HOT CROSS BUN WARNING.

[Currie]

HOT CROSS BUN WARNING.

The Dundee Courier & Argus, Friday, April 21, 1865.
“An old man died in London on Friday from the effects of eating fourteen hot cross buns at breakfast.”

(Don’t try that at home – but yum, what a way to go!)


AND THAT’S NOT ALL!


Glasgow Herald, Saturday, April 8, 1882.
ALARMING OCCURRENCE IN INVERNESS.
ONE HUNDRED PERSONS POISONED.

Good Friday of 1882 is not likely to be readily forgotten in Inverness, for upwards of one hundred persons were yesterday poisoned, it is supposed through eating hot cross buns. In the forenoon whole families were suddenly seized with a severe and serious illness, and the town doctors were soon in great demand. The illness manifested itself at first as a rule with giddiness and pain in the neck and limbs. The giddiness was in every case followed by severe illness and vomiting, and a depression and coldness of the body, the patients in every case showing all the symptoms of irritant poison. Families here and there were prostrate, and school children were suddenly seized with sickness, and dropping in a helpless condition on the ground. What the cause was no one could at first say. As a general rule, the persons suffering had partaken of an ordinary breakfast, but further inquiries elicited the fact that they had all eaten hot cross buns that morning; and as almost all who were known to have taken their hot cross buns from a particular shop were seized with the same sort of illness, people readily came to the conclusion that the poison must have in some way or other found its way into the buns. The baker in question, Mr Tulloch, Greig Street, found that not only were many of his customers seriously ill, but the members of his own family, his assistants, and himself were alike victims. He could think of nothing that could account for it, but like others, he was led to the conclusion that the poison must have been in the buns. Having come to this conclusion he at once stopped the sale of them and reported the matter to the police; and in the course the evening all the unsold buns that could be obtained were taken possession of, conveyed to the police-office, and in the meantime sealed up there.

How the poison can have got into the buns is as yet a mystery, for Mr Tulloch had used the same flour, the same yeast, the same lard, as he had been using for several days, and until yesterday there was no symptom of anything being wrong. In addition to the articles named, he, however, used some mixed spices, which were got from an Aberdeen house in January last. He had occasionally used small quantities of these mixed spices without any apparent detrimental effect. Yesterday morning he used about 2lb. of it in the cross buns, and as it had not been tested to the same extent as the other articles, his suspicion fell on it. The sellers in Aberdeen were telegraphed to in regard to it, and Mr Tulloch's agent, Mr Alex. M’Gregor, solicitor, had a quantity of it and some of the buns forwarded to Dr Littlejohn, Edinburgh, for analysis. The remainder of the spices in Mr Tulloch's possession was handed over to the police as already stated.

The town doctors were unusually busy all day applying emetics when necessary, and generally attending to the wants of their numerous patients. The sickness came on in some cases in about half-an-hour after taking the buns, but in other cases it took two to three hours to develop, and then lasted for an hour or two hours in its more serious aspects. The doctors are not in a position to say what the poison is, but all the symptoms point to some irritant poison. All the patients, so far as known, appear to have got over the more serious stage, and last night the doctors did not anticipate that any of the cases would end fatally.

Be warned, - and Happy Easter.
Alan

[Alan SHARP]

Oh Alan,
you do have an eye for a story. Here is me arriving at the computer to check out TS, with a hot cup of tea and a Hot Cross bun, bought at the supermarket yesterday. I think I will risk it, too late any way, I'd already taken a bite as I waited for the computer to load. I think I'll risk it again in a few hours time when we will be offered buns and a cupper after the service.

Take care on the roads over the holiday weekend. Our SH1 is very busy, and I see by the TV news that heavy snow in the UK is making travelling there difficult.

Alan SHARP.