated from normal 03^sters. "A minute motile bacillus, capa- 

 ble of liquefying gelatin very rapidly," is "by far the most abundant 

 micro-organism in the ordinary oyster." " Occcasionally only, a spore- 

 forming, motile bacillus is also obtained, which corresponds culturally 

 to B. vulgatus. A nonliquefjdng bacillus is, too, as a rule, present, 

 which differs culturally from B. coll in the circumstance that it will 

 not grow in broth at ST'-* C. The number of microbes of the above 

 sorts present in the liquor and in the body of the oyster varies greatly 

 in different samples; of oysters from the same batch, some afford few, 

 some innumerable colonies to the gelatin-plate culture test. Having 

 satisfied myself in the above sense that bacteria of excremental origin 

 are not, in the ordinary course, apt to be contained within 03^sters, I 

 set nwself to ascertain whether B. coll and B. ti/j?kosus were not dis- 

 coverable in 03'sters * * * from sources under more or less sus- 

 picion of sewage contamination." 



The media used for these tests were phenol broth and gelatin. The 

 results of the examination show that " 03"sters from a few out of 

 numerous batches derived from sources where the}^ did appear to be 

 exposed to risk of sewage contamination were found to exhibit colon 

 bacilli. In one case where the circumstances were especially sus- 

 picious, Eberth's typhoid bacillus was found in the mingled body 

 and liquor of the 03'ster." Though Doctor Klein regards the presence 

 of colon organisms in 03"sters as an indication of sewage contamina- 

 tion, he was not able to show a constant relation between sewage con- 

 tamination of the water and the presence of these organisms in shell- 

 fish. Certain batches of 03\sters from apparentl3" polluted waters were 

 found to contain B. coll, while other lots from apparentl3^ equally 

 polluted sources did not give positive reactions for this bacillus. 



In 1894 was published the report of Doctor Conn's careful investi- 

 gation of the famous outbreak of t3"phoid fever, which occurred at 

 Wesleyan University in October of that vear. The account of this 

 epidemic is familiar to all, and onl3^ the main facts of the case will be 

 referred to at this time. On October 12 seven college fraternities 

 had their initiation ceremonies and celebrated in the usual way with a 

 supper. Eight da3^s after several students were reported sick, with a 

 moderate degree of fever, and shortl3' after J^ovember 1 twenty-three 

 cases of typhoid fever had developed. Investigation proved beyond a 

 shadow of doubt that the water supply was above suspicion and that 

 the sanitary condition of the boarding and lodging houses was perfect. 

 All the men affected were members of three fraternities which had 

 obtained their 03^sters from a local dealer. One other fraternity had 



