I N D E X.

A cetic Acid B a cteria ,E robic ,

Agar Peptone Mea t Jel ly ,Alkaloid Poisons ,A nwrobic, 20 , 26 ,

An aerobic B a cteria Cultures ,A n throspore ,

A n tiseptics ,Appara tus for S tudy of Bacteri a ,Appert of Paris ,Apples ,Aspergil lus G laucus ,Babes ,Bac i l lus Amylobacter ,

B utyricus ,

Comm a or Cholera ,Cy a nogenus ,

Diphtheria or Klebs-L a zflier ,E ry throsporus ,

Fluorescen s P utidus ,L a ctici Ac idi ,P a n ifica ns ,

P rodigiosus ,

Subt i l is ,Tetanus ,Typhoid ,V iscosus ,

Bacteria ,Bacteria , Dead ,Bacter ial Mult ipl icat ion ,Bacter ium P a steuria num

,

Ben zoic Acid ,Ben zoate of Sod ium ,B err ies ,B itterness ,B lack R ot in Tomatoes ,B lack Spots in Corn ,B lack Torulae

,

Boracic Acid,

83593

20 , 81

26.29. 4 3

so

to , 26 , 29, 102

31 . 4 3. so. 6 4 . 6 7. 78

50

15

8. 29. 6 9 . 79. 97

4 7

7 1

6 3

x7 . 4 6 . 96

28

20 . 23. 39 . 4 1 . 54 . 78

20 . 54 . 78

I O , 27 , 59, 10 2

57 . 99

9. 33. 59. x02

57

57 . 83

19, 23. 37 . 54 . 81 . 99

25

23. 55. 58. 82

25. 4 2 . 52 . 57 . 85

10 , 31 , 4 5, 6 1 , 102

10 , 29, 60 , 102

2 1, 55, 83, 104

4 . 5

7 . 9

37 . 95

20

iv IN D E X .

Boro G lycer ide ,Bou i l lon ,B refeld

’s Pure Culture Method ,Brieger ,Brown ian Motion ,Butyr ic Ferments ,Cadaverine ,Calcium ,Cann ing

,H istory of

Cann ing , Scientific Pr inciples ofCa n Mak ing Methods , E arlyCarbol ic Acid ,Catsup ,Cel ls ,Cherries ,Chi l i Sauce ,Chil l ing Canned Goods ,Chlor ide of Z inc ,Chol ine ,Chutney ,C lean l iness,Cocci ,Cohn ’s Pure Culture Method ,Con idia ,Con idi a spore ,

Con tinuous Heating ,Corn ,Corn , D ry Pack ,Corn , Moist Pack ,Corn , Sour ,Corn , Whiteness o f,Creosote ,Cu lture , Med ia ,Deep We l ls ,Delafon taine ,Diplococci ,Discon t inuous Heating Process ,D rying A s a Preserv ative ,Duckwal l , Thomas ,Dyes ,E hrenburg ,E lectricity ,E n dospore ,E n zymes ,E vaporation As a Preservative ,E ucalyptol ,Fermen tat ion ,Fer ti l iz ing ,F ish’

,

Flagel la ,Fluid Cul ture Media ,

104

IN D E X .

Form ic Acid ,Form ic A ldehyde ,Freez ing ,Gelatine ,G elatin ized Meat Peptone Med ium . Koch ,G erm icides ,Hal ibut,Hanging Drop Cultures ,Hansen ,Hay Bacteria ,I ce Cream , 0I noculating Media ,I nvertin ,Klebs ,Klebs L oeffler Bacteria ,Koch ,Koch ’s Pure Culture Method ,Kraut ,Kuhn ’s Methylene B lue ,Lactic Fermen tation ,Leaks ,L eptrothri x ,

Light E ffect on Bacter ia ,Lima Bean s ,Lister ’s Pure Culture Med ia ,Meats ,Meat Soups ,M ilk ,

’

12,19 ,

Molasses ,Mold ,Mon i l ia Candida

,

Mucor R acemosus ,Mul ler , O tto Fr ieder ich ,Muscar ine ,Mycoderma Aceti ,Mycoderma Cerevis ae,Mycoderma V in i ,My tilo tox ine ,Neur ine ,Oysters ,Pas teur,Pathogen ic Bacter ia ,Peaches ,Pears

,

Peas,

P encillium G laucum,

Pepton ization .Permanganate of Potass ium ,Phenol

,

Phenyl Acetic Acid,

Pheny lpropr ion ic Acid ,

70

70

27 , 6 7 , 88, 102

20, 50

50

31. 69 . 97

10 1

51

28

25. 4 2. 52 . 57 . 85

1 1 , 102

51

4 1

52

10 , 33, 59 , 102

27 , 52

52

103

51

37 , 4 2 , 52 , 6 3, 83, 10 1

80

I S

30 , 105

6 3

52

10 1, 102, 104

96 , 104

33. 4 2 . 4 8. 55. 6 3. 102

2 1

39 . 4 6 . 6 7 . 79 . 96 . 103

I 9 . 97

19. 23. 96

S

10

2o

16. 59 . 78

16,6 9

1 1,12

I O

63, 102

6 , 7 , 20 , 21, 28 , 38

26 to 36 , 4 4 , 102

6 2

6 3

19 , 6 2, 92

I 7 . 4 6 . 96

4 2

70.

70

70

70

v i IN D EX .

P ickles ,Pigmen t Forming Bacter ia ,P ineapple ,P lums ,P ouchet ,

Preserves ,Preserv ing Processes ,Process ing,Ptomaines,Pure Cultures ,Putrefaction ,Putrescine ,R egistered Temperature ,R esistan t Bacter ia to Heat a nd An tiseptics ,R oberts Pure Culture Methods ,Saccharomyces

( C

Sal icyl ic Acid ,Salt ,Smoked Mea ts a nd F ish,Soldering Solut ions ,Sol id Cul ture Media,Soups ,Sour Corn ,Sour Tomatoes ,Sp ir il la ,Spon taneous Generation ,S pores ,Spr1ug Bottoms in Canned Goods ,S tain ing ,S tan ley ’s Observations in Afr ica ,S teptococci ,

S turgeon ,S teri l iz ation ,Sugar ,Sulphurous Diox ide ,Sur face Water ,Swel ls ,S team R etorts,Temperatures ,T erebine ,Tetan ine ,T eta notox ine ,

Thymol ,Tomatoes ,Tomato Catsup ,Tom ato Pulp ,Tomato Soup ,Tyndal l

,

103

22. 52. 55. 82

6 3

6 3

27

103

10 1

6 2,81

, 84 , 93

23, 27 to 4 5, 102

4 71 51 1 82) 103

I 9 to 31 . 4 3

10,27

84

25. 4 2. 63 to 93

52

I 6. 36 . 39. 95

I 6. 59. 78

23. 58

70. 77 . 91 . 96 . 99

102, 103

102

6 9, 103

50

96 . 99. 104

78. 79. 88

2. 95

I s

5

I 4 . 20. 25. 37. 83. 84 . 88

6 5

I 4 . 25. 33. 52

32

15

I O I

26: 4 81 6 21 S I , 84 1 931 105

102

70

4 5

78, 80

72 . 83. 90

27. 39. 6 2. 6 6 . 81 . 85

70

I 3. 31

I 2

70

6 3. 95

96

96

102

6 to 7, 26 , 85

IN D E X . v i i

An thony ,

M ICRO P HOTOGR A PHS A N D F IGUR E S

Figure 1 . Sour Tomato Juice , Page 2 .

Differen t Forms of Bacteria ,

Saccharomyces ,

Saccharomyces ,

Mycoderma V in i a nd Cerev isiae,

P encillium G laucus ,

Mon il ia Candida ,

Baci l l i L a ctici Acid i ,

B ac il lus B uty ricus ,

Bacil lus B uty ricus Amylobacter ,

Mycoderma Aceti . Bacter ium P a steuria num ,

Bac il lus V iscosus ,

Putre factive Bacteria in Bouil lon ,

Saccharomyces A picula tus . P ineapple Juice .

Baci l lus S ubtillus on Bouil lon ,

Comma -Baci l l i .

Typhoid Bacil l i ,

Tetanus Baci l l i ,

Klebs-L oefil er Bacil l i ,

Mold Fungi Submerged in Corn Juice ,

Bacteria Found in Swel led Ca n of Corn ,

22 a nd 23. Fermen ting Tomato Juice Show ing Degreeof I ncrease, 96 , 97 .

P enc illium . Aspergillus G laucus Con id ia

SU B JE CT S .

CHAPTE R I . Page 1 .

I ntroduction—Cause Lead ing to the S tudy of Bacter iology—Sour Tomatoes .

CHAPTE R I I . Page 4 .

Bacteria D efined—Forms—Mul tipl ic ity— Functions Div ided I n to TwoC lasses— Discover ies— Spon taneous G eneration - Bacteria in theA tmosphere—L is ter

’s

‘

A n tiseptic S y s temm M icroscopica l Observa

tion—Chem is try o f Fermen tation Ptoma ines—What C lass of Bacteria Produces These Po isons— R esul t of Ptoma ine Poison ing .

CHAPTE R I I I Page 13.

Bac teria—Manner o f Propagating—Description of V arious FormsCharacteristics—Mold Fungi .

CHAPTE R I V . Page 19 .

Bac teria Common ly Found in Decomposing Frui t a nd V ege tables—Micro .scopica l V iews a nd Descriptions—Characte ristics—S teri li z ation .

CHAPTE R V . Page 26 .

Pathogen ic Bacteria— S tud ied Because of the Poison s Produced WhenActing on Food Products—Differen t Kinds of These Bacteria S tudied—Their Action on V arious Food Products Described .

CHAPTE R V I . Page 36 .

Fermen ta tion —Obj ect of S tudy I s to P reven t—A lcohol ic Fermen tationa nd the Germs Which Cause I t— Putre faction—Disea se Fermen tation—P roducts of Fermen tation— Descript ive E xamples—E n zymesLactic Fermen ta tion fi B enefi ts to Plants a nd An imal Li fe— Fer

mentation Defined in a Broad Sense .

CHAPTE R V I I . Page 4 7 .

Directions For S tudying Bacteria—Methods to Obta in Pure CulturesApparatus to Faci l itate the S tudy— I noculation of Sol id Cul tureMed ia—How to Cul tivate An aerobic Organ isms—Hanging Drop Cultures— S tain ing .

S UBJE CTS .

CHAPTE R V I I I . Page 53.

A S ummary of the Characteristics of V arious O rgans Found in FoodProducts— Baci l lus L a ctici Acid i—Bac i llus B uty ricus—Bacil lusAmylobacter—Baci l lus P rodigiosus— Bacil lus V iscosus— Bacil lusF luorescens P utidus— Baci llus E ry throsposus—Baci l lus Cya nogenus—B a ci l lus Subtil is— Saccharomyces A picula tus— SaccharomycesE llipsoideus

—Saccharomyces Cerevisae— Comma Baci l lus—KlebsL oeffier Baci l lus—Typhoid Bacillus—Tetanus Baci l lus .

CHAPTE R I X . Page 6 2 .

Scientific Princip les I n volved in Cann ing a nd Preserv ing—TemperatureV acuum—An aerobic B a cteria a nd Their Action—Form s G row ing ina n An aerobic S tate— Spring-Bottoms in Canned Goods CausesPrecautions—C lean l iness -w D ispos a l of Waste Material— SolderingSolution s .

CHAPTE R X . Page 6 9 .

Antiseptics a nd Germ icides—V arious Chemicals Used As Such .

CHAPTE R X I Page 71 .

H is tory of Cann ing—Discoverers—Appert , of Paris- I saac Winslow , ofM aine—Thomas Duckwal l a nd A lbert F isher , of Ohio— E arly Ca nMak ing a nd Machinery— S team R etorts—Processors a nd Ma nagers .

CHAPTE R X I I Page 75 .

Me thods of Cann ing Corn —Selection of Seed— Planting—MoistProcess - D ry Pack— Whiteness—Swe lls— Sour Corn— Differen tiation s Between Swel ls a nd Sour Corn—Cause of Sour Corn— S ter iliz a tion— E xperimen ts With V arious Temperatures For S teriliz at ion—A Perfect Process -Discon tinuous Process— Process ingB lack Spots in Corn— Peas —Plan ting Process —Tomatoes —V ariousUses of Tomatoes For Mak ing Table Cond imen ts - Use of An tisep tics—Argumen ts F or a nd Aga inst Their Use—Oys ters -MeatsFish— Preserving Methods Salting Smok ing—Sugar —Drying

- E vaporating —P ick les —S auer Kraut— Soups .

CHAPTE R X I I I . Page 104 .

Summing Up—Bacteria S tud ied—Products Canned a nd PreservedS teril ization S tud ied—Myster ies C leared Up—R ecommendationsF or the S tudy of Bacteriology— E lectricity the Coming Agent ForS teri l ization—X-R ays—F inis .

P R E FA CE .

So fa r as we know there ha s never appeared a book written on thesubj ect of Bacteriology , especial ly as it appl ies to the cann ing a nd preserv ing industries . That this scien ce should be stud ied a nd appl ied bya l l person s engaged in such business is a generally conceded truth , a nd itis w ith the hope that a great deal of good w i l l be accompl ished , a nd agreat many of the mys ter ies , that have caused so much loss to our packers , m a y be cleared up . I t is indeed marvelous how nearly hand in handp ractical work a nd science travel , for look ing through the history of theseindustr ies we find methods d iscovered , dev ices employed a nd formulaadopted a nd used as the resul ts of innumerable exper imen ts , a nd wherethese methods , dev ices , a nd formul ae were successful , a true scien tificpr incip le w a s found which ought to have been seen from the beginn ing ,a nd the great losses in experimen ts a nd experimen ting saved . How manymen who fi l l the positions of super in tenden ts , man agers , processors et a l . ,know anything a t al l about the scien tific part of the ir work ? How manymen engaged in these en terprises a re groping along in the dark rely ing ontrad itions a nd formul ae handed down as a posit ive success , a nd who neverawaken to the weakness of the ir managemen t un ti l something new turn sup , until some new menace presen ts itsel f ? Processors have the ir rulesby which to work , because , for some unknown reason to them , the goodsw i l l spoi l i f treated otherw ise . D o you know that years a go Tyndal l a ndPasteur gave the sc ien tific prin ciple to

'

the world , a nd agains t the greatestoppos ition proved the ir theories and deduction s to be absolutely correct ? A fter al l the experimen ts made in this business we find that thesescientists struck the k ey note a nd un folded to us a l ine of s tudy that givesus understanding . I t is w ith the hope that a higher know ledge of thecann ing a nd preserv ing industr ies ma y be obtained here that this l ittlework is launched among the productions of th is day .

THE AUTHOR .

CHA PTE R I .

I N TRODUCT I ON . CAUSE LE AD I NG TO THE STUDY OF BACTE R I

OLOGY . SOUR TOMATOE S .

I n the fa l l of 1891 , a pecul ia r trouble came to my notice, with a

la rge pa ck of toma toes . Ma ny ca ns when opened a ppea red to be in

good condition , bright, red a nd sound, but possessing a most na u

sea ting, sour ta ste . Bel ieving tha t this wa s due to a ca reless use of

the soldering solution , chloride of zinc, I ha d made a ca reful a na lys is a nd could find but a sl ight tra ce of thi s . I wa s then puzzled to

know just wha t caused the trouble a nd so I decided to ma ke some

experiments . The a na lysi s showed a l ibera l qua ntity of butyric a nd

la ctic a cid, a l so a tra ce of a cetic a cid. Fea ring tha t we ha d been

using a flux which wa s not pure, a n a na lysi s proved the theory to be

incorrect a nd it then dawned Upon me tha t the same old trouble

tha t I had ma ny times seen in pa cking corn , ha d in some una ccounta ble wa y ta ken possess ion of the toma to ca nn ing . Corresponding with others enga ged in pa cking toma toes , I found tha t

severa l had experienced trouble of this na ture to some extent butnot to such a n extent a s to cause al a rm in the ca nning of toma toes . I knew tha t ma ny ca nners ha d experienced hea vy lossesin ca nning corn a nd some fruits , where the seeds were left in theca n . No one seemed to know wha t to do under the circumsta nces ;libera l rewa rds were offered to anyone who could save the corn ,etc . , by some

'

of the ca nners who were losing so much goods , a nd Iknew of severa l who were severely imposed upon by un scrupulous

persons , who cla imed to know how to preven t the compl ica tions .Up to thi s time I had never gi ven a thought to the scientific

principles involved in cann ing and preserving . Talking over therules with experienced processors , I found tha t they were ca rryingon their work in a blind wa y a nd fol lowing rules which the ex

pensive tea cher, E xperience, had given them without inquiring intothe principles of sciegce . So long a s no new compl ica tion s pre

sented themselves they got a long a ll right, but when the conditionscha nged, a nd the products were coming in too fa st, and the cha nges

'

BACTE R I OLOGY I N CANN I NG .

in the wea ther were unusua l , the canners suffered losses beca usethey were following iron-cla d rules a nd durst not launch into newchannel s lest their losses would prove overwhelming . They fol

lowed the "rule of thumb" and i f los ses came they were put downa s inevita ble and they ca lled them a pa rt of the expense of canning.

Rea l izing tha t it wa s time to begin a scientific study of the

processes of canning a nd preserving and tha t it wa s necessary toknow how to meet a ll these diffi culties which were constantly a rising, and so follow the example set by the brewers a fter Pa steur ha drevea led the na ture of their troubles with sour beer, I decided to takeup the study of ba cteriology a nd apply the knowledge to this bus iness . Since tha t time I have constantly studied this science a nd thefurther I go the more l ight it throws upon the subject, a nd I am now

prepa red to say tha t every man who is engaged in these enterpri ses

should immedia tely begin to give some of his a ttention to the sub

ject . By a rra nging a l ittle room a nd procuring a few instruments ,the subject could be studied during the dul l sea sons a nd the knowledge appl ied during the ca nning sea son when the a ctua l process of

canning begins .Another incentive for ta king up the study of ba cteriology and

applying the knowledge to thi s industry, wa s my hope tha t goods

of a very superior qua l ity might be obta ined, simply beca use with

a certa in knowledge of just how to trea t ea ch kind of goods to in

sure its perfect steri lity, a nd therefore its keeping qua l ities , withoutdo ing a nything in excess of its requirements , to wit, i f under certa inconditions a tempera ture

’

of 250° F . for seventeen minutes , would

keep toma toes , a nd i f you were scientifica l ly correct, you woulda void processing the same goods thirty minutes . By this you would

get a better fla vor a nd of course your scientific knowledge shouldreceive the credit . As I sta ted before, I decided to take a course

of study in this science, which I did. I took up a number of ex peri

ments with sour toma toes , which I will now expla in because they

ha ve a bea ring on a pa rt of the work which is to follow . I Opened anumber of the sour ca n s of toma toes , a nd a fter filtering some of the

juice through a cheese cloth , examined it under the power of a

microscope of 1000 diameters . I found quite a number of sma ll

round globules , which a t tha t time I wa s una ble to understand.

They seemed to be motionless except a s light quivering which i stermed Brown ian motion . There were sma l l rods a nd l ittle finedots sometimes a lone, sometimes in pa irs , a nd looked l ike ants .

There were a l so sma l l forms ba rely percepfible a nd one or two.spec1mens of a very la rge germ . The view given in the a ccompany

Figure 1MAGN I F I E D X 1000 .

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4 BACTE R I OLOGY I N CANN I NG .

ha l f hour in a tempera ture of 90°to 100

° F . Here then was wherethe fermenta tion sta rted a nd this wa s the secret of the wholetrouble . A scientific knowledge would ha ve obvia ted this difficulty

a t once a nd sa ved a severe loss . During the next sea son I verifiedthis theory by ma king a ctua l experiments in thi s l ine, by taking anumber of ca ns a nd a llowing them to sta nd in a wa rm pla ce for acons idera ble time a nd a l so taking some which did not stand. The

former were without exception sour a nd unfit for food a fter the process , while the la tter were perfectly good in every respect .

CHA PT ER I I .

B A CT E R I A DE F I NE D . FORMS . MULT I PLI C I TY . FUNCTI ONS .D I V I DE D I NTO Two CLASSE S . D I SCOV E R I E S . SPONTANEOUSGENE RAT I ON . B ACTE R I A I N THE ATMOSPHE RE LI STE R ’SA N T I SE PT I C SYS TEM . M I CROSCOP I CAL OBSE RVAT I ONS .CHEM I STRY OF FE RM E N TAT I ON PTOMAI N E S . WHAT

CLASS OR‘

BACTE R I A P R ODUCE S THESEPOI SONS . R E SULT OF PTOMA I N E

PO I SONI NG .

We will now ta ke up the study of ba cteria , pa rticula rly theva rieties pecul ia r to the destruction of the va rious products which

a re canned in hermetica l ly sealed pa ckages . We will study their l i fe,history, their mode of propaga tion a nd the condit ions most fa vor

a ble for their development . We will a l so go into the subject to determine sa fe methods to gua rd aga inst their a ction .

Ba cteria a re the lowest form Of l iving things . They are organ

i sms oi va r1ous forms a nd sha pes , round, rods , el l ipsoid, thread,Spira l , dumb-bell, sp indle, etc . E a ch is a small speck of protopla sm

ca lled a cel l a nd exceedingly sma l l . Micrococci mea sure a bout

fi lm : part of a n inch in diameter . They multiply with marvelous

rapidity a nd i f suita ble conditions were a ll right one germ of manyva rieties could produce or multiply to the extent of 5000 billions in

three da ys . Such conditions however do not ordinar i ly exist and

ma ny of them die Off because of pecul ia r changes produced by their

own a ction on the medium , upon which they a re thriving. The use

fulness of ma ny Of these ba cteria in destroying a ccumula ted vege

table a nd a n ima l ma tter i s very grea t . I f it were not for these

minute organ i sms a ll this ma tter would a ccumula te and would not

be reduced to elementa ry form s so necessary for new plant and ani

ma l l i fe . A l l things tha t die would rema in and the anima l and vege

ta ble kingdoms would soon become ext inct . A dead a nimal or dead

BACTE R I OLOGY I N CANN I NG .

v egeta tion under the a ction of these germs i s with wonderful

rapidity reduced to the elementa ry forms to nouri sh new vegetable

a nd a nima l li fe .

We may divide for our considera tion ba cteria l l i fe into twodi stinct cla s ses , viz : those which merely a ct a s ferments and a re not

disea se producing in ma n , a nd those which produce di sea se . With

the former we have la rgely to dea l because it i s by their a ction tha t

the compl ica tions a rise in the preserva tion of food products . B ut weha ve a l so something to say of the la tter because Of the results of

their a ction a t times on food products , caus ing ptoma ines which a real ka loids , a nd dea dly poison to man , and which have been the causeof so much di scussion among medica l men in the la te yea rs , from

the fa ct tha t people ha ve a t times died from ea ting certa in k inds offish and mea t . Cheese a nd ice cream ha ve been known to cause thedea th of persons under most seemingly una ccounta ble circums tances .

As a rule ba cteria a re colorless a nd refra cti le in a clea r liquid

but ma y be colored a nd identified by their a ffinity for certa in k indsof dyes which give them a clea r outline a nd ma kes them ea sy to

study under a suita ble instrument . The first ma n to di scover tha t

there wa s such a thing a s ba cteria wa s Anthony va n L eeuwenhoek, ana tive of Delft, Holland, who in 16 75, with only a crude instrument

of his own design , di scovered minute organ i sms with motil ity in deca yed ma tter . He sa ys :

"I saw with very grea t a stoni shment tha tthere were many sma ll a nima l s which moved a bout in a most amusing manner, the la rgest of these showed the l ivel iest a nd most a ctive

motion , moving through ra in wa ter or sal iva l ike a fish of prey da rtsthrough the wa ter ; this form , though few in numbers , wa s met witheverywhere . A second form moved round often in a circle ; thesewere present in grea ter numbers . They were tiny , in a ddition theymoved forwa rd so rapidly tha t they tore through one a nother l ikea swa rm of midges and fl ies buzzing in a nd out between one

a nother . I had the impression tha t I saw severa l thousand in a

single drop of wa ter or sa l iva which wa s mixed with the ma tter

under observa ti on not la rger than a gra in of sa nd. Some were

curved, some stra ight, lying irregu la rly and interla ced. These re

ma rka ble sta tements made a t so ea rly a da te, give us the first history of the rod shaped ba cteria ba cilla , spiri l la and round shapedm icrococci . These sta tements caused a grea t dea l of excitement a ndresea rch by scienti sts , a nd many pecul ia r theories were a dva nced .

Otto Friederich Mul ler, of Copenha gen , wa s the first man who umdertook to cla s sify the different k inds of ba cteria , a nd he certa inly

6 BACTE R I OLOGY I N CANN I NG .

ma de rema rka ble progress, considering the very crude microscopes

made in his time. O ther scienti sts took up the work and the Oppo

sition took the ground tha t these scienti sts were not dea l ing with

germs , but merely a lbuminoid ma tter found in the a ir . The matter

wa s not clea red up unti l the time of Tyndal l and Pa steur, who

brought the science out Of its cha otic sta te a nd proved their work

step by step, a nd it i s due to the two men who overthrew the theory

of sponta neous genera tion tha t this science is to-day on such a surefooting.

For ma ny yea rs the theory tha t these organ i sms were a spon

taneous production of deca ying ma tter, wa s genera l ly a ccepted a s

truth . When mea t wa s exposed in hot wea ther, it soon fil led with

worms , a nd it wa s thought tha t they genera ted of themselves , unti l

someone covered it with wire gauze a nd the fl ies deposited their

eggs on the wire a nd proved the fa l la cy Of the theory . The bel iefin spontaneous genera ti on wa s enterta ined by ma ny scienti sts prior

to and contempora neous with Pa steur, among whom most nota blywere Schultz a nd V on Liebig. They took infus ions Ofmutton broth

'

and different vegeta bles , a nd having steri l ized them perfectly bvhea t so tha t no micro-organi sms were vi sible under the microscope,they a l low them to sta nd Open a nd exposed to the a tmosphere for

several da ys , examining them consta ntly . Suddenly putrefa ctive

orga n i sms and ferments pecul ia r to the infusion, would make their

appea ra nce most una ccounta bly to them, so they advanced thetheory tha t l i fe wa s sponta neous , and even bui lt up a frameworkfor the existence of a ll l iving things on this theory . Tyndal l and

Pa steur were not bel ievers in thi s theory , a nd took up a series of ex

periments to demonstra te tha t the germs were deposited from the

a ir or a tmosphere. They ha d very grea t diffi culties to contend with ,because it wa s genera l ly thought tha t these low forms of l ife wereea si ly destroyed by boil ing a t a tempera ture of 2 12

° F . I t wa s found

however, tha t ma ny of their infus ions would brea k down becometurbid, evolve ca rbon ic a cid ga s , a fter having been subj ected to

'

the boiling tempera ture for severa l hours . The opposition strengthened themselves in their theory because they , too, had tried theseexperiments , and the result wa s tha t in nea rly a ll ca ses they were

unsuccessful in preserving their infusions, especia lly those made

from mea ts and some vegeta bles , which had ba cteria of more res i st

ant power than others . After mak ing va rious experiments in testtubes where the gla s s wa s drawn to a fine point a t the top to a l low

the steam to esca pe during the hea ting, a nd while sti ll boil ing theyclosed the escape by melting the gla s s together , they were enabled to

BACTE R I OLOGY I N CANN I NG .

Obta in many perfectly sterile infusions , which kept for a number ofyea rs per fectly clear a nd tran spa rent . They a dopted va rious tem

pera tures, both continuous and di scontinuous , a nd were a ble

to steril ize any kind of fluid. Their fa i lures in many ca ses were due

to their test tubes not being ful l of liquid so tha t the a ir Spa ce be

tween the boil ing l iquid and the point of exit would conta in the dryspores of ba cteria which would a fterwa rd develop when the l iquid

cooled off .Having a ccompli shed the overthrow of the theory of sponta

neous genera tion, Tynda l l even went further a nd demonstra ted by

the question of a doubt tha t the a tmosphere furni shed these lowforms of life . He ma de a pure a ir chamber a nd covered a ll over

on the inside with glycerine ; this chamber had windows through

which he pa ssed an electric beam . So long as there wa s any floa t

ing ma tter within the chamber, the l ight would be refra cted just

a s a ra y of light pa s sing through a da rk room is refra cted by the

pa rt icles of dust, which we have a ll seen . When the l ight cea sed to

be refra cted a nd the beam pa ssed entirely through the chamber

without l ighting it, it wa s evident tha t the pa rt icles ha d settled and

stuck fa st to the glycerine . I n this chamber then he pla ced many

different kinds of steri l ized infus ions and they kep t without showing any sign s of brea king down or fermenting . I t i s to these two

gen iuses , Pa steur and Tyndal l , tha t we owe a ll tha t we know of the

method of steri l izing, a nd their deducti ons come to us who a re inthe ca nn ing a nd preserv ing industries , a s a solution of a ll our

troubles . Ba cter ia , then a s we lea rn , a re present everywhere in the

free a tmosphere, a nd we find them present in quantities or numbersin proport ion to the amount of organ ic ma tter which is undergoingdecomposition . They a re present in the a ir, cl inging to dust or anyfloa ting ma tter and i f no suita ble medium i s found by them to ena ble them to vegeta te they become ha rd and dry , and in the courseOf time will die . Pa steur, however, demonstra ted tha t ma ny va rieties would l ive for two yea rs . When we consider the va st amount

of organ ic ma tter which is undergoing decompo sition every yea r ,the gra ss , the leaves , a ll vegeta tion a nd a n ima l l i fe, it i s no wonderthen tha t the a tmosphere i s everywhere l aden w ith countless num

bers . Many of the different va rieties a re useful directly to man ;the butyric ferment for instance i s so useful in ripen ing cheese andma king butter, tha t thi s form is cultiva ted and employed in some ofthe best creameries , just a s the brewers cultiva te a nd sow their

yea st . Just how or when these low forms of l i fe first ma de their appear ance, we do not know , but it i s l ikely tha t they ha ve existed

8 BACTE R I OLOGY I N CANN I NG .

since crea tion , a nd their origin l ike tha t of every l iving thing, i s

shrouded in mystery . I t i s a surpri se tha t the existence of this

world of l iving things should ha ve rema ined unknown to man

through so ma ny centuries . When we think of the inca lcula ble va lueof such knowledge, we wonder how ma n could get a long without

knowing of their existence . The dreaded di sea ses came on ma n a nd

he ca l led them the pla gue, sent by God upon ma n . We a re thinkingOf the terrible plague, the B la ck Dea th , which made its a ppea ra nce

a nd nea rly depopula ted the world a t one t ime . The superstitious

people crowded together, offered pra yers and made Offerings , used

cha rms a nd did everything ima gina ble to stop the progress of thedi sea se . They did not know tha t it wa s caused by these low forms ofl ife, for i f they had known it, they co-uld have taken san ita ry mea sures to stop it . I n the la te Civi l Wa r, l imbs were amputa ted without the use O i the ca rbolic a cid spra y, a nd men died of ga ngrene a nd

blood poison ing. Li ster wa s the di scoverer‘

of the a nti septic spra y tokeep the germs in the a ir from a cting on the ti ssues , when surgica lopera tions were performed, a nd we ca n now see where many bravea nd va l ia nt soldiers peri shed from blood poison ing where this ca rbolic spra y would have saved the ir l ives .

Owing to the minuteness of these organ i sms the study of their

l i fe a nd na ture becomes a science, a nd i s a field for a dva nced resea rch . I t i s not l ike ta king up the study of things we ca n see withthe naked eye, a nd wa tch from da y to day their ha bits and purposes

a nd results , but it i s a study when only a smal l field Of Observa tion

ca n be wa tched for a limited time a nd the results ca n only be

studied a s we wa tch their a ction through a powerful microscope .

With the best instruments obta ina ble in this a dvanced a ge, we find

oursel ves l imited for the wa nt of sufficient l ight, for the grea ter the

ma gn i fying power of the gla ss , the grea ter amount Of l ight i s re

quired, and it must be a pecul ia r l ight too, not gla ring a s the direct

ra ys of the sun , but the soft ra ys of light reflected a s from white

clouds or the electric l ight . Owing to the tra nspa rency Of most Ofthese orga nisms it i s neces sa ry, especial ly for the examina tion ofthe sma l ler forms , to use certa in kinds of dyes , otherwise you mightexamine a field a nd very few forms would be visible . I t i s very interesting to wa tch the working Of ba cteria on the pa rt icula r sub

stra tum tha t you wish to examine . For instance, i f you desire to examine fermenting corn you would take some Of the juice and put a

sma ll quantity under a cover gla ss , which i s a very thin piece ofgla ss a bout why of a n inch in thickness , and when you brought

the field to a proper focus vou would find a very turbid view and

BACTE R I OLOGY I N CANN I NG .

y ou would be una ble to ga in much of an idea of the germs you

wished to examine . Y ou could fi lter a sma l l quan tity of sweet juice

a nd then by dipping a needle in the fermenting juice, transfer some

of the germs to th is and then tra nsfer a sma l l qua ntity to the pla te,a nd pla ce the cover gla ss over this to dimini sh eva pora tion , then

y ou could wa tch the a ctive ba cteria begi n their work of decompo

s itiou . I n coloring the ba cteria , a sma l l qua ntity of methyl blue or

cosine will often bring them clea rly to view . I t i s in the results ofba cteria l a ction tha t we a re most interested, a s they bring a bout

chemica l a ction and cha nge the a toms from one group of molecules

to a nother a nd form new compounds and crea te ga ses . I f, for in

sta nce, we ta ke suga r and a l low the yea st pla nt to work on a pre

pa red solution , we find tha t it i s broken up into different forms .

We will represent one molecule of sugar by its a tomical symbolsw hich is CGH 1 206 which is six a toms ea ch of ca rbon a nd oxygena nd twelve a toms of hydrogen . B y the a ction of the yea st pl a nt,which is ca l led saccha romy ces we get 2CO z (ca rbon ic a cid) 2C zHGO (a lcohol)which a re two distinct substa nces a nd not resembl inga t a ll . N ow if the putrefa ctive ferment butyricus amy lob a cter a ctson the a lcohol we wi ll ha ve 2C zHeO (a lcohol)=C 4Hs (butyrica cid)"2H . (hydrogen) or if we let the la ctic ferment a ct directlyon the suga r in conjunction wi th the butyric ferment, we wi l l ha ve

the sugar converted directly into la ctic a c id which in i ts turn isconverted into butyric a cid, ca rbon ic a cid a nd hydrogen . CsH

Os (suga r)= 203H 603 ( la ctic a cid) C 4Hs (buty ric a cid 2H .

( hydrogen).

Thus we see our molecule of suga r broken up first into two

molecules of la ctic a cid which in its turn i s broken up into two fa ttya cids , a nd two molecules of hydrogen , or in other words one mole

cule of suga r broken up into five molecules , which is the tea ringdown process of these orga ni sms to reduce or decompose sub

sta nces into elementa ry forms . I do not mea n to sa y tha t the pro

cess ends where I ha ve brought it, for there a re sti l l lower forms of

ba cteria which ta ke up the work a nd reduce these molecules sti l l

further unti l they ta ke simple forms , even elementa ry forms . Ithink the a bove chemica l formula e should be very interesting a ndinstructive, a s they gi ve you the idea Of ba cteria l a ction better tha na ny description in words .We ha ve been describing the a ction of certa in ba cteria which

a ct only on dea d ma tter which a re not cla ssed properly with thedi sea se germs . To be sure i f we take into our stoma chs fermentingsubsta nces we a re l ia ble to suffer with some di sorder, a nd perhaps

10 BACTE R I OLOGY I N CANN I NG .

severe sickness , but the difference between this a ction a nd the a ctioncaused by di sea se germs properly speaking i s very grea t . We willenter into a description of the various disea ses produced by thiscla ss of ba cteria further tha n to observe their a ction on certa in foods

which when taken into the stoma ch produce certa in kinds of poisoning, resembling a rsen ic a nd strychnine . Brieger obta ined from purecultures of the typhoid ba cillus a cting on some suita ble medium , a

ptoma ine which termed typhotoxin , a nd from the tetanus ba ci l lushe Obta ined teta notoxin . The vegeta ble kingdom furn i shes ma nysubstances tha t have an a lka l ine rea ction, combine with the a cids

a nd form sa lts , which if inj ected into a n ima ls or taken into the

stoma ch ca use poi soning, viz : n icotine, morphine, brucine, strychnine a nd hydrocyan ic a cid. SO these ba cteria of di sease or pa tho

gen ic orga n i sms , which a re Of vegeta ble na ture, ca n produce

poisons in food products where they ma y happen to find a substratum fa vora ble to their growth . I n pla iner language then , S ince the

higher order of pla nt l i fe can furn i sh these dreadful poi sons , so the

lower vegeta ble forms produce poisons just a s dea dly and of nea rlythe sa nie

'

rea ction a s the higher forms . Nea rly a ll the known pa tho

genic organi sm produce poi sons which would properly be termed

ptoma ines . Putrescine (C 4H 1 2N 2), ca da verine (Ce sN z) a re

ptoma ines , the la tter is produced by a n a ction of the Cholera ba cilus on egg a lbumen . N eurine (C5H 1 2(N O) a nd chol ine C SH I SN02 , a re a lso produced in putrefy ing flesh by the a gency of pa tho

gen ic b a cteri a . We find a lso a nother poison growing na tura l l y ina k ind of poisonous mushroom a nd a lso produced in putrey ing fish

by ba cteri a . T his ptoma ine is musca rine (CsH 1 5N OZ), a nd a cts on

the muscles when ea ten . Oysters a nd mussels a re very l i a ble t o

the a ction of certa in b a cteri a wh ich produce my ti lotoxine, CeH l sN

O z). T yrotox ine (C 7H1 7N 02) is found in cheese a nd ice cream ,where these foods h a ve undergone a fermenting process by the

a gency of disea se germs . T he diphtheri a germ , K lebs-L oefiler

ba ci l lus produces a toxic poison , so a lso do the ba ci l l i of cholera ,typhoid , tetanus others .

Study ing over these deduction s a nd chemica l changes , we see

tha t combina tions a re ea si ly upset, a toms from one set of molecules

fa l l down a nd a re taken up by other molecules , forming new sub

stances by these mere changes in a rra ngement . I f we cannot see

the exa ct changes chemica l ly made, we ca n see the a gents a t work

a nd we ca n see how they perform the work .

The word ptoma ine comes from the Greek word wr e'

éfl a . whichmeans "cadaver" a nd wa s bestowed upon them by Selmi , an Italian

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1 2 BACTE R I OLOGY I N CANN I NG .

poisons , which a re not genera lly wel l understood.‘

Ptoma ine’ i s a

generic name for a lka loid bodies formed from an ima l and vegeta ble

ti s sues during putrefa ction and the s imi la r bodies produced by

p a thogenic ba cteria . Very Often , perhaps genera lly, the degenera

tion in the food product i s not fa r enough a dva nced to offend either

the taste or sense of smell ; consequently, suspicion i s not excited,a nd a person ea ts or drinks something which conta ins enough ofthe poison to make a grea t dea l Of trouble, if the result i s not fa ta l .We Often hea r, in the summer, for insta nce, tha t persons who a ttend a picn ic were stricken with a violent i llness , a nd tha t the physicians in the neighborhood were kept busy for hours . The fa ct i s

developed tha t only those who a te ice cream were made s ick . Some

times it i s reported tha t some one ha s poisoned the food ma liciouslv,but it i s known tha t the cause Ofmost, if not a ll, of these distress ingexperiences wa s the presence Of ptoma ines in the mi lk out Of which

the ice cream wa s made ."I t is not a n ea sy ta sk to tra ce the history of mi lk ba ck fa r

enough to revea l the preci se conditions under which the ptomaines

were developed, but it i s bel ieved tha t fa i lure to properly cool the

milk immedia tely a fter it wa s ta ken from the cows , i s a pa rtia l ex

p la na tion of the evil . Wa rm wea ther fa vors this condition . The

ptoma ines of ice cream tyrotoxicon a re pa rticula rly to be dreaded,a s wel l a s other poisons , such a s mytilotox in , found in mussel s .

"I t i s not plea sant to contempla te tha t the a ir we brea the a nd

the wa ter we drink, a nd a la rge proport ion of our food a bounds in

ba cteria of different kinds . Most of them a re, fortuna tely, ha rm

less , or should be, i f proper precautions a re taken . Milk i s fa r from

being the on ly medium for the transference of this poison to human

beings . A grea t va riety of solid foods of a n ima l origin a re a l solikely to develop ptoma ines . One frequently hea rs of poison ing byca nned goods , such a s potted mea ts or ca nned sa lmon , for insta nce .

I n some ca ses a meta l l ic a gent, perhaps the solder, i s the cause ofthe trouble, but in the ma jority of ca ses the S ickness , especia l ly i fit i s intestina l a nd pa inful cha ra cter, i s due to ptoma ines . T o a ll a p

pea ra nces , the food ma y be entirely fit for consumption , a nd per

haps none of those employed in the ca nn ing house ma y be re

spons ible, but the cha nces a re tha t unpercefved putrefa ction ha s setin a nd tha t ptoma ines have been produced.

"Fresh fish and oysters a re not exempt from the tendency todevelop ptoma ines . Indeed, fish wa s one of the first sources fromw hich these poi sons were obta ined by chemists . The symptoms ofthese poisons a re vomiting, nausea , dia rrhoea a nd reta rded respira

BACTE R I OL OGY I N CANN I NG .

tion , a nd in adva nced stages , coma ."There i s no known an tidote for this poison , though of course

emetics a nd purga tives should be used where the po ison i s sus

pected. There a re numerous ptoma ines in the body,‘

but they a re

a bsorbed by the oxygen or expel led by the bowel s , l iver and lungs .

I f not, they strike the nerve centers a nd sickness results . The rea l

cause of many mysteriou s dea ths i s ptoma ine poison ing, but there

a re, of course, many mysterious dea ths due to other causes . Ma ny

ca ses of ptoma ine poison ing do not result seri ously a t a ll."

CHA PTER I I I .

BACTE R I A . MAN NE R OF P R OP OGAT I N G . DE SCR I PTI ON OF VA R IOUS FORMS . CHARACTE R I ST I CS . MOLD FUN G I .

The multipl ica tion of bacteria l forms va ry in different orga n

i sms, a nd it ma y be wel l to ta ke up the study of these different forms

before engaging our a ttention on the va rious orga n i sms pecul ia r to

the decomposition of food products .Multipl ica tion by divi sion i s a common mode, especial ly with

the spiri l lum a nd ba cillum . Tra nsverse l ines become vis ible, which

increa se a nd become gela tinous . The orga n i sm sepa ra tes a t these

pla ces and the process begins over a ga in . Under the higher power s

of the microscope bright shin ing spots a ppea r within the protoplasmof the germ cel l s , which a re the new spores or l i fe forms which will ,under suita ble conditions , increa se a nd brea k awa y from the pa rentcel l a nd develop into ful l grown cel l s themselves , a nd these spots

wil l a ga in appea r within their wa l l s , a nd so the multipl ica tion goeson unti l the conditions become un fa vora ble for their nouri shment .These fa vora ble conditions depend of course on the amount Of maferia l exposed to their a ction, a nd the tempera ture sufficiently wa rmfor their vegeta ting power, which for the grea t numbers of ba cteriamust be from 60° to 90

° E , but there a re some exceptions amongthe a lcohol ic ferments where the temper a ture can fa l l to 36

°or 38

°

F . The conditions favora ble to the propa ga tion a l so depend on thecompounds formed by their own a ction on the pa rt icular substra tawhich they a re causing to ferment . Sometimes an a cid i s genera tedwhich wi l l ki l l them , and tha t a cid may be due to their own a cti on .The condition will become fa vora ble, too , when the orga n i sms ha ve

performed their work . Other forms m a y a ppea r and take up thework of di s integra tion where the first form left Off , and so a fter these

forms have fulfil led their work, sti l l others ma y appea r on the new

BACTE R I OLOGY I N CANN I NG .

medium so formed and find it fa vorable to their pecul ia r a ction . During the process of germina tion a ny pa rticula r form of ba ci llus ma ychange in cha ra cter from its pecul ia r form a s known under ordi

na ry conditions . A rod shaped ba cterium may a ssume the shape of

a curved form like the spiri llum or thread- l ike a s the leptothrix

a nd round l ike the coccus . These va rious forms of the same ba cterium have caused considera ble trouble in cla ssifica tion , beca usethey ma y have the a ppea ra nce Of a different va riety or specie. Thefigure N O . 2 will give some idea of the different forms of ba cteria .

2 fl

Figure 2 .

a—GE RM I N ATI ON OF SPORE S . f—D I PL OCOCC I .b— BACTE R I A W I TH F L GE L L A . g—STRE PTOCOCC I OR CHA I N S .c— SPORE FORM I N G CE L L S . i SP I R I L L A A N D VI BR I OS .d— ZOOGL OE A . h- L E P TR OTHR I X .e— COCC I .

When germination takes pla ce by spores the appea ra nce of the

mother germ da rkens and appea rs granula r when a certa in point

becomes prominent and it swell s rapidly, us ing up the protopla sm

of the cel l in forming the new growth . Somet imes the former cel lwil l not expand a ga in , but appea rs to dry up, in which ca se the l i fei s ma inta ined in the spore which stil l cl ings to the mother cel l . I n

a suita ble fermenta ble substance, the spore will germina te, first

swell ing to unusual s ize, when the spore W ithin wil l burst through56 6 F igure 4 .

BACTE R I OLOGY I N CANN I NG . 15

the wa l l and there will appear two germs where formerly only one

wa s visible.There a re a nthrospore and endo spore forms of ba cter ia . The

endospore ba cteria form their spores on the inside of the pla sma orwa l l of the cell , while the a nthrospore ba cteria do not . The zoogloeaforms of ba cteria a re pecul ia r to s l imy forma tions , so tha t when youobserve a ny fluid of a ropy na ture, a s sometimes happens with pea s ,it i s this form of ba cteria la rgely the cause of such a ction, but therea re of course other rea sons for ropiness in canned pea s . Theseba cteria grow very fa st in colonies a lmost pure na turally .

The spore forma tion of the yea st plant, sa ccharomyces , i s mostinteresting . The view of these cel l s budding a s seen under a powerof 1000 diameters in the m icroscope, i s most interesting becausethey ca n be seen so pla inly, and their appea rance i s beauti ful . I nfa ct the microscope Opens up a new world in the vegeta ble kingdoma nd the studv i s mos t fa scina ting .

F igure 3.

‘I took a quantity of filtered toma to juice a nd pla ced a culture of

these a lcohol ferments in it, a nd the next day I tra nsferred a single

drop under the cover glas s , fil l ing the sl ight exca va tion a nd la yingthe cover gla s s over this to prevent to a certa in extent the eva pora

tion of the l iquid. I loca ted a few cel l s a nd wa tched them closely ; I

detected shin ing spots within the cel l wa ll s which appea red to be

swélling . After a time I wa s awa rded by seeing a s light protubera nce on one s ide of a cel l which increa sed ra pidly in s ize, rema in inga tta ched to the pa rent cel l . After a time other cel l s bega n budding,a nd then I noticed tha t the first bud ha d fully developed and wa s inits turn showing signs of germina tion . I n a short time it sent out abud a nd the mother sent out a nother one in the opposite direction .I n a few hours I a ga in examined the view a nd the beauti ful scenewa s la id out before me a s the following illustra tion will show . Al lthis occurred in a field not la rger tha n a pin point, and no doubt

16 BACTE R I OLOGY I N CANN I NG .

would have been much more a bunda nt in development i f the oxygenha d not been pa rtia l ly cut off by the cover gla ss . I then glued thecover gla ss fa st to the gla ss sl ide, a nd in a very short time the gla ssburst from the pres sure of the ca rbon ic a cid ga s which wa s being

libera ted freely . There appea red a l so other forms of ba cterial l ifefrom the a tmosphere in zoogloea s a nd the la ctic ba cteria were a l sovisible, appea ring in l ittle short rods .

The spores of the sa ccha romyces , a s I sta ted, began to show

themselves within the wa l l Of the cel l, and exerted such a pressure

in swel l ing a s to push through the wa l l , and a fter sending out

severa l buds would turn da rk and appea r to Shrivel up . I met a l so

with cel l s which sent out buds which , when developed, would brea k

awa y from them entirely . I examined a ll these specimens in a tem

pera ture of 70° to 80° F which probably a ccounts for the appea r

a nce of other forms in the il lustra tion . The true a lcohol fermentsma y be cultiva ted a lmost pure a t a tempera ture of 36

°to 4 0

° F a ndwhile their development i s slow, they a re a ble, however, to a ccom

plish fermenta tion , without the interference of other orga n i smswhich will not vegeta te except in higher tempera tures . Thi s peculia rity of the yea sts make the brewing of beer compa ra tively ea sier

tha n the 013 method where little a ttention wa s paid to tempera tures .

A pecul ia r film appea red on the tom a to juice tha t I spoke of

before, a nd gradua l ly became thicker a nd wrinkled in appea ra nce,a nd the sa ccha romyces seemed to stop their a ction a nd settle down

to the bottom of the gla ss . I examined the flim under the m icroscope a nd recogn ized it a s the mycoderma cerevisia e a nd myco

derma vin i , a nd I found tha t this film wa s us ing up a ll the free

oxygen from the a ir a nd so depriving other germs of tha t very essen

tia l element . The cel l s a re va rious shaped, some round, some longand a lmost transpa rent . The spores a re ea sily seen and have a rest

les s movement within the wa l l s of the cel l . This form is quite com

mon a nd appea rs on the sur fa ce ofmany of the fruit juices .

MYCODE RMA V I N I A N D CE RE VI S I AE .

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18 BACTE R I OLOGY I N CANN I NG .

ria ntly on bread a nd a tta ins a considerable height . The bra nches

a nd sporangia ha ve a bout the same cha ra cteristics in their forma

tion Of spores tha t the two former ones ha ve, tha t we have studied.I n a ddition, this fungus ha s the power to propa ga te by budding,resembling in many respects the true yea st fungi . The spores a recolorless . When mucor ra cemosus i s submerged in a fermentablel iquid the sections appea r to swel l and become la rge a nd ova l

sha ped, fil led with a highly refra ctive pla sma . They sepa ra te a t the

l ines of dema rka tion a nd begin budding . The conidia or spores

ha ve the same cha ra cteri stic and resemble the sa ccha romyces very

much . They sometimes germina te in this wa y when cultiva ted on asolid substra tum .

MON I L I A CAN D I DA .

This fungus i s a white or gra yish colored mold which grows

from the spore jus t the same a s the other va rieties we ha ve ex

amined, a nd pea r shaped or el l iptica l spores form on the ends Of thebranches . I t i s found on sweet, juicy fruits , a nd when submerged

will produce a lcohol ic fermenta tion a nd will form a white film on

the top Of fruit juices .

F igure 7 .

MAGN I F I E D X 1000.

a MON I L I A GROW I N G WHE N SUBM E RGE D .b - MO N I L I A CE L L S OF A F I LM FORMATI ON .

Figure 8 .

MAGN I F I E D X 1000 .

BAC I L L US L A CT I C I AC I D I -SOUP SUBSTRATUM .

CHA PT E R I V .

BACTE R I A COMMONLY FOUN D I N DE COMPOS I N G FRU I T AND V E GETABL E S . M I CROSCO P I CAL V I E WS A N D DES CR I PT I ON S

CHARACTE R I ST I CS .—STE R I LI ZAT I ON .

I t i s not my purpose a t this time to take up a complete l i st ofthe va r ious ba cteria found in the ma ny kinds of fruit products , butonly a few Of the more common va rieties , in order tha t the readerma y become famil ia r with these forms a nd understa nd clea rly wha tis meant when we speak of them in the fol lowing pages .

L ACTI C AC I D BACTE R I A .

Thi s form Of ba cteria a s seen under a microscope of 1000 xa ppears in short rods slightly contra cted in the middle, a s will be seenby the representa tion below .

I t will resi st very high tempera tures , a nd it requires a t lea st250

° F . for ten to fifteen minutes to ki l l the dry forms .

They a re the forms which commonly ca use milk to turn sour,but a re found everywhere in fermenting fruit juices , a nd a ct veryreadi ly on the milk Of corn . The a bove view wa s taken Of a culture

Of these germs tra nsferred to a drop Of corn milk a nd pla ced under

a microscope . Their a ction i s directly On the suga r conta ined in the

milk a nd they convert it into la ctic a cid with no ca rbonic a cid ga s

when a cting a lone . They a re ra rely i f ever found a cting a lone, however , a nd it i s only by ma king pure cultures tha t they ma y be

studied for a short time under the gla ss . Other forms will make

their appea ra nce very soon . This form Of ba cteria flouri shes veryrapidly a t a tempera ture Of 80

°to 90

° F . I t grows on gela tine pla tes

a s sma l l , white points , becoming Opa que, form ing a thick la yer . The

colonies appea r da rk yel low in the middle . This i s one Of the species

Of ba cteria which a re found a cting on nea rly a ll kinds Of food pro

ducts a nd ha s considera ble resisting power to high tempera tures .

BUTYR I C ACI D BACTE RI A .

Clostridium butyricum and amyloba cter a re the putrefa ctive

ferments which cause a grea t dea l of trouble in the ca nning indus

20 BACTE R I OLOGY I N CANN I NG .

try . This form i s one Of the most resi stant to high tempera tures ,a nd develops spores which a re ha rd to ki ll . These spores a re foundin dried-up forms cl inging to the fresh product, a nd will begin to develOp whenever a suita ble medium presents itsel f .These ba cteria a ct on the suga r producing butyric a cid, ca r

bonic a cid a nd hydrogen , a nd they a re a na erobic, producing a veryunplea sant ta ste in fruit ju ice . I t i s a moti le organ i sm a nd looks like

a short stra ight rod. When these ba cteria a re ready to form spores

they swel l up into pecul ia r shapes , spindle, club sha pe, lemon shapea nd el l iptica l . The spores burst the outer protopla sm and begin developing into a new orga n i sm . When colored by iodine the butyric

ba cteria appea r bliI e . They develop ra pidly a t blood hea t . I n gela

tine they form yel low colored colonies . I consider this form Of

ba cteria to be one Of the most da ngerous forms to be met with in

the ca nn ing of corn, a nd peas . The ful l grown ba cillus is ea sily kil led

a t the boiling tempera ture, but the spores , especia l ly the dried-upform s tha t have been floa ting in the a ir when they find a lodgmentin the milk of the corn , a re very ha rd to k il l . They a re so sma l l in.this dried-up form tha t we ca n a lmost conceive Of them being a ble

to pa ss through the juice without becoming wet . After milk ha s

soured by the a ction Of the la ctic ba cteria , and the a cid i s neutra liz ed by l ime, it wil l set up butyric fermenta tion caused by the

butyric ferments . This i s a Spontaneous butyric fermenta tion from

the ba cteria in the a tmosphere, a nd will sta rt a t a tempera ture of

70° to 80° F . The butyric ferments a ct very readi ly on sta rch , dex

trine, dextrose a nd suga r ca ne . These ba cteria a l so pla y a very im

porta nt pa rt in the‘

ripening of cheese a nd give it its pecul ia r flavor .

They have the power ofdecompos ing fermenta ble substa nces without the a id Of free oxygen , a nd on this a ccount we term

‘

thema na erobic . The fol lowing v iew will give Some idea how they a p

pea red in a v iew taken o f fermenting corn milk . The rods repre

sent the ba ci l l i and the dots represent the spores .

ACETI C ACI D BACTE R I A .

The two wel l known forms Of ba cteria which ca use a cetic a cid

a re the mycoderma a ceti a nd the ba cterium P a steurianum . I n 1838

Turpin a nd Kutz ing di scovered tha t a cetic a cid fermenta tion wa s

caused by micro-organ i sms , and Pa steur in 186 4 confirmed the cor

rectness of their a ssertion a nd ca l led the orga nism mycoderma

a ceti,but a s he wa s not working with a ny pa rticula r culture, he did

not bring out the fa ct tha t thi s a cid could be produced by a t lea st

one other form , i f not more . As he did not employ pure cultures .

F igure 9 .

MAGN I F I E D X 1000 .

BAC I L L US B UTY R I CUS .

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[ V B R S I T Y

CA L IFO

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Figure I O .

MAGN I F I E D X 1000 .

BAC I L L I B UT Y R I C I —SHOW I N G S PORE S .

BACTE R I OLOGY I N CANN I NG . 21

his methods of making v inega r were not used pra ctica lly, and in

1879 Hansen cla ssified the germs a nd Obta ined pure cultures . The"quick vinega r process i s employed in the ma nufa cture, where the

l iquid i s divided into drops and given free a ccess to the a tmospherea nd gi ven free di stribution over la rge surfa ces of beech sha vings ,w here the process i s ta ken up a nd completed by the orga n i sms .

T he a cetic a cid germs a re cha ra cterized by long cha ins Of hour

g la ss sha pe, pa rt ia l ly ba cil l i and curved forms . Mycoderma a cetia re sta ined yel low by iodine, while ba cteria P a steuria na a re gi vena blue color by the same sta in . N O spores have been seen in theseb a cteria .

Figure 1 1 .

MYCODE RM ACETI A N D BACTE R I A P A STE UR I A N A .

The ba cteria a re present in la rge numbers in va rious fru it andvegeta ble juices , a nd a re so common everywhere in the a tmospheret ha t they a re among the ea rl iest forms Of orga nic l i fe to appea r inthe fermenta tion of food products .

BAC I L L US VI SCOSUS

we will now take up the study Of a form of ba cteria which

p lays a grea t pa rt in the spoiling of canned goods , especia lly Ofvegetables like pea s , bea ns , a spa ragus and corn , ca using the whole

l iquid pa rt to become slimy a nd ropy so tha t it can be li fted in longsticky threads . The var ieties or species of this s l ime producingba cteria a re given the name Of ba cil l i vi scosi . They ha ve the powero f. resisting high tempera tures which , of course, makes steri liza tiond ifficult .

I t i s , Of course, very necessa ry to know the cha ra cteristics of

such forms of ba cteria l l i fe, their form s , resi sting power with reference to hea t and a nti septics a nd their proba ble source, in order to

gua rd aga inst them a s much a s possible a t the time when the pro

BACTE R I OLOGY I N CANN I NG .

duct i s exposed to their a ction . Y ou have, no doubt, seen cans ofva rious kinds of vegeta bles opened a nd found the l iquid pa rt ropy

and sl imy, when to a ll a ppea rances it wa s clea r when fil led into the

can . This trouble ha s caused the pa ckers Of pea s no end of worry ,beca use they ha ve not ta ken into cons idera tion tha t much of th i s

trouble wa s due to this kind Of a ba cterium . There a re some people

who put up a grea t dea l Of mola sses in tin cans , and have a grea t

dea l Of trouble in preventing fermenta tion, especia l ly during the hot

summer months .The fermenta tion set up by this organ i sm i s very violent,

especia l ly when deprived Of free oxygen . I t forms ca rbonic a cid ga sin grea t pressure, even to the extent Of bursting ca ns tested to with

stand 50 to 75 pounds pressure. B a ci l l i vi scosi make sl imy pa tches

in mola sses a nd sets up thi s fermenta tion , a nd on a ccount of its re

sisting power to steril iza tion , it i s ha rd to keep mola sses in tins dur

ing the hot wea ther, beca use high tempera tures deteriora te thequa l ity of the goods .This organ i sm causes the same trouble in wine and beer, which

we somet imes see, become rOpy ."tThe Orga n ism forms in clusters

resembling zoogloea a s the envelopment in the slime forma tion

holds them in clusters . Pa steur di scovered these bea d- l ike cha inswhich set up a viscous fermenta tion with ca rbon ic a cid ga s when

introduced in wine a nd beer, a nd V a n La er found ba ci l l i in rods

forming zoogloea , which produced the same viscous fermenta tion .This fermenta tion a nd sl ime forma tion i s grea t in proportion to the

qua ntity Of n itrogenous ma tter in the l iquid. Ordinar i ly the coccia ppea r in pa irs surrounded by an envelope Of muci laginous ma tter .

They sometimes grow without the gela tinous envelope, and so appea r when cultiva ted ou pota to .

Figure‘

12 .

MAGN I F I E D X 1000 .

BACI L L I VI SCOS I .

Figure 13

MAGN I F I E D X 1000 .

ON E PART BOU I L L O N , 99 PAR TS WATE R . RAN K BOU I LPROD I G I OS I .

BACTE R I OLOGY I N CANN I NG . 23

The ma nner Of protecting food products from this sca venger

a nd the requirements neces sa ry for steril izing vegeta ble a nd fluids

where it finds a lodgment , wil l be ta ken up under the process em

ployed in ca nning a nd preserving a s they will be described in pa ges

to follow, a nd under those hea ds we wil l endea vor to clea r up some

Of the mysteries of Spoila ge .

BAC I L L US P R OD I G I OSUS .

This i s the orga ni sm which gives the Odor Of herring brine or

fish to putrefying substa nces, and i s a l so named bleeding brea d,beca use it i s a pigment bea ring ba cil lus Of red color, and forms

spots when growing on brea d, pota toes a nd on ion tha t resemble

blood. I t i s a n egg- shaped germ a bout 2551111 Of an inch in diame

ter, which is very sma l l . I t ha s no motion a nd multipl ies by divi

sion . I t i s so minute a s to be ba rely perceptible with a power Of 1000

diameters , a nd E hrenberg ca lcula ted tha t a cubic inch would con

ta in one quadri l l ion . This orga ni sm is very common , nea rly alwa ys

a ssocia ted w ith decomposition Of vegeta ble ma tter in putrefa ctive

sta ges . One pecul ia rity a bout this ba cil lus i s tha t a t blood hea t it

fa i l s to produce the red pigment and pecul ia r fish Odor, but a t 60°

to 70° F when cultiva ted on a ga r, both Of these cha ra cteri stics a re

evident . The drawing here represented was taken from life .P rodigiosus ha s the property Of convert ing fermenting sub

sta nces Of a fermenta ble na ture into la ctic a cid a t a tempera ture of80° to 90

° F a t which tempera ture it produces no red pigment,so tha t the whole Of its energy i s employed in the fermenting proces s . When milk i s soured a nd la ctic a cid i s produced, it sometimesha s a blue color, which i s a pigment in the protopla sm of a ba cterium , simila r in ma ny respects to the ba cil lus prodigiosus .Ba cil lus prodigiosus i s a l so‘ a germ ca using unsoundnes s in breada nd ba kers have to gua rd their dough a ga inst thi s a ction to prevent souring before the ba king . I n ma nufa cturing toma to ca tsupand va rious condiments where chopped onions are used, it i s advisa ble to keep them in cool pla ces or use them a s soon a fter chopping a s possible, to avoid di scolora tion a nd flavor injury from thea ction Of this ba cter ium .

SACCHAROMYCE S A P I CUL A TUS .

This i s a lemon- Shaped ba cterium and i s one of the few germswhich have a pecul ia r form ea sily recogn izedwhereverwe meet them .They a lways a ppea r on the juice Of sweet juicy fruits when exposed

24 BACTE R I OLOGY I N CANN I NG .

to the a tmosphere. The buds a re either lemon shaped or round.The first view I ha d Of these pecul ia r forms Of orga n ic l i fe wa s on asubstra tum Of pineapple juice to which ha d been added a sma l l

qua ntity Of suga r, a nd left exposed to the a tmosphere. I n a short

time a fermenta tion set in which wa s not unplea sa nt to the ta ste.E xamina tion under the microscope revea led a pure culture Of theseba cteria , a nd the scene wa s one of the prettiest I ha ve ever ex

amined. The l ittle lemon-shaped cel l s were sending out buds

rapidly, a nd the juice had a fla vor Of a lcohol so simila r in many

respects to the yea st plant fermenta tions , but its power to produce

al cohol i s only a bout one- sixth of tha t produced by the yea st

sa ccha romyces cerevisia e. I t i s found in abundan ce during fruitsea sons on cherries , grapes , plums , gooseberries , pineapples , etc . ,on the ripe fru its , rea dy to begin a ction a s soon a s the juice i s ex

posed. I t i s a lwa ys found in the soil under the trees and bushes Of

such fruits , proba bly on a ccount Of ha ving flouri shed on fa l len

fruit a nd ca rried down into the ground by rains ; rema in ing a l ive

a ll through the winter . I n the summer time it is ca rried by wind

or dust, a nd fa l l ing upon the fruit stil l growing, rema ins unti l it

ripens before setting up fermenta tion . This cha ra cteristic fermentto this k ind of fruits , its ha bits , its ha bita tion , a nd la st its lodgmenton the fruit which ma kes its existence possible, i s only a n example

of a lmost every other form . E a ch form will be found in close

proximity to its victim, a nd nea rly a ll fruits a nd vegeta bles andother things will ha ve the dried-up forms either on them or nea rthem , rea dy when the time comes to resolve the substance aga in toelementa ry forms . This i s the grea t scheme Of na ture to make Oldthings new aga in , and reduce the ma tured things Of ea rth to ele

ments to furn i sh nutriment for the new .

Although there a re many other ba cteria which make their a ppea ra nce in fermenta ble substa nces , we have described a few Of themore important a s ha ving to do with the canning a nd preservingindustries , and they a re the principa l forms we meet, and i f we

gua rd aga inst them , we need ha ve no fea rs a bout other forms , ex

cepting, percha nce, a ba cterium like the ba ci l lus subti l i s a nd the

ba cil lus panifica ns should ma ke their a ppea ra nce, in which ca se theentire method Of ca nning would have to be changed in order to keepthe goods from fermenting. SO resi stant to hea t a re the spores Of

these two forms , a nd I have no doubt other uncla ssified forms, tha tthey can withstand tempera tures of 300

° F . for hours , a nd then develop and cause fermenta tion . SO fa r a s I know, these forms havenot made their a ppea ra nce in a rticles or products which a re canned

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Figure 15 .

MAGN I F I E D X 1000 .

BAC I L L US SUBT I L I S \V I TH E N DO S P ORE S X 1000 O N BOU I L L ON .

BACTE R I OLOGY I N CANN I NG . 25

a nd preserved. I t might be wel l , however, to give a sketch of these

two forms , for fea r, perhaps , they might a t no di stant time find a

p la ce among the scavengers Of cann ing products .

BACI L L US SUB L I L I S .

This ba ci l lus i s spore bea ring, and the spores appea r to be

specia l protopla smic cell s , developed in the pa rent, surrounded by

a thin but very ha rd membrane, and it i s thi s membrane which pro

tects the l i fe Of the spore aga inst the a ction Of hea t and a nti septicsbefore development into ful l grown ba cil l i . D ry hea t, of course,would be les s eflica cious tha n moist hea t, because the la tter if a ppl ied in certa in wa ys wil l soften the membrane and cause the pro

topla sm within to swel l, a t which time the germ i s most susceptible

to high tempera tures . When moist hea t i s appl ied it i s noticed tha t

the protopla sm becomes da rk a nd granula r, where before it wa s

c lea r a nd tra nspa rent, a nd it then begins to swell a nd gradua lly will

stretch the membrane unti l it bursts a cross the middle, which dis

tinguishes this form from the ba ci l lus amyloba cter, which burstsits membrane lengthwise. After bursting the membrane it makes its

way out and begins to vegeta te by lengt hen ing a nd dividing a crossthe rod form , a t which time hea t Of 160° F . will ki ll them . Thisba cterium ma kes its a ppea rance in ha y infus ions tha t ha ve beenboiled, and it i s the orga n i sm tha t caused Professor Tynda l l so

much trouble in trying to steri l ize the infus ions on a ccount of its

grea t resisting power to hea t . I t i s a motile orga ni sm a bout 1111611111;O f an inch long a nd 1 1731111 Of an inch in diameter . I ts spores a re

la rge a nd ea s i ly studied. I t multipl ies very fa st, producing muchca rbonic a cid ga s and seems to be pecul ia r to ha y .

Owing a t times to the close proximity Of ha y fields to land

where the cultiva tion Of cann ing products i s ca rried on , it would not

surpri se me a t a ny time to find thi s orga ni sm flouri shing in corn ,

pea s , beans, etc . , in which ca se a complete change Of processingwould become necessa ry in order to keep these a rticles from fermenting. I n tha t ca se the present steril izing process would be use

less , a nd new methods ba sed entirely on ba cteriologica l knowledge

would ha ve to ta ke their pla ce. The system referred to will beta ken up in deta i l under a nother hea d, and people who des ire to be

progressive can find a method la id down to form the ba se Of ex

periments tha t ultima tely wil l insure a superi or qua l ity and perfectsteriliza tion .

The ba cil lus pa nificans i s another spore-bea ring ba ci llus which

26 BACTE R I OLOGY I N CANN I NG .

i s very res i stant to the a ction Of high tempera tures . The ba ci ll ithemselves , l ike the ba ci ll i subti l i s a nd butyrici, a re ea si ly ki l leda t less tha n boiling tempera ture, 2 12

° F but the seed form , thespores , a re very resi stant a nd ca nnot be ki l led by continuous boiling, notwithsta ndng a ny sta tement ma de to the contra ry . These

sta tements a re ma de by some scienti sts who cla im to ha ve kil ledthe spores in ha lf a n hour by boiling, but they either were dea l ing

with other forms or kinds of ba cter ia , or they never did wha t theyclaimed. We know tha t Tynda ll tried this , a nd we ha ve his word tothe contra ry, a nd our own experience with corn a nd pea s , etc . ,bea rs him out . I ha ve tried time a fter time to k i l l these forms by

boiling for eight hours , a nd every experiment broke down . So thespores Of pa nifica ns ca nnot be kil

'led by boi l ing . This I s the orga ni sm which sets up the fermentation of the dough Of rye bread, a ndi s pecul ia r to rye . I t i s a short motile rod with threa ds which in

terla ce to form a film when grown On l iquid media . SO fa r a s Iknow these two forms , subti l i s a nd pa n ificans, do not a s yet enterinto the ca ta logue of ferments , which ca use the troubles in ca nn inga nd preserv ing Of food products .

CHA PT E R V .

PATHOGENI C BACTE R I A . S TUD I E D B E CAUS E OF THE POI SON S P R OD UCE D WHEN ACT I N G ON FOOD PRODUCTS . D I FFE RENT K I N DS

OF THE SE BACTE R I A STUD I E D . THE I R ACT I ON ONVAR I OUS FOOD P RODUCTS

DESCR I B E D .

We have been describing ba cteria of non-pa thogenic cha ra cter,viz : The ordina ry forms and orga n i sms which cause fermenta tion

of food products , but which ha ve no connection with the di sea ses Of

man . While it i s true tha t ordina ry ferments when ca using fer

menta tion , i f ta ken into the stoma ch , wil l cause stoma ch di sorders ,a nd sometimes violent sicknes s , they must not, however, be con

flicted with orga n i sms which cause specific di sea ses in man . I t i s

not our purpose in a work Of this cha ra cter to ta ke up a complete

history of a ll known_

forms of disea ses a nd the orga n i sms which

cause them , but simply to study those forms which in a tmospheric

fermenta tion find a lodgment in food products Of a lbuminousna ture, a nd by their a ction on the a lbumens produce a lka loids and

toxic poison s which come under the generic name Of ptoma ines .

I n a preceding cha pter (pa ge 2 1) we have taken up the sub

jcet Of ptoma ines and ca l led a ttention to the very common occur

Figure 16 .

MAGN I F I E D X 1000 .

CHO L E RA G E RM S I N COMMA , S SHAPE D A N D O SHAPE D FORM S .

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28 BACTE R I OLOGY I N CANN I NG .

Chemica l examina tion a nd ana lyses of this broth will show the

presence Of the ptoma ine poisons mentioned a t the beginn ing ofthis

'

section . Ba bes found tha t a t a tempera ture of blood hea t, theba cil lus would grow on va rious kinds of mea t, on eggs , vegeta blesa nd moistened bread, on cheese, coffee, chocola te and fluid suga rs ,but only feebly on a cid fluids or vegeta bles , on musta rd, onions ,wine, beer or di sti l led wa ter . Wherever there I s a la rge quantity Oforgan ic ma tters , a s a t the ma rgin of stagna nt wa ter, they wouldthrive . Milk i s one Of the most dangerous a gencies for the growthOf the ba ci l l i , a nd ha s ca used the dea th of many persons who ha veused it .

The comma ba ci llus i s a n a erobic organ ism , but does not cea seto multiply if the supply Of Oxygen i s cut Off, but may under thiscondition be kil led rea dily by germicida l a gencies, while in thea erobic sta te they a re very res i stant to such a gencies . But when thesupply Of oxygen i s cut Off it produces a much la rger proportion

of toxic poisons than when oxygen i s present, on a ccount Of thenecessity of a cting on a much la rger qua ntity of a lbuminous ma t

ter in order to get the Oxygen necessary to its reproduction .

One fa ct rela ting to this organism , a s wel l a s all other organi sms we ha ve been "considering, i s tha t freezing does not kil l thema s they seem to pa s s through a dormant sta te, and wil l develop on a

suita ble medium a t favora ble tempera tures . One experiment by

Koch on these ba ci l l i a t — 10° C . did not k i l l them , a nd they de

veloped rapidly when pla ced in favora ble conditions . The ea rly Ob

serva tions on ptoma ines and sepsines, Pa steur’ s a nd Hansen ’ s la ter

Observa tions , led to a sea rch for finding the poisonous properties ,or ra ther results Of the a ction Of comma ba ci l l i . Koch prepa red

cultures Of these organi sms which were very poisonous , a nd when

given to a nima ls in any wa y caused their dea th—"

pa ra lytic weak

ness of the lower extremities, coldness Of head and legs and pro

l onged respira tion, leading to dea th ."Fouchet and- Vi l l iers were

a ble to Obta in substances from the a ction of the comma ba ci l l i on

the dejecta a nd organs Of cholera pa tients which were cha ra cteri sticOf the organ i sm .

Fouchet used chloroform and extra cted a n extremely toxic

poison in the na ture of an Oi ly fluid which cha nged colors in the

presence Of l ight and a ir . H i s substance gave the cha ra cteristicrea ction of the a lka l oid, the blue reduction color with ferrocyanide

a nd perchloride Of iron . Vi l l iers a lso sepa ra ted an a lkaloid from the

dejecta Of a cholera pa tient which , when trea ted with muria tic a cid,fo rmed crvsta ls , which , when chemica l ly combined with other com

Figure 17 .

MAGN I F I E D X 1000 .

TYPHO I D BACI L L I I N CL USTE R FOUN D I N A GLAN D I N THE I N TE STI N E S .FROM RE AL M I CROSCOP I C V I EW .

BACTE R I OLOGY I N CANN I NG . 29

pounds , produced a caustic loca l a ction a nd muscula r troubles a nd

an irregula r hea rt a ction, a nd fina lly dea th . Brieger wa s a ble to find

severa l po i sons , especially from cultures of the ba ci l lus which were

old, which were choline, cadaverine a nd putrescine. He went into

these resea rches very fa r ; he Obta ined a toxic poison which , when

injected into a n ima l s , pr oduced muscula r tremors , cramps a nd

dea th . He named this new product methyl-gua n idine. He a l so sepa

ra ted two other toxines cha ra cteri stic Of the cholera ba ci l lus . Al l

these experiments were ma de with pure cultures Of the comma

ba ci l lus , a nd the toxines found were, Of course, in much la rger pro

portions than when found in na tura l grt hs on suita ble media .

E xperiments with these na tura l growths , however, give pra ctica lly

the same results , proving tha t the comma ba ci l lus i s capa ble Of

producing the most dea dly ptoma ines .

One pecul ia r fea ture in the study of this dea dly organism is

tha t it does not exert a ra pid fermenta tion where other common

ferments a nd non-pa thogen ic putrefa ctive orga ni sms , ha ve Obtained

a hold. Indeed, we ca n sta te tha t these other forms would i sola te

the comma ba ci llus a nd cause it to peri sh , beca use certa in a cids

would be produced by their a ction which would a ct a s a nti septicsto it, and thi s is true where a lmost a ll other pa thogenic forms appea r outside Oi the body . Once in a while, however, under favora ble

conditions , it happens tha t the cholera germ will begin a ction first

a nd produce a'

ptomaine before other common forms would get a

hold on the product . I n this ca se, should the substance'

happen to

be a food product Of an a lbuminous na ture a nd ta ken into the stonra ch a t a ny time a fter the orga ni sm ha d produced the toxic alka loid,ser ious muscula r tremors a nd cramps would result, perhaps endingin dea th .

TYP HOI D BACI L LUS .

The typhoid fever germ when growing in mea t broth a nd a lbu

minoids produces a ptoma ine which ha s been i sola ted by Brieger

and ca l led typhotoxin , and it i s on thi s a ccount tha t .we take upthe study Of this orga n i sm . The ba cill i a re short, thick rods from

"

251526 11 to n ine: of a n inch in length a nd a bout one- fourth Of their

lengt h in thickness . They have sl ightly rounded ends , a nd the pro

tOpla sm i s susceptible to color by an il ine dyes . They a lso ma y be

sta ined by a l lowing them to sta nd in a solution of oxa l ic a cid, a nd

a fter wa shing will take a methyl blue color . The typhoid germ is

found in the kidneys , spleen and intestines of fever pa tients , in colon ies or clusters widely sepa ra ted, which sometimes makes them

30 BACTE R I OLOGY I N CANN I NG .

difficult to loca te . Cultiva ted they a ssume a thread- l ike a ppea ra nce,w ith flagel la , which gives them a wa vy motion . The germ is a bleto flouri sh in either a n a erobic or an a erobic sta te, exhibiting thesame pecul ia rities a s the comma ba ci ll i , in tha t, when growing inthe presence Of Oxygen they a re very resi stant to the a ction Of

germicides a nd hea t, a nd produce less toxic po i son than when growing in a n an a erobic sta te, requiring the decomposition of morea lbuminous substa nce to Obta in enough oxygen for their multi

p l ica tion .The typhoid ba ci l l i grows rapidly on pota to , where they a ssume

typica l forms , because the pota to i s sl ightly a cid, which i s a necess a ry cha ra cteri stic for their propa ga tion .

Unl ike many other forms , this g erm seems to form an a cid

poison instead Of an a lka loid poison . I t develops rapidly in milk

a nd a l so in wa ter conta in ing deca ying a lbuminous ma tter . When

cultures Of this ba cil lus were given to an ima l s in food they soon

d ied, but wa s found tha t the ba cteria need not be al ive to cause

dea th . A ny substance which had been exposed to their a ction

would a lso cause dea th when rea ching the intestines , and the cause

wa s tra ced to toxic a nd ptoma ine poisoning which B rieger proved

w ere present in the substances .These organ i sms a re visibly a ffected by light a nd grow

best in da rk or shady pla ces . Ra ys Of sunl ight or chemica l ra ysa re very injurious to their development . This i s true Of nea rly a ll

p a thogen ic forms , and it would seem to indica te tha t the ra ys Of

light seem to shoot them, to use a milita ry term , and it i s hoped

tha t the development and improvement of the X-ra ys wil l begin to

o pen up a new method Of destroying these drea dful enemies of man .

I t i s a drea dful thing to contempla te, tha t there a re orga n i sms SOm inutely formed which ca n find their wa y into the body and use the

tissue to bui ld up poison s so fa ta l . We can now see tha t it i s nots o much the germ itsel f which causes the dea th of man a s it i s the

p oison depos ited by the germ deep in the ti ssue which pa ra lyzes

the muscles a nd stops the hea rt from bea ting .

These organi sms a l so bui ld up the same poisons in the very

food we ea t when proper conditions present themselves , a nd were

it not for the fa ct tha t man i s fortified a ga inst them , by countera ct

ing influences a nd secretions Of the body, we would all fa ll victims

one by one to their dea dly a ction . N or can we say tha t we wil l

escape fina l ly , but so long a s we know the enemies a nd can take

proper precautions a ga inst them, by removing from our midst

those deca ying things on which they grow, ea t and drink pure

Figure 18 .

MAGN I F I E D X 1000 .

TETAN US BAC I L L I .

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32 BACTE R I OLOGY I N CANN I NG .

in the soi l and a round horses , pa rticula rly . They seem to be foundmore numerously a round sta bles , in ma nure and the soi l whichha s been manured. V a illard a nd Vincent made ca reful observa tionsof the results Of the teta nus ba cil lus, a nd

"

having sepa ra ted the

poison, found tha t it a cted very simi la r to sna ke po i son . They foundtha t the ba ci l l i did not produce poison only a fter a cting for quitea time. I n the presence of other orga n i sms of putrefa ctive na ture,such a s la ctic a cid ba ci l l i a nd prodigiosi , they produce the poisonmuch more quickly . This peculia rity of the organism i s a strikingcontra st to the other forms we have been considering, because thea cids Of the common putrefa ctive organi sms usua l ly have a germicida l a ction on pa thogenic forms . E ven sma l l quantities of this

poison i f present in a ny food will set up the most terrible muscula r tremors a nd cramps , fol lowed by sure dea th , a s there i s noknown a ntidote . I t I s a pecul ia r fa ct, however, tha t we a re fortifiedto some extent a ga inst this organism before the poison i s formed I nthe wound ; the blood corpuscles in hea lthy ti s sue genera l ly destroy it . This organ i sm then 18 dangerous to man i f it happens to

find a lodgment in a ny food product, especia l ly in cann ed mea ts

a nd goods of a n a lbuminous na ture, where the pa cka ges a re sea led

hermet ica l ly, producing a na erobic condition so fa vora ble for its

reproduction, a nd a l so from the fa ct tha t it i s a ble to produce

ptoma ines more rapidly when a cting a long with other putrefa ctive

micro-organ i sms .

Sta nley in his tra vel s through Africa gives a bit Of pecul ia r

a nd interesting informa tion which we ca n readi ly tra ce to the a ction

of this organ i sm . He found tha t the sa va ges in certa in sections

poisoned their a rrow points by covering them first with a nutrient

juice Of a tree, then ta king them to a pla ce where dra ina ge had

a ccumula ted decomposing substances , they stuck them in the soil ,a l lowing them to remain for a cons idera ble time . These a rrows

would set up the most violent muscula r contra ctions , fol lowed bylockjaw and dea th whenever they found a lodgment in the flesh Of

their enemies . This poi son wa s, no doubt, caused by the forma tion,

of a n a lka loid poi son by the teta nus ba ci l l i .We a re Of the Opin ion tha t poi son s in food products fro-m thi s

pecul ia r organi sm do not genera l ly occur in foods tha t a re exposed

to the a ir, but only in hermetica l ly sea led pa ckages . We frequentlyhea r Of some one being po isoned, sometimes whole families stricken

a fter ha ving ea ten certa in kinds Of ca nned mea ts , a rid we feel a s

sured tha t thi s orga n i sm produces some Of the poisons which cause

these compl ica tions . I t i s l ikely tha t its a ction takes pla ce a fter

BACTE R I OLOGY I N CANN I NG . 33

the can ha s been sea led, before the fina l steril izing process , whichdestroys their l ife, but not the product Of tha t l ife . This troublei s due to ca relessness , the result Of ignorance of the dea dly na tureOf these orga ni sms , a nd this ca relessness i s the a l lowing of too much

goods to pile up a hea d Of the final process .

KL E BS-L OE FFL E R BAC I L LUS—D I PHTHE R I A .

The diphtheria , or Klebs-L oeffler ba ci llus , when growing onsuita ble media , produces a most virulent ptoma ine, which Brieger

i sola ted a nd used in va rious experiments upon a n ima ls , which

caused a poisoning s imila r to septic, phosphorous a nd meta ll ic

poi son . On thi s a ccount, many ca ses of po i soning from ea ting substa nces l ike ice cream a nd certa in kinds Of mea t, fish, etc . _ (whichwere due to a ptoma ine, where the a ction resembled meta l l ic poisoning), were a t first thought to come from the meta l pa cka ges which

conta ined the foods . As a ma tter Of fa ct, however, the a gent wa s

a ba ci llus simila r, i f not identica l with the Klebs -L oeffler ba cil lus .

The suspected meta l s a re not SO poisonous a s many person s im

agine, a s they a re found in many vegeta bles . Copper i s found in the

toma to in some section s , a nd other vegeta bles conta in meta l s a l so .

One eminent authority ha s gone so fa r a s to sta te tha t the systemis not a ffected by the presence of meta ls in smal l quantities in

food products . The poison tha t does cause the trouble in these