Transcribed from:
The Kingston Whig Standard
KINGSTON, ONTARIO - SATURDAY, APRIL 2, 1938
Fatal Cancer Serum Was Not From Kingston
Clear Bill Given Dr. Connell By Health Officials
Serum Used in Orlando, Where Ten Persons Died, Was Made in Philadelphia from Dr. Connell’s Formula – Washington Official Expresses Relief at Clearing Up of Local Angle to Matter.
Florida Doctor Makes Explanation
ORLANDO, Fla., April 2-(AP)- E.F. Bolte, 70, retired vice-president of the International Harvester Company, died early today, increasing to 10 the number of deaths among a group of persons here given injections of a serum for treatment of cancer.
Bolte, who came from North Dakota, died while investigators of various agencies worked intensively to determine what caused the deaths. Eight of the previous victims were women.
Dr. W.G. Workman of the United States Public Health Service indicated the results of autopsies and analysis of the serum would be known shortly.
Meanwhile, four women were in a hospital with the same symptoms as those who died. Their condition was not critical, although anti-tetanus treatment was having little effect. Physicians said the symptoms were similar to those of tetanus (lockjaw) except in the reaction to treatment.
Made in Philadelphia
Dr. T.A. Neal said 13 of those affected had been given injections at his clinic from a single bottle of the serum. He first said the serum was made at Kingston, Ont. Yesterday he declared he discovered he had used a serum made in Philadelphia.
Dr. Neal said he had used both serums in his treatment of cancer patients. The serums are identical, the Philadelphia preparation being made from a formula of Dr. H.C. Connell of Kingston.
Not Called Ensol
The serum made in Philadelphia, however, is not called ensol,
name of the product in Canada.
Dr. Neal said that as soon as he suspected that it was the Philadelphia serum which was contaminated he inoculated mice with it. That was Thursday night and all the mice died yesterday, he declared.
In his treatment of patients, he had used both Canadian and United States manufactured serum. It was this circumstance which led to the confusion.
Dr. Connell's Statement
Dr. Henry C. Connell said late yesterday he was “greatly relieved” to receive a report from Dr. T.A. Neal of Orlando, Fla., that the serum which caused death to the Florida physician’s patients had not come from Kingston.
Dr. Connell said he had been informed by Dr. Neal that the serum was not part of a Kingston shipment.
Dr. Connell said he had been told by the Canadian authorities, who had been investigating the situation with United States officials, to continue shipments of ensol but that he had held them up
pending clean-up of the investigation.
Of the official inspection of his laboratory, Dr. Connell said: “We were given a clear bill by Dr. Harrison of the Health Department at Washington after he had been in touch with Washington following news that the serum used by Dr. Neal in Orlando was made in Philadelphia from our formula.”
Dr. Harrison’s Statement
American and Canadian health officials left Kingston Friday after conducting a two-day probe into the manufacture and distribution of ensol at the Hendry Connell Research Foundation laboratory. He had given Dr. Connell a clean bill of health. He had intended to leave for Ottawa last night to consult health officials there had not the information been relayed that the serum said to have caused deaths in Florida was manufactured in Philadelphia and not Kingston.
The three officials from the Dominion Department of Health returned to Ottawa early yesterday and Dr. Harrison said he had not seen them at all.
An American official from the food and drug administration of the Department of Agriculture, who had also come to Kingston, left yesterday at noon for United States.
“I am greatly relieved and very happy for Dr. Connell,” said Dr. Harrison last night before he left. Although he had not been detailed by his Government to go to Philadelphia, he left for there last night. “We were informed by The Whig Standard by telephone of the good news late in the afternoon before Dr. Connell received his telegram.” explained Dr. Harrison. “The investigation just didn’t seem to make sense from the…
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