Barbour County index. [volume] (Medicine Lodge, Kan.) 1880-current, 1905-01-04
New York Oysters Condemned.


OF late there have been several re
ports of serious illness and even deaths
as result of eating oysters. At Well
ington during a marriage feast oyer 10
people were afflicted with ptomaine
poisoning and three of them have died
from eating oysters. The following
from the New York Tribune will en-
tighten the lovers of the bi-valve as to
what they are up against when they
partake of the luscious oyster:
'Br'er Oyster" fat and far. plump
and enticing, limped away from DIR.
DarlIngton's lecture at Brooklyn instI-
tute Thursday with black eye.
DR.. Darlington, who Is the health
commissioner of New York, talked on
Pure Food supplies of Great Cities"
First, he told of fashionable dinner
given by a physician to large number
of other physicians. The customary
course of oysters on the shell was miss
ing. 1t was explained by the host,
with reference to their unsanltary
qualities under present methods and
much of the conversation throughout
the dinner was given up to the dangers
of typhoid from the New York oyster.
Then DIR. Darlinton took his audi.
ence out OH the Great South bay; to
creeks aud inlets and peaceful river
banks, with the s,ereopticon. Quaint
old Long Island houses, dropping trees
aud shrubbery, pretty pictures these.
But everywhere on these picturesque
shores were outh0uses, vaults and
mouths of the sewers, all three dis
charging their foul contents into these
placid streams. Aud there, right under
the mouths OF the sewers, right under
the vaults of the outhouses, were oys
ter floats and barges, loaded with oys-
teTs brought in to be freShened.
Two or three days in fresh water, y
said DR.. Darlington, pumps up the
oyster wonderfully. 1t does not really
increase in weight or nourishment, but
l sWells up so that 1T occupies more
space, and looks fatter and more at
tIactive. Oysters are not sold by the
pound but by the pint or quart 1t pays
the deal ers TO bring them in and fatten
them few days In these polluted wat
ers full of typhid germs.
"Physicians are becoming convinced
til at these polluted 'fattened' oysters
are as active agents in the spread of
typhoid as bad milk or water supply
If this thing goes on. the time will
come when physicians will condemn
the raw oyster as an article of food
and hundreds of reputable dealers will
suffer because of the determined refus
al of certain others to co operate in the
efforts to purify tue food supply of
New York.
AT South Norwalk the creek in which
the oysters are fattened. receives the
sewerage of a city of $4,000 inhabitants
and there and in adjacent towns there
has recently been an epidemic Of ty-
! phoid.'
| photographs were shown Of oyster
scows moored, as if it were malice
afOrethought, at the very mouths of
sewers. An oyster barge was shown
moored directly under an overhangirg
vault directly under an Overhanging
vault at Great Kills, Satan Island
Near Canarsie an oyster bed was shown
in creek polluted with the sewage of
hospital, and at another place one lay
in friendly proximity to cemetery.
And all this" said DR.. Darlington.
would be quite eliminated if the oys-
tiers were brought direct to the city
from their natural beds in the salt wat
er."