i 4 4 THOMPSON YATES LABORATORIES. REPORT 
demonstrated virulent enteritidis spores in two out of two samples of rice, and 
Andrewes showed that ' the temperature of a rice pudding removed hot and bubbling 
from the oven ' averaged from ' 90° C. to 92° C, and nowhere exceeded 98 0 C 
But do the spores of this organism ever occur in food which is eaten without 
cooking ? 1 thought they might be present in such food as strawberries, which, 
growing near the ground, are liable to be contaminated with particles of manure and 
soil. Samples of ripe strawberries were therefore brought to the laboratory in paper 
bags, and their surface sponged with small pieces of sterile wool soaked in sterile 
milk, the wool was then dropped into tubes of recently sterilised litmus milk and 
treated as usual. 
In twenty-five strawberries examined thus, obtained on three occasions from 
three different shops and representing about six varieties, the results of milk 
cultivation were the following : — 
Seven tubes contained a typical and fifteen an atypical enteritidis-like growth. 
The whey from five of the typical tubes was inoculated into guinea-pigs in the usual 
proportions : two were found to be non-pathogenic, and three pathogenic but not 
fatal. On routine microscopical examination of the milk cultures, it was noticed that 
the cover-slip preparations differed from those usually obtained from milk cultures 
of enteritidis from evacuations, inasmuch, as in addition to the usual bacilli other 
organisms were constantly present ; the atypical cultures contained many spores. 
Of six milk cultures made from the surface of six ripe-red gooseberries, two 
were typical and four atypical. One typical culture only was inoculated, and proved 
to be of normal virulence. 
Crystallised white sugar was next examined. Six samples of apparently clean 
sugar were bought in the ordinary way ; and six samples, somewhat dusty through 
exposure in various shop windows, were supplied in sterile test tubes. A two per 
cent, solution of each sample was made with sterile milk and treated as usual. 
The result of analysis and the weight of sugar tested are given below : — 
Dusty Sugar 
No. 
Weight in 
Grammes 
Culture 
Result of Inoculation 
Typical 
Not inoculated 
2 
I 
Typical 
Not inoculated 
3 
■5 
Typical 
Pathogenic 
+ 
•5 
Typical 
Diminished virulence 
5 
'5 
Typical 
Pathogenic 
6 
•5 
Typical 
Not inoculated 
