Evening star., 1922-10-13
BOTUL|SM SECRET
SOLVED BY SCIENCE
Proper Sterilization Of
Canned Food Found Only
Prevention.
RIGHT HEAT KILLS GERM
Temperature Determined by Test of
100000 Specimens at Three
American Universities.
RIGHT HEAT KILLS GERM

All canned foods, whether prepared
at home or In a large factory. are
safe if heated for the time scientifi-
cally determined. Botulism or food
poisoning is no longer a mystery.
This is the conclusion arrived at by
thirty scientific men who. with a
corps of helpers. have been at work
since the Sensational botulism out
break in 1919" the National Gamers
Association. at whose request the in
vestigation was undertaken, announc-
ed yesterday. The scientists were
from the medical schools of Harvard.
ford University. and worked in Coop
! Grafton with the United States public
health service.
THE only means of sterilizing can
ned food Is by heat" the announce
| ment said. After the can is sealed,
| the proper application of heat de-
stroys the bacteria that grow on all
fresh food. In order to make can
ned food safe. 1t was necessary to
learn the exact amount of heat nee
| essary to kill botulinus in every kind
Of food.
1OO,O Specimens Studied.
1.-THE influence of heat was studied
| under all possible conditions. In Sc
curing data from which conclusions
were drawn something like 100000
specimens were heated and studied
In detail.
"Sausages were formerly supposed
to be the chief source of botulism, but
1t is now known that b. botulinus eX-
lists everywhere in nature and that its
natural home is in the soil. Over 1000
samples of soil and other agricultural
products, such as hay. husks. leaves
and discarded material from fruits
and vegetables from different parts
Of the United States were examined
A large number of samples were also
examined from Alaska, Hawaii, Cam
ada, Belgium, Holland. Denmark
England. Switzerland and China.
1T is found in the greatest abun-
dance in soil that has never been cui-
tivated, especially at high attitudes.
The organism becomes less abundant
as soil is cultivated and is found to
the least extent in soils that have
been subject to intensive cultivation.
Even in older cultivated regions. how
b. botulinus has not disappeared from
the soil"
Annual Fatalities Low.
From time to time assertions have
been made as TO the prevalence OF
botulism. but. using figures supplied
by the California Investigating au-
thorities. the botulinus report de-
During the year 1920 there were
more than $1,000 deaths from teber-
culosis in the United States. more
than 1900 from dysentery. over 100
caused by accidental poisoning by
products other than foods. nearly
5000 from drowning and over 400
persons killed by lightning. When
We compare these with the average
annual death rate from hotulism. of
less than twenty-five. the position OF
botulism among the causes of death
becomes insignificant.
IAN idea of the magnitude of the
investigation of the three universi-
ties may be gained when the various
agencies and individuals participat-
ing are recounted. Cooperating in
the work were the United States pub
lie health service. which detailed DR..
J. C. Geiger to act as epidemiologist;
Harvard Medical School of Boston.
working under the direction of DR..
NJ ]. Rosenau; Stanford University
Medical School of San Francisco. un-
der DR.. f. c. Dickson. an California
University medical department of San
IRA pciSco under Dr X F. Meyer'