Previous Challenge Entry (Level 3 - Advanced)
Topic: MOURNING / MORNING (02/02/23)
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TITLE: The Flour Poisoning Saga | Previous Challenge Entry
By Marlene MCPherson
02/09/23 -
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This was yet another wave of tragedy that unfolded on Saturday morning before the experts could reveal their findings that they had completed on Friday evening. It was lethal as it pervaded the communities, leaving behind trails of death in saint Thomas. The parishes of Kingston, saint Elizabeth, saint Ann, and Manchester were already hit and now saint Thomas was added, and it was the worst.
This epidemic had everyone paralyzed with fear as to what to eat. Apart from dumplings, children died from even consuming biscuits, so all flour-based products consumed were seen as a precursor to death. In the wake of that morning mourning the then Minister of Health, Dr. Kenneth MacNeill, ordered an investigation into the cause of this disaster. He also put a ban on the sales of all flour as well as flour-based items.
However, this interventive activity could not quell the emotions of the populace. What was on the tongue of these mourners were “what caused this catastrophe, and who were the perpetrators?”
Parents, children, relatives were at a loss as to why and how. People were in deep grieving and mourning for the loss of loved ones. Schools and different workplaces were disrupted.
In one home eleven members of the family, including their pet dog became victims of this poisoning episode. This tragedy was the first of its kind in the entire country.
Pandemonium broke loose at the hospital. “Wooee, wooee!” could be heard on the streets before reaching the vicinity of the hospital. As one approached, women could be seen on the grounds of the lawn, rolling themselves on the ground. While small groups gathered all-round the hospital sharing, consoling, praying aloud asking for God’s mercy or just venting.
“Oh God, why, why me?” could be heard.
“Oh Donna, you gone so, just so” uttered a teary wailing woman.
Persons hugged and lamented. Nurses sedated persons because of their frantic behaviors.
Porters were called in to do overtime to manage the crowd that converged at the doorway of the emergency department. Many visited the hospital out of curiosity, to see if their relatives were victims.
“Step back, step back. Please clear the doorway” was the instructions given and repeated by the Porter, but many failed to heed.
Eventually, investigation traced the flour to a shipment of Lion Head brand flour transported from West Germany. It became contaminated in storage at a warehouse in Europe when it was placed near Parathion, an insecticide after milling.
With this revelation, the flour was removed from circulation.
This historical epidemic affected over one hundred families island wide. It will never be erased from the minds of the people in the parish of saint Thomas because it brought a trail of about eighteen deaths and treatment of seventy-eight persons who were eventually discharged from the hospital and sent home. But a sea of morning mourning ‘can still be heard’ and it was only God’s Word over time could console the mourners. Even today relatives and friends still recount this horrific tragedy.
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A lot of people like a mystery. A few details how they concluded which brand would help make it a mystery, and that it wasn't done on purpose. I wondered at the start if it was medieval times. "Minster of Health" and a brand of flour were clues to modern time. WWII maybe? More recent? I couldn't find a clue as to where it took place.
Good job. Keep writing.
This was an interesting take on the topic. I don't know if I would have put mourning morning because it was kind of confusing.
Since mourning was central to our topic. I like something like when morning dawned.
Thank you for sharing.
God Bless~