The Birmingham age-herald., 1909-10-30
PTOMA|NE STOPS
 THREE COLLEGES Epidemic In South Calls for
 Vigorous Action BOILED HAM IS BLAMED Belief Is ExF ed That infected Meat Was s;E Id From Atlanta.
 Two P9 IIa Schools
 rouble.
BOILED HAM IS BLAMED

Atlanta. Oc~ 29.-With one southern college closr e student body of an other all b. 6 leted, and the work of a third seri>' impaired by the simulta- neous appt in these institutions of a strange malady. apparently of an epi- demic nature, which for time baffed physicians, but which Is now in two of these schools at least declared to be ptomaine poisoning, due to the eating of impure western meats, a serious situa- tion has developed for the consideration of the federal and state pure food author ities
 This announcement was made here today in connection with the illness of more than 40 cadets at the Geor- gia Military academy, at College Park, eight miles from Atlanta, the major ity of whom were yesterday rushed to Atlanta hospitals. seriously i'll. The other schools affected are the LaGrange Fe- male college. LaGrange, Ga, with 200 students, which now has left but 50 stu- dents. and the Athens Female college, Athens, Ala. with 100 students, which closed early in the week.
 1 uo edilI1B or DOlleQ DODeleHS nam Dy the cadets of the Georgia Military acad- emy is believed to be directly responsible for the development of ptomaine poison in that institution. AS Atlanta Is the distributing center for large section of the south, it is suggested by an official of the military school that the diseased meats found their way from Atlanta to the other institutions affected. Tt is an alarming situation" he added, "and calls for vigorous investigations by the au- thorities who have supervision over the food supplies which are shipped into At lanta from the packing centers."
 At the Georgia Military academy num- Der of the cadets ate heartily of the boiled ham Saturday and Sunday. Two sons of President woodward were the first taken Ill, and score or more were taken i'll Monday morning. Tuesday 4S were violently i'll. necessitating the re- moval yesterday of most of them to Att lanta hospitals after the college infirmary was filled to capacity. The afflicted boys were first stricken with chills, followed by vomiting, with pulse low and tenn perature sub-normal. This condition con tinued. with severe headaches and pains in the muscles and limbs developing on the third day. Five of the boys have recovered sufh- ciently to go to their homes, while 25 are still in local hospitals, and eight in the college inflrmary. Several others are confined to their rooms.
 The student roll at the military acad- emy shows an attendance of 165 The school will not close down, the authori- ties believing that the present situation Is well in hand and they are not appre- hensive of the development of further cases of the illness.
 The temperature of the patients in the local hospitals tonight is stated to range between 100 and 104 although the condi- ton of no one of them is considered se- rious.
 the LaGrange college was held tonight at LaGrange, at which the situation there was discussed. The president declined to make any statement for publication, say ing that 1t was the desire of the college that the newspapers publish nothing con- corning the sickness until the nature of it had been determined. He admitted, however, that not more than 60 students were still in attendance upon their col lege duties. A number have gone to their homes and others are under care of pkS- sicians. It has not been determined just what the nature of the illness at La- Grange Is. though prominent local phy- sician who talked with one of the stu dents after her return home here stated as his belief that the sickness was sim liar in every respect to that prevalent at the Georgia Military academy.
 Every possible attention is being given the students, and 1t Is not believed there will be any loss of life.