Three days later, after the Christmas dinners had been cooked and eaten, a ship's cook while on duty in the galley suddenly became dizzy and weak, broke out in a profuse perspiration, and began to vomit a quantity of red blood. In all, he vomited about two cupfuls. Examination revealed the signs of acute circulatory collapse, as in the other cases.
Here the cause was quite evident — namely, hemorrhage.
Next day a fourth man answered morning sick call, complaining of dizzy spells, and was hospitalized with the others.
Meanwhile, the doctor and the ship's officers instituted a careful search for something that could get into the men's food and cause the hemorrhages. They found it — a faulty can opener which caused small, sharp-edged pieces of tin to fall into the food of an opened can. The U.S.S. Spica was running in a danger zone at the time, which meant all ports closed and the ship continuously darkened. This, undoubtedly, had made inspection of the food difficult. Meanwhile, the can opener was becoming more defective, causing larger bits of metal to drop into the food. The cook's symptoms were the most severe, perhaps because he was sampling the food as it was opened.
The remedy prescribed savors of Mother Goose. All hands were fed large quantities of thick oatmeal mush to gather up any bits of tin in the intestines. The drink with this was strong tea, for its astringent action.
But the remedy, plus a new can opener, cured the crew, and the mystery of the U.S.S. Spica was solved.
When food supplies are taken aboard ship in a foreign port, the ship's medical officer inspects these in company with the supply officer. Certain foods from certain places are taboo. This taboo extends to certain fishes which are in the fishing grounds of the Puerto Rico and Virgin Islands' area. Though these are safely edible at some periods of the year, they would seem to be poisonous at other times. Among these temperamental sea foods are the
