28 
Botulism:  I. 
Am.  Jour.  Pharm. 
January,  1920 
BOTUUvSM:  I.i 
The  striking  symptoms  and  high  fataUty  of  botuHsm  have  given 
to  this  disease,  as  to  rabies,  an  interest  and  a  conspicuousness  far 
beyond  its  relative  importance  as  a  cause  of  death.  Two  recent 
fatal  outbreaks  of  "food  poisoning,"  one  in  Ohio,  the  other  in  Michi- 
gan, have  been  attributed,  it  seems  with  justice,  to  botulism  in- 
toxication from  ripe  olives  packed  in  California,  and  these  tragedies 
have  increased  the  uneasiness  felt  by  some  persons  about  the  dan- 
gers from  this  cause.  American  investigators  in  the  past  few  years^ 
have  added  much  to  our  knowledge  of  botulism,  and  several  recent 
articles,  especially,  have  helped  to  define  the  conditions  under  which 
this  serious  form  of  food  poisoning  may  take  place. 
It  has  been  shown  that  the  name  of  botulism,  or  sausage  poison- 
ing, is  quite  inappropriate  to  this  form  of  bacterial  intoxication  as 
it  occurs  in  the  United  States.  Canned  string  beans,  asparagus, 
corn,  apricots,  ripe  olives  and  cheese  have  been  implicated  at  various 
times  and  places,  while  meat  products  have  seldom  been  casually 
connected  with  such  cases.  Apparently,  the  majority  of  outbreaks 
on  record  in  this  country  have  been  due  to  household  canned  foods, 
and  one  of  the  points  in  dispute  has  been  whether  a  similar  danger 
is  to  be  feared  from  factory  canned  foods.  The  difference  of  opinion 
among  workers  in  this  field  is  exemplified  by  correspondence  re- 
cently appearing  in  the  Journal  from  two  correspondents.^  Some 
of  the  points  raised  in  the  correspondence  are  of  general  interest. 
There  is  no  doubt  that  the  early  statements  of  van  Krmengem, 
the  discoverer  of  B.  botulinus,  about  the  low  heat  resistance  of  this 
organism  are  incorrect  if  applied  to  all  conditions  or  all  strains. 
Most  of  the  American  strains,  so  far  from  being  killed  by  heating 
to  80  C.  for  one  hour,  will  withstand  much  higher  temperatures, 
some  even  resisting  the  temperature  of  boiling  water  for  a  consid- 
1  From  Journal  Amer.  Med.  Assoc.,  December  13,  1919. 
2  Georgina  S.  Burke:  "The  Effect  of  Heat  on  the  Spores  of  Bacillus  Botu- 
Its  Bearing  on  Home  Canning  Methods,"  Part  i,  J.  A.  M.  A.,  73:  88  (Jan. 
11),  1919.  "The  Relation  of  Forage  Poisoning  to  Botulism,"  editorial,  J&^'f/.,  73: 
611  (Aug.  23),  1919;  "Spoiled  Canned  Food,"  73:  914  (Sept.  20),  1919.  Charles 
Thom,  Ruth  B.  Edmondson  andL.  T.  Giltner:  "Botulism  from  Canned  Aspara- 
gus," Ibid.,  73:  907  (Sept.  20),  1919.  John  Weinzirl:  "Bacteriology  of  Canned 
Foods,"  abstr., 7&«^^.,  72:  1031  (Aprils),  1919.  "Bacillus  Botulinus  Poisoning  in 
Detroit,"  General  News,  Ihid.,  73:  18  (Nov.  i),  1919. 
3  Georgina  S.Burke:  "Spoiled  Canned  Foods  and  Botulism,"  J.  A.  M.  A., 
73:  1078  (Oct.  4),  1919.    John  Weinzirl:  Ibid.,  73:  1789  (Dec.  6),  1919. 
