The Washington times., 1922-10-22
FOOD
HRl,I'.R.EN0|'Y|E|D.
's'4EP!0|:|RT''SHOWs Y 0
,coSlege and Health Dept. Sci
ektists eliminate Danger by
: Heating Canned Goods.
Id5- ,.:',. 81. .7
"a, RMS, AL DESTROYED
.tHSsition Of .BotuIism Among
Causes Of Death Becomes
Insignificant" They Say.


SHh exhaustive investigation over
aaperiod of several years by the
medical schools of. Harvard, the
University of California and San
ford, University In cooperation
with the United States Public
Health Service has determined
that the food poisoning known as
bosplism may be avoided by the
pf6per amount Of heating. -, g..
NHThis was announced by the Ma
tienal Gamers Association, at
whose request the investigation
wa undertaken.
'9i IN Made Safe BY Heat. .
IA report made, to the board of
dirsbtors of the association In Wash
fHetpn declared that the research
haa, proved that all canned foods
whatber prepared at home sr in a
fadt6ry: are safe IL heated for the
tiMSs that has. been scientifically de:
te5Mined." j 49, g.,
b.nRhis research work, it was stat
etiar has occupied thirty scientific
t4fehi~ with q corps of helpers since
tho sensational 'botulism outbreak In
l8fei but ASA result Of the inyestiga-
ttefp botulism is no longer a mystery
fcIsit has finally been conquered by
gAfhe only means Of sterilizing
cs&Aed food is by heat" 1t was added.
"After the can is sealed the proper
application. Of heat destroys the bac-
tsfia that grow on all fresh food. In
order to make canned foods safe 1t
WaBl necessary to learn the exact
hsRount of heat necessary to kill
toaulinus in every kind Of food. The
infihence;'of heat was studied under
oil apossible conditions. In securing
daba3 from which conclusions were
dawn, something like 100. 900 speci-
nask were heated and studied In de-
taitit - g..
AS Come from Soil
usages were formerly supposed
to- Ne the. chief source Of botulism.
bwssIit is now known that :botulinus
eSist everywhere In nature: and that
the natural home is In the soil. Over
tSpn thousand samples of soil and
other agricultural products. such as
hs&fhusks. leaves and discarded ma
tsrfal from fruits and vegetables
fEaps~ different parts of the United
Ststss were examined.
.sts large number of samples were
sts& examined from Alaska, Hawaii.
CisAAda, Belgium, Holland, Denmark.
Ep&lsnd. Switzerland and China"
'H'rom time TO. time assertions have
beSAt made as TO, the prevalence of
botllism. but using figures supplied
byw,tbe California Investigating au-
u5oIlties. the report declares:
oSDuring the year 1920 there were
more than $1,000 deaths from tuber-
Culngis in the United States, more
thar 5000 from dysentery, over I 200
byIAccidental poisoning by products
Other than foods, nearly 5000 from
dfa%ning. and over 400 persons kill
sFsh lightning. '
.ls,s, Causes Few Deaths.
Aathen we compare these with the
svdfage annual death rate from Dol:
tGrSm of less than twenty five, the
Tysitien of botulism among the
caAHes of death becomes insignifi-
ca5e-, .,..
. .stt we accept, for the sake Of argu-
mept and without qualification. the
statement that total of twenty
nine, outbreaks of botulism have been
caHsed in the United States by COM
nlErSially canned foods ian average
4f1ess than three outbreaks per
yfSI, small in comparison with the
total product. ..'.
I'VE should bear in mind that dur
Ing recent years the annual total
pack of canned foods of the United
states has not been far from 4.O0O,-
100000 cans. There has, therefore,
been less than one outbreak of botu.
hsm ascribed to commercially canned
foods for every billion cans that have
been packed since botulism has been
recognized as a disease that might