Evening star., 1937-09-25
VICTIMS INCREASE y
|. TO @ IN EC[A|R
POISONING CASES
Detective Bureau Seeking to
Find if EcIair Makers Vic.
lated Health Laws,
PROSECUTION PROMISED
IF BREACH is FOUND
Chemists and Psychologists An
alyzing Contents-10 Cases
From Arlington, Va.

The number Of victims OF food
poisoning in the Washington area had
climbed to approximately 225 today aS
reports of 100 additional cases were
telephoned to the District Health De-
partment by private physicians and
citizens.
Not a single case, however, was de-
scribed as dangerous. DR.. James G.
Cumming, director of the depart
ment's Bureau of Communicable Dis
eases, said the victims were generally
improved and most of them were up
and around"
Chemists and basteriologists Of the
department proceeded with analysis of
several dozen chocolate eclairs which,
victims said were responsible for their
attacks of food poisoning.
Capt. Ira Keck of the Detective Bu-
reau announced today that any vio-
lations of the public health code, if
discovered in connection with the
poisoning cases, would be prosecuted.
DR.. Cumming has maintained close
touch with private physicians attend
ing the victims and he reported that
generally there is much improvement
and most of those who were stricken
are now up and around"
Meanwhile, chemists and bacteriol-
ogists of the department proceeded
with analyses of the contents of
chocolate eclairs, to which those
stricken attributed their condition. ,
DR.. Cumming said approximately
800 of the l,700 eclairs made by a
local bakery had been recovered by
police or sent in from homes.
Results of the analyses, he said, may
not be available for several days, be-
cause the analysts must first isolate
the bacteria believed to have con-
taminated the pastry. Then, DR.. Cum
ming pointed out, the germ must be
cultured, filtered and tested on guinea,
pigs.
Throughout yesterday, the Health
Department was flooded with reports
of new food poisoning cases, most of
them from Washington and many from
nearby Maryland and Virginia. A
number of victims telephoned police.
The first report was Thursday night
when the family of William Maher.
1908 Kennedy street, was stricken by
the poisoning. Ten cases we're re-
ported from Arlington, Va.
DR.. George c. Rutland, District
health officer, issued a new warning to
pastry makers, cautioning them against
insanitary preparation of such prod
ucts.
The Health Department" DR.. Ruh-
land said, wishes to warn the pastry
industry again that the egg filling
requires the most scrupulous sanitary
handling and if undertaken at all
there cannot be single slip in the
observance OF cleanliness of the uten-
sils used, the person preparing 1t or
in the refrigeration of the product
| itself.
The source of the outbreak will be,
| determined and the nature of the
organism will be revealed by the in
vestigators, but more outbreaks will
occur unless the pastry industry un-
derstands that these acute food pois-
onings are usually caused by bacteria
which are virtually inoculated' into
the pastry through unclean methods
and unclean utensils"
DR.. Rutland cited previous warnings
issued by the Health Department, one
to restaurant owners last July z rec
garding the making of salads and
pastry and another to bakers on June
8, 1885, setting forth sanitary require
ments.