4*7 
bacterial infection of the food. The details which have been given 
regarding the differences between the methods pursued in hotels and 
in private houses, suggests that the infection is largely brought about 
by flies carrying the bacteria on to the food, in which position the 
conditions are particularly favourable as regards temperature and 
nourishment for their rapid multiplication. 1 his does not necessarily 
suggest any specific micro-organism, but is amply sufficient to account 
for all the cases of Canary fever that occur. There is, however, 
another cause which might explain some cases, which I have proved 
by personal experience to be sufficient to produce all the symptoms 
of the so-called fever. If two or three men live for many days upon 
a small boat during the summer months in England, they will very 
likely be suddenly attacked by these symptoms in an acute form unless 
all their cooking utensils, plates, forks, &c„ be thoroughly cleaned and 
boiled at frequent intervals. The temperature below deck and in the 
lockers in a small boat in British waters will frequently be very high 
during the summer, and there will be very favourable conditions or 
the multiplication of bacteria in any small collections of grease, &c., 
on the cooking and other utensils. 
I have been able to find no evidence that any utensils are ever 
boiled in the hotels. 
The following measures should be adopted in order to avoid, or 
at least materially lessen, the chances of food becoming infecte 
Meat and fish, particularly, should be protected from flies in 
effective a manner as possible before it is brought into the hote s. 
When in the hotels all food should be protected from flies; t ie 
larder should be entirely fly-proof; the entrance should be P* ote <*® 
by two doors, between which there is room for a man to stan , ° 
these doors should close automatically with springs, and it wou 
well to have some simple automatic arrangement which would preven 
one being opened until the other was closed. It should be easy 
catch the few flies that might possibly get into the larder, in spite o 
these precautions, by means of fly traps. 
Of course the best plan would be to keep the food m a chain er 
which was constantly below freezing point. When the oo w 
removed, once or perhaps twice during the day, it shou e -ep 
fly-proof receptacles. , , 
Meat should be kept hanging up, and not laid upon s e ves. 
