meeting, and from our people all the aid and encouragement they can. afford to so commendable a work. REPORT OF DEPARTMENT OF HYGIENE AND FOOD INSPECTION. By HENRY LEFFMANN, M, D., Microscopist and Inspector. The following notes are contributed as a summary of a few of the more important developments in this field during the past year: Adulteration of Food.-Public interest in this subject has been very strongly attracted to this topic by the discovery of extensive use of chrome-yellow as a coloring matter in buns, sweet cakes and noodles, the material being intended as a substitute for eggs. That this body was in more or less use as a coloring agent, especially in candies, has long been known, but it was supposed by many to be harmless, because of its insolubility. In the early part of May last, Dr. David Denison Stewart, Chief of the Medical Clinic at Jefferson Medical College, attended several cases of obscure disease, accompanied with convulsions, in a family by the name of Dieble. Four children died, two under the care of Dr. Stewart and two under that of other physcians. Peculiar appearances in one of the cases Dr. Stewart attended, induced him to suspect lead poisoning, and he made a search for a source of contamination from that metal. After much inquiry, the details of which will be found in papers in the Medical News of Philadelphia, he decided that the source was in the breakfast buns which the family had consumed largely, having purchased them from a baker named Palmer. He immediately visited Palmer's shop, and in the course of his inquiry found that the baker's wife was also a sufferer from lead poisoning. By persistent search he found that the baker was in the habit of using a notable quantity of chrome-yellow as a substitute for eggs, and that he had pursued this practice for a long time. With a view of establishing the chemical character of the articles, Dr. Stewart placed in my hands samples of buns, cakes, coloring matters, flour, etc., obtained at Palmer's shop, and I found upon analysis that his conclusions were entirely justified, and that the use of this lead compound (chrome-yellow being lead chromate) was the cause of the fatal cases in the Dieble family. The facts having been clearly ascertained, the matter was brought to the attention of the district attorney of Philadelphia, and by him to the coroner, who ordered an exhumation of several of the bodies and a post-mortem, with toxicological examination. Dr. J. J. Reese and myself were appointed for the chemical examination. While the work was in progress, the great public interest caused numerous other cases of similar character to be brought to the notice of the authorities, and the viscera of six different persons were submitted to Dr. Reese and myself before the examination was concluded. The results established the facts absolutely, lead having been found in the livers of three of the bodies examined. Two bakers-Palmer and Schmidto whom the use of the chrome-yellow was traced, have been held for trial. Dr. Stewart's attention having been drawn to the very yellow color presented by samples of "noodles" sold in this city, sent a package to me for examination, and I found as much as three grains of chrome-yellow to six ounces of the noodles. The manufacturer of the noodles was arrested, and at the hearing admitted that he had used the coloring matter for thirteen years. Pursuing his investigation, Dr. Stewart has succeeded in obtaining the clinical histories of seventy cases of lead poisoning due to the use of the dye-stuff by the two bakers above referred to. When we consider that at the inquests it was shown that the use of this compound had been very general, and had continued for a number of years, it is obvious that it has been a source of much harm. No more important public service has been done in this city for this year than Dr. Stewart's work in calling attention to this dangerous adulteration. One result of the exposure has been to show how entirely insufficient is the present condition of the law on the subject of food adulteration. The Adulteration of Milk continues to attract great attention. In spite of the laws in some States, more or less alteration of composition by abstraction of cream or addition of water is continually occurring. This is serious enough in itself; but a more important question is the possibility of milk being a carrier of contagion. That several of the common infectious or contagious diseases-e. g., typhoid fever-can be conveyed by this means seems to be generally admitted by sanitarians, and some recent researches made in England seem to give a promise of tracing directly to the cow the origin and spread of scarlet fever. Food Preservatives.-The use of these agents is becoming very common, and the time is not distant when the interests of the public health will require legislative supervision over the matter. Salicylic and boric acids are apparently the most used substances, especially the former. Many articles of food of a perishable nature can be preserved with ease and certainty by this acid, and the temptation to use it freely is therefore very great. Canned fruits, fruit butters, catsup, milk, beer and wine are all liable to contain it. Although experiment shows that to persons in average health moderate doses do not seem to produce any serious effects even after a long use, yet all sanitary authorities are agreed that the indiscriminate and secret use of it is objectionable. K. B. Lehmann, of Munich, studied the effects on two male adults, who took, during a period of ninety-five days, nearly every day, about seven and one-half grains of the acid. He found no unfavorable results. Nevertheless, he regards the use objectionable, for the following reasons: It may be injurious to persons not in good health. There is no easy process for exact quantitive determination, and it will be difficult for proper control over the extent to which it is used. Its use will be extended to many articles of food, and thus the proportion will be dangerously increased. Within the past month I have examined thirteen samples of bottled beer, with the result of finding salicylic acid in seven of them. Poisonous Food. It has long been known that food, otherwise entirely wholesome may suddenly become violently and even fatally irritating. The efforts of chemists to discover the cause of these actions have generally been fruitless, but lately the improved methods of investigation, and particularly the great advance in the knowledge of organic chemistry, has enabled a more precise analysis, and considerable light has been thrown on the topic. Many years ago it was shown that in the incipient decay of organic matters, especially nitrogenous matters, compounds analogous to the so-called alkaloids, were formed. We owe to Brieger a careful investigation into this question, and additional 7 BD. AG. light has been thrown on it by the researches into the growth and development of microscopic life. Dr. Vaughen of the University of Michigan, has isolated the principle which gives to milk and cheese their occasional active poisonous character, and he has called it "tyrotoxicon," although it has since been identified with an artificial benzine derivative that had been previously prepared. The investigations of Brieger and others have developed quite a list of these products of decay, to which the generic name of "ptomaines" has been applied. Among the interesting points made known by this observer, it may be noted that the most poisonous bodies are formed in the early part of the putrefaction and in the presence of air. Late in the progress of the decay, or when it occurs at low temperature out of contact of air, no highly poisonous ptomaines could be discovered. The most important results obtained are those relating to the production of alkaloids by pure cultivations of pathogenic (disease-producing) bacteria. The typhoid bacillus of Koch and Eberth, and also the microbe which has been recognized as the primary cause of traumatic tetanus, produced toxic alkaloids; that produced by the latter organism has been called tetanine. It causes all the symptoms of te tanus. In a recent lecture on this subject before the Society of Chemical Industry of England, the distinguished chemist, Henry E. Armstrong, showed that these questions are most intimately related to the establishment of rational etiology and therapeutics. The alkaloids produced by putrefactive change, and particularly those developed by the action of micro-organisms, are deserving of close study by physiologists, for the course and symptoms of zymotic diseases may to a large extent be due to the toxic properties of the alkaloids alone. It is obvious from this point of view a large field for valuable investigation lies open for the future observers. Bacterial Studies.-Continually increasing interest attaches to the investigation of the form, life history and actions of the various species of micro-organisms. The last year has furnished some very important results in reference to the influence of the different species on one another. While there is not absolute exactness, yet in our knowledge on this topic, several observers have shown that in developing in ordinary culture fluids, some species of microbes will crowd out and destroy others. Several of the disease-producing bacteria are liable in this way to be killed off by the ordinary microbes of the water and soil, and this fact has, of course, an important bearing on natural hygiene. The spread of contagious diseases has often, probably, been interrupted by the beneficial action of the harmless bacteria, which are ever present in water, air and soil. As an interesting outgrowth of this phase of the question is the study of the action of one form organism exercising a protective influence against another form. The experience of mankind early demonstrated that several diseases are self-protective, one attack generally preventing a second. The facts of vaccination are also illustration of this curious protective effect, but in this case there is but little doubt that if vaccinia is not identical with small-pox, it is closely allied. Much more remarkable is, however, the possibility of one form of virus exercising a protective action. against an entirely different disease. Dr. Emmerich of Munich, has contributed very lately to the Archives of Hygiene, an elaborate study on the effect which prior inoculation with the specific microbe of erysipelas has upon the course of the highly contagious and fatal disease known as splenic-fever. Emmerich's experiments were made, of course, on small animals and he selected those which were specially sensitive to the splenic fever bacillus. In his paper he gives in detail the precautions taken to secure accuracy in every particular, and from his well-known reputation as a bacteriologist, and the great facilities which his laboratory affords, there is no doubt that his results are worthy of full confidence. He finds that a previous, or simultaneous inoculation, by the micro coccus of erysipelas, of an animal inoculated with active splenic-fever virus, produces an undoubtedly favorable influence on the course of the latter disease. That this is due to a specific action, either directly or indirectly, on the development of the bacilli of the fever is shown by the carefully prepared sections of tissues of animals which have been killed during the progress of the experiments. In these the splenic-fever bacilli are found in a dead or dying condition as evidenced by their failing to take a permanent stain by the usual staining process, while in animals which have not been previously inoculated with the erysipelas, the bacilli were in active life. Emmerich believes that this action is not due to any direct hostility between the two forms of micro-organism, because as he states, when grown together in a culture-tube, they do not interfere. He regards the action as more complex, and as dependent on the function of the tissue cells. The tissues, he says, are stimulated to higher and more energetic vitality by the presence of the erysipelas microbe, and are thus enabled to resist and overcome the subsequently introduced germ of the fever. Whatever may be the true explanation of effect, the fact remains that this research is of great. importance and interest to all. At the conclusion of his paper he remarks that he has in course of preparation some further work on the same subject which will be more practical in its bearing than even the present paper. Bacteria in Water.-The nature and significance of the microscopic life in water has been extensively studied. It has been mentioned above that different forms of bacteria will often interfere with one another when growing together in water, and considerable attention has been given to this phase of the question, because of the obvious. importance of this matter in reference to the propagation of infectious disease by water. The results are, however, still somewhat uncertain, but it appears that ordinary water is not a very good soil for the development of the more dangerous forms of microbes. While, however, these may not grow or multiply, it appears that they may lie inactive, especially in the spore-form, for considerable time even in the presence of the ordinary bacteria. The value of the determination of the number and character of the bacilli present in water is still unsettled. There is no doubt that much light may be thrown on the effects and usefulness of various systems of filtration, storage and purification, but it has not yet been shown that it is possible to determine by counting the bacilli in a water whether or not that water is wholesome or unwholesome. In fact the problem of water analysis is still unsolved. The observations of several chemists, especially Percy Frankland, have shown that very material improvement in the condition of any sample of water as regards the bacterial life in it, results not only from filtration through moderately compact material, but even from mere agitation with some easily subsiding powders. Also it appears that the addition of a few grains of alum to the gallon of water will Sample. remove a very large proportion of these microscopic life in a short time. There is, therefore, no difficulty in clarifying and greatly improving the most turbid water. Microbes in Air.-The microscopic life in the atmosphere has not received the general attention that has been given to that in water, but a number of researches on the topic have been published Very recently Prof. Carnelley of Dundee, and Mr. J. S. Haldane, have published the results of some extended experiments on air of buildings and sewers, and have indicated some remarkable facts. They have found that the micro-organisms do not get into the air of rooms from the bodies or breath of the persons present, but from the floor and other parts of the room itself. They also find that as regards the number of micro-organisms, sewer-air is much purer than the outside air in summer. The authors of this paper inveigh very strongly against the much preached doctrine of sewer-air causing typhoid fever. THE ACTION OF ALCOHOL ON BUTTER FAT. By Prof. C. B. COCHRAN, West Chester, Pa., Microscopist of the Board. In order to test artificial butter for added butyrates it has been recommended that the suspected sample be treated with alcohol, which will dissolve any artificial tributyrate. If the undissolved fat then be tested by Reichert's method we shall find the per cent. of volatile fat acids much less than in the original fat, in case any artificially prepared butyrates have been used. If this plan of examining suspected butters is ever to be called into practical use it is in my opinion highly desirable, if not absolutely necessary, that we have some definite knowledge of the action of alcohol upon genuine butter fats under certain fixed conditions, such as could easily be adopted when examining suspected samples. The following experiments were made for the purpose of determining what changes if any were produced in butter by treating it with ethyl alcohol. The alcohol used gave a sp. gr. corresponding to 90 per cent. C2H6O. The amount used was 10 c. c. alcohol to each gramme of butter fat: Sample No. 4, giving in one case only 10 c. c. and 11 c. c. KH O in another to neutralize the distillate from 2 grammes of fat was Dissolved Fat. Undis solved Fat. |