Helena weekly herald. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1867-1900, 1875-07-22
ONE HUNDRED AND TWO STUDENTS
POISONED.
A mysap-y ~ Iowa college Which A'aine~
the Doctors.

ietler from the Iowa Agricultural toi-
]ege a: Am:3. Iowa, tells the following &C
carrcnce:
On the Sd Of June, from the hours OF ) p.
RI toAa. N. of the 4th, l02 students, male
and female. were seized with iliness-ln some
casee quite alarming. All were affected a1lAc'
hut with different degrees OF severity. me
ladies suffering by TAR the most. 1he seu-
eral character Of the symptoms vas choleialc,
consisting of violent purging, excessive grip
ing pains, some vomiting, = good oeai oA
nausea. cold eXtremities and great %cyna'hla'
Pulsea ran 10 100 and 12O, yet without force
and tulness. Severe pain WAS depicted III the
couptenance, and altogether the SITUATION was
an alarming one. 49,,
The symptoms indicated poisoning, and
strong remedies were applied to the strong
symptoms, and within twenty tour hours al
ter the period of attack eighty-seven we're at
their usual places and duties, well. Fifteen
were still i'll, all of whom were ladies. LAY
after day one or two recovered, ana When
five DAYS elapsed but three were i'll. In II
weeks time all had recovered. The excite
ment incident to such u sudden and mysteri-
Qua illness having somewhat subsidized, Inc
query on everybody S lips was, 'WLat made
it ?"
All sorts of rumors prevailed some piaasl-
hle some harsh some absurd, some prepos-
terous. President We!ch, who was unavo!c-
ably absent a: the time, returned, and II uni
SON with others of the faculty, sought ny all
n0ssibh means 10 obtain the cause. The
buildings were carefully inspected, anu thear
sanitary condition found excellent. The wa
| ter tanks were examined and nothing tounq
| that could be productive OF such results.
thoroughly and scarchingly analyzcd such
F oil . r,atv,., n
and also the water supplied to the students,
| and no poisonous element could be found.
| The whole number of sick was 1O2; l6O
Ate meat. and of these Sc were sick; II die
not eat it, and Of these were sick, l doubt
full: 1O6 ate gravy, and 66 were sick; % did
not eat gravy, 26 were sick, and were doubt
frl: 12O ate beans, 81 were sick; So did not
eat beans, 16 were sick, 2 doubtful; 10 ate
rice. "a we're sick; As did not eat rice, 20
h aefs apd s|iE EWerf da91tS aa aSl 19 ate bis
were sick 1875 ate bread, 50 were sick !;
43 did not eat it, 80 were sick $50 drank
water, 90 were sick: 23 did rot drink it, 10
were sick and s were doubtful; l41 drank
milk, IS were sick; 36 did not use milk, 16
| were sick and were doubtful; 143 ate apple
SAUCE, IS were sick s. .iit net eat it, u were
sick. and one doubtful.
With one exception every body who waa
sick ate meat or gravy. This is not true with
any article of food partaken that day. yet
while very many serious cases Of illness have
arisen from diseased meat. producing symp-
toms exactly like those seen in this sickness,
the same beef was furnished by the butcher
| to his customers in town and none were at
| fec,ed The symptoms pointed to milk faint
ed by some noxious element as the cause,
| but. az The tables show, sixteen were sick
who took no milk in any form. No signs OF
any epidemic or malaria or ATMOSPHERIC cause
could be traced. Thus far, the case is en-
! yeloped in mystery.