The ripe olive scare and hotel Loch Maree tragedy: Botulism under glass in the 1920’s

Abstract

Botulism was believed to be a rare disease in both the US and UK in the 1920’s, until two deadly outbreaks altered that view and launched public health measures to control it. In the United States, the ripe olive scare of 1920 found glass-packaged olives linked to multiple deaths. In the United Kingdom, eight deaths from glass-potted duck paste, in the summer of 1922 at Loch Maree, Scotland will always be associated with botulism.

Keywords:

• CNS/psychological
• Muscle
• Respiratory support