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15
Firestone Factory.
(1) Water from Grand Junction Canal, taken 5th March.
Organisms present: B. Coli, Staphylocirci, diplocicci.
„ absent: Salmonella.
(2) Water from No. 2 Reservoir, taken 5th March.
Organisms present: B. Coli; Bacillus closely allied to
Faecalis Alkaligenis, but not identical
with it.
„ absent: Salmonella.
(3) Drinking Fountain, taken 1th March.
Organisms present: Water organisms not looked for.
„ absent: Coli,, Salmonella.
(4) Boiler in Canteen, taken 7th March.
Organisms present: Water organisms not looked for.
„ absent: Coli, Salmonella.
Report on Specimens.
From Firestone Factory Epidemic.
The six specimens of Faeces did not contain the Gaertner
or Salmonella group of organisms.
Six specimens of Faeces from patients suffering from the
disease were bacteriologically examined, with the result that they
"did not contain the Salmonella Group organisms." The organism
found in one of the water samples allied to the B. Faecalis Alkaligenes
was not found in any of the specimens of faeces.
Dr. Scott, of the Ministry of Health, kindly undertook to
agglutinate some of the patients' bloods against the usual organisms
known to cause such outbreaks, and also to examine some faeces
and to further investigate the organism that Mr. Johnston could
not pigeon-hole, with regard to which he reported that he could
not identify it, stating that he did not think it was pathogenic, but
probably a sewage bacterium.
In the cases of the faeces, he reported that he was "not able
to find any pathogenic bacteria in cultures made from the faeces."
On the results of the agglutination tests, Dr. Scott reports as
follows:—