The Birmingham age-herald., 1924-01-20
POISONING BY FOOD

5 stfOl6ONlNU 01 FOOD
 Queer combinations of food, such as cucumbers and ice cream, plums and milk or strawberries with cheese, have Been, from time to time, credited by various persons with causing uncom- fortable symptoms within the stomach and ablofnen. The newspaper conl- mcnly call these things 'ptomain pois- oning, 'fce cream poisoning" ''sau- sage poisoning" cheese poisoning 7 and meat poisoning" but actually the food substance itself is seldom the cause of the disease. Some substances, such as certain mushrooms. are in themselves, poisonous, but in general the uncomfortable symptoms that fol. low the eating of certain foods are the result, not of chemical compounds in the food, but of infection of the food with bacteria land particularly with the organism known as the bacillus botulinus. Anohter form which is not, however, so common, is due to infec- tion with bacteria of the typhoid or paratyphoid group.
 Recently Dr. J. c. 4Geiger of the United States public Realth sefvice has published the results of an investiga- tion of 749 outbreaks of food poison
 
 cases of such poisoning are steadily decreasing. There were 399 deaths out of 5, 5,210 persons poisoned from infected food between 1910 and 1922. In the total of 749 outbreaks there were A due to botulism l172 persons .s. were made i'll by eating food infected with the bacillus botulinus, and out of these 40 died. This shows both the great danger of the bacillus botolinus and the relative lack of danger of food poisoning with other bacterial organ isnis. The actual death rate from food poisoning as a whole is probably Snot more than one of a hundred persons affected. .
 It is the opinion of Prof. E.. o. Jor- dan of the University of Chicago that breaks of food poisoning in families at least 15,00O to 10000 persons, oc- occur in the United States each year, and that the origin of such poisoning is usually not correctly determined be- cause persons are inclined to accuse foods against which there is popular prejudice without making careful in- quiry. In several instances in which careful studS was made, it was found that such foods as home made pies, tapioca pudding, head cheese, and bread pudding, were responsible. s| Canned Goods Show.
 It will be noticed that these are not the substances commonly charged with being the cause of food poisoning. The substances usually incriminated by the public are canned foods prepared either in factories or in the nome. Commer- cially canned foods have the advantage over other. types of foods of being pre- pared free from contact with Dc rsons who carry disease; even should foods become infected before canning they are likely to be sterilized before being sold. Then, again, canned goods that spoil usually swell the can or break it; so that it may be discarded without being used.. In some special investiga- tions made by Dr. Geiger, in which he was able to isolate or pick out the bac- teria directly from the food, cream sauce, meat sandwiches and meat stew were the substances affected.
 In the 749 outbreaks which he has reviewed, the food was recorded in S7> instances as spoiled or .'offp in taste or odor. In other instances, it was de- ser1bed us mot good" sour" or ''pe- culiar." The remarkable thing is that persons will eat food which is defi- nitely not palatable and then be sur prised when affected with disagreeable symptoms.
 Geiger's investigations indicate that one is relatively safe if he is careful 10 eat only such food as is properly se- -----A---------