Biennial Report

Laboratory No. 2601. Parrish's milk contained: Butter-fat, 4.4 per cent.; total solids, 13.57 per cent.

Laboratory No. 2602. Chamney's milk contained: Butter-fat, 3.8 per cent.; total solids, 12.83 per cent.

Laboratory No. 2603. Fritzell's milk contained: Butter-fat, 4.2 per cent.; total solids, 13.05 per cent.

Laboratory No. 2604. C. E. Brown's milk contained: Butterfat, 4.1 per cent.; total solids, 13.77 per cent.

Laboratory No. 2605. H. H. Brown's milk contained: Butterfat, 4.2 per cent.; total solids, 14.26 per cent.

No preservatives were found in any of the samples.

The ordinance of the city of Lawrence requires that all milk shall contain as much as 3 per cent. of butter-fat and 12 per cent. of total solids. It will be noticed that all the samples examined except No. 2600 came up to the standard. The United States official standard requires the same amount of total solids, but 3.25 per cent. of butter-fat.

SYRUPS.

Laboratory No. 2436. "Old Home" Sorghum. Packed expressly for the Ridenour-Baker Grocery Company, Kansas City. The analysis indicates that this is an artificial syrup, made up of glucose and other ingredients.

Laboratory No. 2467. Sorghum purchased through the Poehler Mercantile Company, Lawrence, in bulk. The analysis indicates that this is a genuine sorghum syrup.

SAUERKRAUT.

Laboratory No. 2577. This sample was purchased in Topeka, and is manufactured by Heinz, Pittsburg, Pa. It did not contain bleaching or preservative substances.

SAUSAGE.

Laboratory No. 2546. The sample was purchased in Topeka and was from the Clearfield Farm, of Phil. N. Hicks, Glenloch, Kan. It was examined for preservatives and sulfites, but none were detected.

LIQUOZONE.

Laboratory No. 2295. A bottle of liquozone was delivered at the laboratory for examination at the request of the Douglas County Medical Society. Upon examination, it was found to consist essentially of a dilute solution of sulfur dioxid, and contained 0.23 per cent. of this substance. This is the suffocating gas produced by the burning of sulfur. Some of the sulfur dioxid had oxidized,

so that the solution also contained sulfuric acid (oil of vitriol) to the amount of 0.76 per cent. On evaporation a strong sample of sulfuric acid was obtained. The liquozone contains a small amount of organic matter, and when evaporated to dryness and ignited leaves about as much residue as a corresponding quantity of lakeor river-water.

Collier's Weekly arranged for a series of guinea-pig tests, at which representatives of the Liquozone Company were present, to determine whether or not their claim that liquozone was an internal germicide was founded on fact. Results of these experiments are quoted as printed in Collier's Weekly, November 18, 1905:

"LEDERLE LABORATORIES.

SANITARY, CHEMICAL AND BACTERIOLOGICAL INVESTIGATIONS.
518 FIFTH AVENUE, NEW YORK CITY.

OCTOBER 21, 1905.

"Anthrax Test. Twenty-four guinea-pigs were inoculated with anthrax bacilli, under the same conditions, the same amount being given to each. The representative of the liquozone people selected the twelve pigs for treatment. These animals were given liquozone in 5 c.c. doses for three hours. In twenty-four hours all pigs were dead - the treated and the untreated ones.

"Second Anthrax Test. Eight guinea-pigs were inoculated under the same conditions with a culture of anthrax sent by the liquozone people. Four of these animals were treated for three hours with liquozone, as in the last experiment. These died also in from thirty-six to forty-eight hours, as did the remaining four.

"Diphtheria Test. Six guinea-pigs were inoculated with diphtheria bacilli and treated with liquozone. They all died in from forty-eight to seventy-two hours. Two out of three controls (i. e., untreated guinea-pigs) remained alive after receiving the same amount of culture.

"Tuberculosis Test. Eight guinea-pigs were inoculated with tubercle bacilli. Four animals were treated for eight hours with 5 c.c. of a 20-percent. solution of liquozone. Four received no liquozone. At the end of twenty-four days all the animals were killed. Fairly developed tuberculosis was present in all.

"To summarize, we would say that the liquozone had absolutely no curative effect, but did, when given in pure form, lower the resistance of the animals, so that they died a little earlier than those not treated.

LEDERLE LABORATORIES.

By ERNST J. LEDERLE."

"Doctor Gradwohl, representing the Liquozone Company, stated that he was satisfied of the fairness of the tests. He further declared that in his opinion the tests had proved satisfactorily the total ineffectiveness of liquozone as an internal germicide.

"But these experiments show more than that. They show that, in so far as liquozone has any effect, it tends to lower the resistance of the body to an invading disease. That is, in the very germ diseases for which it is advocated, liquozone may decrease the chances of the patient's recovery with every dose that is swallowed, but certainly would not increase them.”

POISONED FOOD.

On Friday, March 2, a large number of persons who attended a sale at a farm near Marysville, and who ate of the lunch there served, were the victims of poisoning. Dr. W. R. Breeding, the county health officer, who treated many of the cases, described the symptoms thus:

"In some, the first symptoms came on within one and a half hours after eating of the materials; and at first only a nausea, followed in a short time with severe vomiting, this being followed in a short time with purging. Others took sick with sudden vomiting and purging at the same time, and, in fact, without apparent warning. The symptoms appeared in from one to five hours after taking lunch. Most of the cases were ailing, with uneasiness of the stomach and heaviness through the bowels and no appetite, for several days after the attack."

In regard to the meat used, an eight-months-old calf was killed on Monday. The meat was allowed to stand till Wednesday, when it was cooked, and seasoned with salt, and, before it was quite cool was packed in an earthen jar. The liquor in which the meat was cooked was set aside until Friday, when it was warmed and poured over the meat. This meat was used in the preparation of sandwiches, which were served with sausage (wienerwurst), ginger cake, and coffee.

A small sample of each of the foods was received several days after the affair and as complete an analysis as was possible under the circumstances was made, without finding anything that would account for this wholesale poisoning. As the symptoms might have been produced by a metallic poison like arsenic, copper, or zinc, those substances were especially sought, but were not found. The sausage, which was made by Morris & Co., at St. Joseph, Mo., contained borax as a preservative, and was colored with coal-tar dye. These substances would not have produced the symptoms observed.

From a consideration of the symptoms and the circumstances surrounding the poisoning, it seems quite probable that this was a case of what has been called "ptomain poisoning," or poisoning from animal food. A large number of cases of this kind have been studied within the past fifty years, including poisoning by milk, cheese, fish, veal, and other meats, mussels, and sausage. The symptoms vary exceedingly, but are frequently like those described in this case. The tests are largely bacteriological and require considerable time. Tests of this meat and sausage will be made in the biological department of the University and if any valuable results are obtained they will be reported later.