PTOMAINE POISONING.

Press, Volume XLIX, Issue 14586, 10 February 1913, Page 7

PTOMAINE POISONING.

UNPLEASANT ENDING TO A

PICNIC

TWENTY-SIX PEKSONS AFFECTED

The "annual picnic of the employees of Moss.-s \\ <. eks Limited, which was heid on the Rangiora Doituin on Saturday, was luarrci by tiio fact that tweiuy-tix out ol tiie hundred persons who attended it wero the victims ot ptomaine poisoning. Ten of tiio ca:<es wore somewhat serious and in one case, a you:;;; lady was so ill that sho had to bo ieii ;u li;u.giora. All tho others iiiiVckcd re-turnai to lowii by tho I'XfUj-jioa uaiu iiuii it was asceruwiu-d l.Ue yesterday evening lhai they were on tile load to recovery.

Tiiero were nvu picnic parties from town iv tho Domain on Saturday—tho employees ot Jlossrs Weeks Limited ai.d tiio employees of Messrs Booth, Macdonaid's C.irlylo Works. The weather was fine and the picnickers thoroughly enjoyed the outing and iho customary games and races which form an attractive leature of Mich functions. Tlie employees of Messrs Weeks Limited lunched at noon. amongst tho viands being some tinned prosed beef, but all tho other meat was iresh. it was not till about four o'clock in tr.vi afternoon tlint there was any indication that anything had hanper.ed to interfere with tho pleasure of the- picnickers. It was then noticed that one by one several of the employees were retiring to the shade and lying down and asking their friends fo: , coats to cover them. It became evident that something was wToni* and one of the medical men at Rangiora was summoned. The doctor treated a number of the sulferers. One of the railway carriages was turned into a hospital car for tho time being and the sufferers wero conveyed to it on stretchers and made as comfortable as tho circumstances would permit. In this work a number of the employees of Messrs Booth, Mni-donald and Co. rendered every possible assistance. At theChrist■clnireh railway station tho St. John Ambulance Association's ambulances removed the sufTV>rfrs to their resnectivo homes, where they received further nifflical attention.

There is considerable: doubt as to ivhnt caused so mnnv of tho picnickers' to be stricken with ptomnino poisoning Not nil of tho«(» who nto tho tinned prossod hoof suffered, whilst others who did were nffoftod. As all the other meat u-ns frosh, that is, nottimiod, it is Minnisod that somo ingrodiont in tho sfilnd dressing was responsible for tho that affected so mnny.

Mr F. A. RosoM-nriie, managing director of "Weeks, Ltd.. who spont much timo yostorrlny looking up thoso who lind boon nffoctod. informed a reporter yesterday that from the reports he had received' nil the sufForers vrere on tho wnv to recovery. Some of thoso who bnd suffered from ptomnino poisoning worn nblo to bo tin and about yostoTcTny aftnrnoon, but others would not bo able to be nbout for n dny or two. Mr Rosewnrno t f>l f.grn plied ypstorday to the peoplo nt TJfiniriora in whoso charge ono of the firm's onmloyees was left, enquiring how the pntiont wns progressing, and asking to be informed if shr renin" rod anything. Mr Rosewarno desired to express his thinks to tho of Messrs Booth. Mncdnnaid for the assistance rendered by them.