20 SEWAGE-POLLUTED OYSTERS AS CAUSE OF TYPHOID. 



After arriving at the music hall, the oyster shells were carefully 

 scrubbed at the nearby pump, just described as the source of water 

 used for this banquet. These shells were cleaned by two men who 

 used new brushes and the cleansed shells were placed in clean tubs. 

 The same men who scrubbed the shells had done so on two former 

 occasions of this character and no epidemics of typhoid followed 

 those banquets. The previous history of these two individuals is 

 well known by the health officer, and they never have had typhoid 

 fever. They are cleanly in their habits, and an examination of their 

 urine by the Lederle Laboratories gave negative results for typhoid 

 bacilli. 



This detailed account of these oyster shells is given because a 

 report was circulated, by some one who had not investigated the 

 matter, that the oyster shells were responsible for the illnesses fol- 

 lowing the banquet. The possibility of the oysters becoming con- 

 taminated from old infected shells was recognized, but careful investi- 

 gation and consideration of all the facts in the case show no basis 

 whatever for such a conclusion. The physical characters of these 

 shells will be described later in connection with the differentiation 

 of the oysters used at the banquet. 



SOURCE OF THE OYSTERS. 



At the time of making the first two visits to Goshen the writer was 

 informed that all oysters sold by dealer C were received from dealer 

 E of New York City, and accordingly the oysters served at the Mini- 

 sink banquet were said to have come from the above firm. A visit 

 to dealer E revealed the fact that one barrel of shell oysters had been 

 shipped from New York City on October 2, reaching Goshen on the 

 3d, ^ or two days before the banquet. The purchase and sale books 

 of the New York firm showed that these oysters came from the 

 Great Kills oyster grounds off the south side of Staten Island, N. Y. 

 From the past history of these grounds it did not seem probable 

 that shellfish from this locality would give rise to so many cases of 

 typhoid fever and diarrhea; thus additional evidence was necessary 

 to solve the problem as to the origin of the oysters. 



At the time of making the third visit to Goshen, a complete list 

 of all the shipments made by express or freight to dealer C within 

 one week prior to the banquet v/as obtained. The Wells, Fargo 

 Express Co. is the only express company represented at Goshen; 

 thus a search of this company's records was sufficient to give complete 

 information. The list of express articles for this period could not 

 be identified by dealer C, as his bookkeeping was incomplete; thus 

 it became necessary to inspect the records of the general office of the 



1 Wells, Fargo & Co. express waybill 2, clerk 66, weight 275 pounds, New York, N. Y., Oct. 2. 1911, 

 1 barrel oysters. 



