HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Seaforth News, 1959-04-30, Page 2Medical Sleuths
Track Down Killer
When Donald Kleinschmidt,
29, a machinist, sat down to din-
ner in. Haddon Heights, N.J. re
gently, " his wife Margaret had
filet of flounder 'for the fam-
ily — twins Donald and Donna,
ti, David 4, and Dale, 3, Half
an• hour after dinner, the boys
felt sick, Donald and Dale were
the worst. Their father called
for an ambulance, and their
another rode with them to Cam-
den's Cooper Hospital. Dale had,
turned blue, and died on arri.
val. Resident Thomas L, Sing -
ley Jr,, 27, concentrated on Don-
s1d, also blue. But 100% oxygen
did no good, though his breath-
ing was strong -enough. The
trouble must . be something in
the blood. As a transfusion was
started, Kleinschmidt drove in
with David, who was also turn-
ing blup.
Dr. Singley knew that he• was
dealing with methemoglobine-
mia, in which poisoned red cells
carry no oxygen, and other cells
cannot deliver enough, to the
tissues. Many chemicals can
cause the condition, and .Dr.
Singley had no idea which was
to blame, But the remedy is
the same:: methylene blue, giv-
en intravenously, restoreshemo-
globin to normal oxygen -bear-
ing function, Dr, Singley tried
it on both boys and they re-
sponded quickly, lost their weird
bluish oast.
But what had they swallow-
ed? Best clue was that Donna
had eaten no flounder and had
not got sick. Dr. Singley remem-
bered having read in medical
school a 1945 report of sodium
nitrite poisoning in New York
City. A colleague clinched it:
he had just reread the same
story in Berton Roueche's Elev-
en Blue Men, reprinted from
The New Yorker, Simultaneous-
ly, unknown to the Camden
team, doctors across the Dela-
ware River were giving methy-
lene blue to women who had
eaten flounder in a downtown
restaurant.
City and federal poison de-
tectives went to work in the
morning, starting from the sup-
plier for the restaurant and the
market where Margaret Kleins-
chmidt had bought her fish.
Charles McWade, 43, a former
Philadelphian who might have
been shopping for fish on Tues-
day, was found dead on a chick-
en farm near Toms River, N.J.;
in his refrigerator was a rem-
nant of nitrite -poisoned floun-
der. Without saying how much
they knew or how they had
learned it, Philadelphia and
Camden health officials sounded
the alarm.
They issued warning bulletins
— "All flounder should be des-
troyed" through the press,
radio and TV. The alarm ran
through dinnertime: some fam-
ilies got up from the table and
dumped their filleted flounder
into the garbage can. House-
wives who were saving it in the
refrigerator got rid of it in a
hurry. Hospital switchboards lit
up and were jammed for hours.
Emergency rooms filled fast.
About 300 people who said they
had eaten flounder got treat-
ment: some were hypochondri-
acs, most were mild cases, a few
were severely poisoned. As far
as officials knew, there were
no more deaths.
In Washington, the Food and
Drug Administration's John L.
Harvey put the finger on the
trouble's source: 1,800 lbs. of
flounder filets, dipped in brine
at Philadelphia's Dan DiOrio
wholesale seafood market, were
somehow treated with sodium
nitrite before sale, he said. So-
dium nitrite is allowed in min-
ute quantities as a preservative
for meat, but its use in fish pro-
cessing is illegal. It 'should not
be confused with sodium nit-.
rate, which is 'comparatively
harmless. Adults can tolerate
small amounts (the elder Kleine.
chmidts: were all right after a
simple stomaeh pumping) which
may be deadly for children,
Sometimes' it is mistaken for
table salt, How it got into the
Philadelphia flounder was still
being investigated at week'.
end.
He Found It
Really Hot!
Robert Dunn, world traveller
andnewspaper correspondent,
stepped from his boat on to the
world's newest volcano—a fiery,
smoking inferno which had
thrust its mouth up from the
Bering Sea, between the Aleu-
t i a n islands of Bogoslof and
Grewingk,
Dunn had to get to windward
of the fumes, skirting the hot
circumference of the mass ris-
ing sheer from the sea. Holes
spouted vapour.that crusted the
clinkers white with salt, yellow
with sulphur, As he tried going"
higher, the reeking smell filled
his nostrils. He started sliding,
pawing the burnt surface to
save himself.
Testing every, rock againstan
avalanche, he zigzagged up-
wards between the hot'. blasts.
A smell of burning leather
mingled with -the brimstone. His
boot -soles were smoking.
Soon he topped one large
ridge and crossed ledges where
to climb higher, he h a d to
struggle up faster than the rook
rattled down, worried lest some
molten blast cut him off.
When his right hand touched
firm rock, he followed it into
the dark of a mountaineer's
"chimney" and huddled against
the, burning walls, eyes shut to
blank out the shimmering heat.
At last he wormed through the
chimney into light.
Ahead and below seethed a
hotter desert. Beyond towered
the core of the volcano — a
fifty -foot smooth pinnacle but-
tressed by a small, straight
shaft, so that together they re-
sembled an enormous parrot's
beak thrust into the air
"To reach this by crossing
the crater," he writes in "World
Alive," "you'd need cloven
hoofs and a forked tail. I tried
circling the° right-hand wall,
but the way was blind. I step
ped warily because my feet
smelled charred again. But the
longscramble to the right took
me higher; I could see now
that the spire was unclimbable
without rope and irons."
He wanted at least to touch:-
the spire. The sole lead there
went past the biggest, most vi-
cious vent, one which steamed
all the time. Thrice he crossed
the reeking pits towards • it,
thrice was driven back, choking.
He began taking compass•
sights and photographs, and.
within seconds every inch of
metal was tarnished black. A
paper film -wrapper that . he'd
dropped floated away in flames.
He touched his forehead and a
brown powder fell away — his
eyebrows. Sitting down on a
square of rock, he rolled a ci-
garette and lit it at the nearest •
vapour -hole.
When at last he got back to
the lagoon, he tore off, his,
clothes and dived into the wa-
_ ter. The sea gave off a sound
he had: missed before. It "hiss-
ed and roared like a million
white-hot pokers steaming the
water" from the earth's erup-
tions,
ANIMAL .'LOVERS
In Ribeirao Preto, Brazil,
thieves stole two 300-1b. jaguars
from the municipal zoo.
MEN OF VISION -- Not diapers, taut how ,welI a.newborn baby
can see is the concern of these two physicians. Dr. Sydney S.
Gellis, left, who invented the vision -measuring device, and Dr.
John Gorman prepare to test een infant's sight. The baby's
eyes follow black lines moving across -the arc above its head.
By gradually reducing the width of the lines and watching
the baby's eye movements, the doctorscan calculate the child's
ability to see.
TIBET'S SPIRITUAL LEADERS - Pictured, above, in happier times,
are Tibet's spiritual leader, the Dalai Lama, at right, and the
Panchen Lama, as they rode through the streets of Lhasa, Tibet's 41r
capital .city and seat of the religious orders that govern the
country. The Dalai Lama is the 14th incarnation of Buddha,
according to Tibetan religious doctrine. The Panchen Lama, at
left, who has been set up by the Chinese Communists as Tibet's
puppet ruler, hos heretofore been regarded as the true Lama
by a minority faction only.
4,a TABLE TAL
d% bane Anattew .
n!a- r
If you've never taken timeto
stuff pork shops, you'll be sur-
prised how easy it is, and how
festive the results.
.., Get the meat man to give you
thick chops (an" to 1" thick)
and either he or you can slit a
pocket along the thick, meaty
side, You'll need only a table-
spoon of stuffing for each chop,
and can either make your own
or use one of the packed mixes.
Season the chops as usual, but
add a sprinkle of poultry dress-
ing for superb flavor. Bake the
stuffed chops in a 350° F. oven
Tor an hour, in a lighly greased
• pan uncovered, and turn them
only once. Be sure to season
again lighly when you turn the
chops. This makes a handsome
and easy company meat, for the
chops cook without any atten-
tion except the one turning, and
leave you free for other meal
preparations.
* * '
This orange - peach upside-
down .cake should be served
warm with a puff of whipped
cream on top of each square. ,
ORANGE -PEACH
UPSIDE - DOWN -CAKE
1/ cup soft butter
2 cup brown sugar (packed)
11/2 cups drained canned cling
peach -slices
6 maraschino cherries
1,6 cup shortening
1,6 ,cup- granulated. sugar
1'••egg
11/4 cups sited cake flour
11 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
' teaspoon grated orange. rind.
1/z
etch; orange juice
Spread butter in bottom of,
8 -inch round baking dish.:
Sprinkle with '.brown sugar and
arrange very well - drained •
peaches and halve& cherries on
top. Cream shortening and sugar
together thoroughly. Blend in
unbeaten egg, and . beat well.
Sift together flour, ; baking pow-
der and salt. Add to creamed
mixture alternately with orange
rind and juice. Pour batter care-
fully over peaches. Bake at
350°F. for •45;=50. minutes, or
until cake is done Allow to cool
5. 10 minutes. Invert over serv-
ing plate to remove cake, and
allow syrup, to drain a minute,
Serves 6 - 8.
5 c' *
QUICK UPSIDE-DOWN CAKE
1 package white cake mix
1 1 -pound can cranberry
sauce, drained
1 cup bite -size ':orange 'pieces.
lits cup cake chopped pecans
Prepare cake mix by package
directions. Combine drained
cranberries andhit-size orange
pieces; add pecans. Line bottom.
of 8x8x2-in, baking dish with
mixture. Spoon cake batter over
fruit mixture, Bake at. 375°F.
for 40-50 minutes. After taking`.
from oven, leave cake in pan
30 mins. Invert cake on. platter.
Serve with whipped cream,
i *
APPLE CRUMB CAKE
Cake
16 cup sugar
3 tablespoons shortening
1 egg
1 cup sifted flour
11/ teaspoons baking powder
1.4, teaspoon salt
1/4 cup milk
Filling
2 cups canned applesauce
2 cup brown sugar
1 teaspoon lemon juice
% teaspodn einnaaton
1/s teaspoon clove.
Crumb Topping
2 clap sifted floes:
1/a cup brown sugar
3 tablespoons butter
1/2 cup chopped pecansor wal-
nuts
Cream .•together sugar and .
shortening; add egg. Beat well,
Sift together flour, baking pow-
der and salt;" add alternately
with milk to creamed mixture.
Pour into greased 8x8x2-inch
pan. Combine •canned apple-
sauce, brown sugar, lemon juice,
cinnamon and cloves; mix well.
Pour over cake batter. Mix to-
gether until crumbly, flour,
brown sugar, butter, and nuts.
Sprinkle evenly over apple-
sauce mixture. Bake at 375°F.
for 45-50 minutes. Serve warm
or cold with whipped cream.
* 5 *
To pr even ,t its hardening,
brown sugar should be stored
in a dry air -tight .container,
However, even if hard, brown'
sugar can still be used to make
a syrup for waffles and pan-
cakes: Mix two heaping cups of
dried brown sugar, a cup of
:water, and a pinch of salt. Cover
and' simmer for 10 minutes. Cool
and add one-half to one teaspoon
of maple or vanilla flavoring.
Store in glass jar and save for.
'the next time you have waffles
or pancakes for breakfast.
Tiddlywinks!
Stripped down to shirtsleeves
and red braces and working out
strategy as he went along, Bri-
tain's Gen. Sir Hugh •Stockwell,
who commanded the British -
French forces at Suez in 1956,
appeared recently in a new role.
The .occasion was the world's
tiddlywinks championship stag-
ed in London's exclusive Em-
press club for the benefit of
charity. Having. practiced Bri-
tain's latest indoor -sport craze
on the carpet of his War Office
quarters. Sir Hugh ,led a team
of soldiers, actors, and peers
against the reigning champions
from Cambridge University.
'From Prince Philip, cruising in
the South Pacific,came a royal
cablegram: "I expect the 'con-
test to becarried through in the
usually thoroughly unsports-
manlike manner ..., get in there
and. fight." But Sir Hugh's
team was far outclassed by the.
smooth-tiddling collegians: Cam-
bridge won, 861/ to 351/2.
Husbands Beware !
Husbands, are you sure than
the woman you married is nal -
a witch? The chances are that
she used sorcery to •attract you .,
in the first place, according to
a royal ,edict issued by .Louis
XV in 1770. The edict, still un -
re voiced, says:
"Whatsoever f e m a l e shall
draw into matrimony whose.
ever male subject of His Ma-
jesty by means of scents, oils,
false teeth, hoops in petticoats,
slippers with high heels, or of
false bosoms or hips, shall be
prosecuted for 'sorcery, and the
marriage shall be declared null
and void]"
Think it overl
FAST WORKER
In Taipei, Formosa,' when po-
lice cane to investigate reports.
of the fraudulent activities of
Yang Yung-fei, Yang politely
asked them to be seated, and —
when they were comfortably
settled —.stepped quickly. out of
•,the room, locking the door be-
hind him.
Deserted Wife
He Hever .Saw
The odds against two men or
women, not related, being abso-
lutely identical in appearance
must be enormous and the
chances of them coming together
greater still. Yet such eases have
occurred in real life,
Two df the oddest stories of
human doubles come from the
United States.
On Christmas Day, 1800, in the
village of Haverstrak, some
twenty miles north of New York..
City, Thomas Hoag was married
to Catherine Secor, In time a
daughter was born to them, and
to, all appearances they were
a very happy couple. Mrs. Hoag's
sister lived with them.
After three years' married life
Thomas Hoag one day failed to
return home from his work.
Two years went by without
news of him. Then, in 1805, his
sister-in-law, walking in New
York, heard his voice, It was a
distinctive voice, for he had a
marked lisp.
,Having satisfied herself that
the speaker was the missing hus-
band, the sister-in-law informed
the authorities and he was taken
•to Haverstraw and charged with
abandoning his wife and child,
Thomas Hoag, in addition to
his lisp, had a scar on his fore- `
head and a smell tumour on hit
back, So had the accused. He
was identified as Hoag in court
by eight witnesses. They includ-
ed Mrs. Hoag, the justice who
'had married the pair and for
whom Hoag had worked as
handyman, Hoag's landlord and
a young mean who shared Hoag's
keenness for athletics.
Hoag, said this witness, used
to run and jump with him after
the day's work and always beat
him at jumping until he injured
his foot by treading on a knife.
"I am positive that the prisoner
is Thomas Hoag," the witness
added. The other four witnesses,
were equally positive.
It was now the prisoner's turn.
He denied that he was Thomas
Hoag. He was Joseph Parker, He
did not know any of the wit-
nesses who had sworn that he
was Hoag. He called another
eight who swore that he was
Parker. A captain of the New
York City Watch had known him
for eight years and produced
records to show that Parker, as
a member of the Watch, had
been on duty in New York at
the time of the Christmas Day
marriage at Haverstraw.
-Another friend of the prisoner,
who had known him even long-
er, had dined with him on that
Christmas Day. Of the remain-
ing witnesses the most impres-
sive was Mrs. Joseph Parker
who swore that the accused was
her husband and that he had not .
•
been away from her for a single/
day since their marriage in 1799,
The perplexed judge, now re-
called that Thomas Hoag's Red-
dent with a knife had left e.
scar on his foot. The prisoner
wa told to take off his shoes.
There was no scar on either foot,
The jury acquitted him and
with Mrs, .Parker, he returned
to New York.
A hundred years later the con-
fusion caused by undoubted
doubles was further confounded.
by the fact that they had the
same names!
In 1903 a Negro named Wilt
West was committed to Leaven-
worth Penitentiary, the'
Kansas.
At ; this date the fingerprint
system introduced at Scotland.
Yard two years earlier was in
use in the United States only at
Sing Sing; other prisoners still.
relied on Bertillonage, a method
of personal. Identification by cer-
tain precise measurements, allied
to photography, invented by Al-
phonse Bertillon.
Will West, being a first of-
fender, was put through the Ber-
tillon - process and given the
number 3426. The warden super-
vising the classification of new
arrivals asked why West's par-
ticulars were. being taken, since
they were already in the prison.
records.
West pointed out that he had
never been convicted before,
and he must have been a badly
puzzled man when he was con-
fronted with the measurements
and photographs of William'
West, an old offender, 'p`revi-
ously consigned to Leavenworth
as convict No. 2626, For they
tallied in every minute respect,
as he had to admit, with his own.
To settle the matter, the war-
den's office was asked for the
latest information about convict
2626. The reply came back that
he was at that moment at work
in one of the prison factories.
The two coloured men were
brought together. They might
have been identical twins. Even
their ears, almost as individual
as fingerprints, were the same,
It isdifficult to believe that
there were no slight differences
of measurement, but if there
were, the Bertillon method,
which calculates by millimetres,.
had failed to detect them.
That the two Hien, who were
not related, should have the
same names was the most freak-
ish coincidence.of all.
The head warden of Leaven
viorth'then tried the new finger-
print system on his human dou-
bles. Their prints were, of course,
,quite different, and had the pri-
vilege of opening the second
fingerprint file in official use
in the United States.
ISSUE 17 — 1959
Junior Fashion
SAILOR COLLAR, braid trimmed, tops this so -easy -to -make
classic dress, In back, pleats and a belt; in front, patch pockets
and a row of buttons. The fabric: Crisp, easy care Dacron ,and
fax that promises to keep that shipshape look even after the tura•
bulende of a washing machine. Mom made it by using Anne
Adams Printed Pattern 4704. Size range is from 6 to 14.To order,
Send 40 cents (40e) (stamps cannot be accepted; use postal note
for safety) for this Pattern 4794, Please print plainly FOUR
'NAME, ADDRESS, 9116E and StYLE NUMBER. Send your order
to Anne Adams, Box. 1, 123 Eighteenth St., NeW Toronto, Ont.
I •