The Bismarck tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, N.D.) 1916-current, 1931-05-02
ADDRESSES FEATURE
SECOND DAY SESSION
OF HEALTH MEETING
Or. Z. W. Allen, President Of As.
ISOLATION, Says BotuIism
Is PreventabIe

CAAy ~ AAO1
all parts of the state who are in Bis
marck to attend the seventh annua
conference Of the North nakot,
Health Officers association began tn
second days session at a club break
fast at the Patterson hotel at ESQ a
m. Saturday.
Following the breakfast members O
the organization heard DR.. l.. E. Mus
berger. Jamestown, discuss Vincent
injection. Others who spoke at tn
morning session were DR.. w. F
Crewe, Bismarck. on "Cor.agiou
Abortion In Domestic Animals Dr.
II. e. Pray. Fargo. on "Undulant Few.
er IN North Dakota" and Waite,
Ecklund. Bismarck, on "Laborator,
Diagnosis of Undulant Fever"
Officers were elected and reports O.
committees were given at the after.
noon meeting as we'll as a number o.
talks on matters pertinent to public
health work.
DR.. r. w. Allen, Bismarck, presi.
dent OF the association, acted as
toastmaster at a banquet for the Wis.
ltlng doctors at the Terrace Gardens
OF the Patterson hotel Friday eve
nlng. Mrs. E. G. Hagenson, GRAND
Forks spoke ON the Doctors Wife,
DR.. ]. O. Arnson, Bismarck, spoke or
Biographies Of Early Doctors and
Miss Esther Teichmann talked on the
Duties of a Public Health Muse"
A musical program which followed
the banquet included a piano solo by
Abigail Roam; a vocal solo by Ernes-
tine Dobler: and dance solos by Aud
rey Waldschmidt. Elizabeth Ann La
Rose. and Vivian Coghlan.
Says B0tulism Preventable
Botulism is 100 per cent prevent
able by the proper preparation Of
food stuffS, Dr.. Robert w. Allen. di-
rector of the state bureau of pre-
ventable diseases here. declared Fri
day afternoon before the conference.
DR.. Allen recommended that proper
procedure in the home canning of food
products and in the preparation of
food stuffs before serving should be
given the greatest publicity possible,
as an aid to preventing botulism.
He declared that Botulism also is
~preventable during the incubation pc
Rod by the administration of botu-
linus antitoXin, and that the anti
toxin should be kept available at all
times by the state department OF
health. the public health laboratories
and the larger clinics of the state.
There has not been an outbreak of
botulism in this country since 1924
traceable to commercially canned
foods" DR.. Allen said.
Proper heating in the process OF
canning foods and before serving will
safeguard against the disease. Food
preserved in eight per cent brine is
safe and a syrup of at least so per
cent sucrose will inhibit the growth
Of the toxin.
Should Administer Antitoxin
after food poisoned with botulinus
toxin has been ingested the disease
can be prevented by the administra-
ton Of botulinus antitoxin during the
incubation period. It has not been
proved. however, to be Of therapeutic
value in man.
"A disease which during a period of
81 years has been reported in but
some $50 instances and which result
ed in an average mortality rate of
some 81 per cent, among more than
a hundred million persons, cannot be
compared with other diseases in mag
nitude. yet its seriousness warrants
special consideration"
DR.. Allen devoted most of his time
to a discussion of the two recent out
breaks of botulism in the state, one
at Golva, where Mrs. Math thinner
and her three children died from pol
soned food last June, and the other
at Grafton. where Is persons died
after eating poisoned salad last jan
uary.
The Grafton outbreak of botulism,
DR.. Allen declared, was the first to
occur in the United States this year, !
and is the largest outbreak on record
in the United States in a single COM !
munity from a single cause.
The first recorded outbreak of bot
ulisn in this country and in Canada, !
he continued, occurred in Los Angeles
in May. 1899. There have since been
some $50 outbreaks with a total of
some $50 cases with a general nor
tally rate of 81 per cent. while the
mortality rate in Europe has been
about SO per cent.
Lists Causing Foods
Foods causing the disease in this
country and Canada" DR.. Allen
have been namely string
spinach, apricots, corn, olives
both ripe and minced), peas. asrsr-
agus. home brew classified as a
food, beef, calls head v~ingarette.
pork and beans, home cured ham,
sausage, clam juice. clam broth, tuna,
cheese. milk. summer sausage.
beets. tomato catsup, minced chicken,
and home prepared salt pork"
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