The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1909-03-01

Oondon Pharmaceutical JournaD
The Medical Officer of Health for
the city of London, in his report which
was presented to tine sanitary commit
tee of the corporation on October II,
reports an outbreak of illness which
occurred in a business establishment in
the city, where large number of per
sons are employed of each sex. Be
tween July Is and % twelve men be-
came seriously i'll, the symptoms be-
ing severe headache, vomiting, diarr-
hoea, cramp in the abdomen, giddiness,
and in many cases severe collapse.
There was also fever, with high tenn
perature, and the patients looked, and
were, extremely i'll. The severe symp-
toms lasted about AZ hours, but each
case recovered and was practically con-
valescent at the end of a week. These
symptoms pointed to infection by some
archaeological poison, and portions or
the stools OF three of the patients were
| sent to Dr. Klein for examination. He
each specimen he examined, which he
regards as undoubtedly the cause of the
illness. Inquiries were made with
view of discovering whether the symp-
| toms were due to any article of food
which had been eaten, but the whole
of the staff, both male and female, were
supplied with the same food, which
was cooked and prepared in a COM
mon kitchen. The only thing which
was common to the persons affected
in the same room, and that no person
suffered who had dined in either Of
the four other dining rooms. In the
course of investigation an offensive
smell was noticed in the dining room
in question, and on removing the
boards a large number of bodies of
mice were found more or less in a
| state of decomposition. Inquiry was
made as to whether any poison had
been laid down, and it was then dis
covered that some of a much-advertis-
ed virus had been purchased and was
| placed about the dining-room, and also
in the pantry adjoining This virus
is stated in the advertisement to cause
| fatal contagious disease amongst ro-
dents, but to be harmless to domestic
animals and human beings. A tube
of this virus was purchased and sub
mitted to DR.. Klein. He made an ex-
haustive series of experiments which
proved conclusively that the organism
found in the stools of the patients was
identical with the organisms of the
virus. This virus was laid about on
pieces of bread and it is easy to con-
ceive that mice eating this might carry
the contagion about on their feet to
the floors, food, shelves, chairs, tables
and plates, and thus it could infect the
human beings dining in this room. The
medical officer goes on to say: There
are several of these viruses on the mar
ket at the present time, each of which
claims to do the same thing, VIZ, the
destruction of rodents and also to be
innocuous to domestic animals and
]
sale in the windows OF chemists, anc
as the principle of all these viruses if
I the communication of a disease to ro
dents, it is, in my opinion, extremely
undesirable and even dangerous, thai
they should be allowed to be sold anC
purchased by any person. If they arr
\ to be used they should be placed abou
: with the greatest precaution and undel
skilled supervision, and l recommend
that copy of this report be sent, to
gether with the report Of DR., Klein'i
psychological examination, to the 10
cal government board, urging the de
sirability-in the public interest-o
: putting restrictions upon the sale o
such poisons to members of the genera
public. In view Of the serious issues
raised by these facts, and the increas