EXAMINATION OF SHELL FISH 485 
Other weather conditions. 
The day and hour of the removal of the stock from the water. 
The conditions under which the stock has been kept since removal 
from the water and prior to the taking of the sample. 
The day and hour of the taking of the sample. 
Transportation of the Sample. The oysters so selected shall be 
packed in suitable metal or pasteboard containers of such size and 
shape that a number of them can be enclosed in a shipping case capable of 
satisfactory refrigeration by means of ice. The important points in 
this connection are: 
A. The prevention of the mixing of the oyster liquor of different 
samples, and of the mixing of the ice water with the oysters. 
B. The icing of the samples, if they are not to arrive at the point of 
laboratory examination inside of thirty-six hours, or, if the outside tem- 
perature is above 50° F. 
It is not necessary to enclose the oysters in an absolutely tight con- 
tainer, providing the above conditions are maintained. 
Condition of Samples. Record shall be made of the general condi- 
tion of the oysters when received, especially whether the shells are open 
or closed; of the presence of abnormal odors; and of the temperature 
of the stock. 
Technical Procedure. The bacteriological examination shall be 
started as soon as possible after the receipt of the sample. 
The oysters shall be thoroughly cleaned with a stiff brush and clean 
running water and then dried. The edges of the shell shall be passed 
through the flame or burned with alcohol. 
The opening of the shell shall be accomplished by either of the fol- 
lowing methods: 
A. By the use of a sterile oyster knife in the usual manner. 
B. By drilling through a flamed portion of the shell near the hinge 
with a sterile drill. The drill shall be sterilized, and the site of the oper- 
ation on the shell shall be flamed at least once during the drilling process. 
Bacterial Counts. Bacterial counts shall be made of a composite 
sample of each lot obtained by mixing the shell liquor of five oysters. 
Agar shall be used for the culture medium and in general the pro- 
cedure shall be in accordance with the method recommended for the 
examination of water by the Committee on Standard Methods of Water 
Analysis of the American Public Health Association. 
The water used for dilution purposes shall contain 1 per cent of 
sodium chloride, in order to approximate the natural salinity of oyster 
liquor. 
