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97
The results made it clear that some deleterious influence was exerted upon
the animals subjected to the test in the six cases where the food was sterile,
and in one case where it was non-sterile.
In neither instance was any pathogenic organism identified, and Dr. Teed
reported the absence of any ptomaines, boric and salicylic acids.
The matter evidently required further investigation, and the Committee, at
my suggestion, decided that further tests should be made, including British
and Colonial goods as well as those from America. Forty-four samples were
therefore obtained and submitted to Dr. Klein, who reported on them as
under.
Summarising the results of the bacteriological analysis, these samples may
be grouped as follows :—
"Group I. Samples which are sterile, and in mice caused no ill effects of any
"kind.
"Group II. Samples which are sterile, but caused in mice ill effects.
"Group III. Samples which are not sterile, but caused in mice no ill effects.
"Group I. comprises the majority of the samples analysed. Group II. could
"have caused their ill effect, not owing to any microbe they contained—they
"being sterile, but owing to some deleterious substance present in the material
"before sterilisation, and which material was not affected by the subsequent
"heating. Such are ptomaines and preservatives.
"The samples of Group III. contained harmless microbes in the form of
"spores, which are widely distributed in dust and in air, of which it is not known
"whether, and under what conditions, they cause in animal food undesirable
"changes.
"As far as our present knowledge goes, they themselves do not cause
"putrefactive changes, although they are occasionally found in association with
"other more important microbes in decomposing materials. They themselves are
"harmless to man and animals.
"As has been mentioned in my Report, all the samples on opening were, to
"the eye and nose, quite free from any change—fermentative and putrid—and
"therefore the person opening them would not raise any objection to their being
"fit for consuming. But the samples of Group II. would nevertheless be
"objectionable on account of their ill effects, and those of Group III. would be
"objectionable because not sterile. The principle that all preserved food should
"be sterile is a good one, even if the microbes we find by our analyses are spores
"and quite harmless; we do not know sufficient about their possible effects and
"changes in course of long periods on the materials, such as are contained in
"these tinned samples.
(signed) "E. KLEIN."
For convenience the results of the first series referred to in the foregoing
are included With those of the second series.