hot turkey sandwiches for lunch at a school. Eight turkeys were received by the school about the middle of December 1952, and were kept in a deep freeze. Two of them were roasted and eaten before Christmas without any ill effects. On January 20, 3 turkeys were thawed. The next day they were cooked and allowed to stand at room temperature until the following morning when the meat was placed in large pans. It remained at room temperature until it was served at lunch time. The first serving was at 11 o'clock and no illness occurred among those eating at that time. Those who ate turkey for supper became ill. The remaining turkeys of the shipment appeared to be in very good condition. Since no meat remained from the birds which caused the illness, specimens were taken from the frozen turkeys and sent to the laboratory. No cultures were obtained from these specimens. The second incident occurred at another school where a shipment of 8 turkeys was received. The turkeys were taken to the local locker plant for deep freeze storage. The attendant at the locker stated that the ends of the legs were partially thawed. This probably resulted from the fact that the crates of turkeys stayed on a loading dock for at least 24 hours. Having heard about the previous incidence the school authorities decided to sample the meat before it was served. Two turkeys were cooked without thawing. Four persons

ate some of the meat and 3 became ill with diarrhea, nausea, but no vomiting, and intestinal cramps. It was believed that the turkeys could not have become contaminated at the local area, and that if there was anything in the birds causing illness, it must have gained entrance at some prior time during the processing or handling. Portions of the meat from the two cooked birds and from one of the frozen turkeys at the locker plant were collected for laboratory examination. The report from the laboratory has not yet been received.

Dr. Evelyn Rogers, District Health Officer, New York State Department of Health, reports that during January and February 1953, 7 outbreaks involving 926 cases of gastro-enteritis have occurred in 2 State schools and 1 State hospital. The symptoms of each outbreak were similar in nature, namely, loose, watery nonbloody stools, abdominal cramps, vomiting, occasional mild prostration, and occasional fever. The incubation period was estimated to be from 10 to 12 hours for each outbreak. Each wave of illness was preceded by the consumption of roast turkey or turkey soup. The turkeys came from U. S. Government Surplus frozen stock. Numerous stool cultures and cultures of food remains were obtained and all were negative for enteric pathogens.