3 MINUTE READ | NUMBER 2
While cleaning out my grandfather's papers, I found a wrinkled, faded page from the 1947 issue of the Shreveport Times and an article about bubble gum being banned in Louisiana. My curiosity was piqued, and I dove deeper, uncovering a fascinating tale of Louisiana's past, filled with unexpected twists, turns, and a monkey or two.
Bubble Gum Causes Panic in Louisiana
1947
In May 1947, a wave of illness swept through the parishes of Natchitoches, Catahoula, and Richland, affecting children in particular. The initial symptoms were sore throats and mouths, which progressed to vomiting and gastrointestinal distress. The alarming number of cases prompted an investigation by the state Department of Health, which began looking into the root cause of the outbreak1.
As the investigation progressed, health units in Natchitoches reported that some patients had become severely ill, while others had milder symptoms. The onset of the illness typically occurred within 45 minutes of chewing gum, leading investigators to suspect that the gum was to blame for the outbreak.
Department of Health personnel who were dispatched to the affected areas identified six brands of gum that were believed to be responsible for the sickness. Among the brands were Yanks, Bub, Tex, and Shelby Blo Bubble Gums, which were popular at the time. Acting quickly to protect public health, health officials confiscated the gum from local stores and ordered that it no longer be sold in Louisiana.
Please advise me and withhold from sale any of the following brands of Bubble Gum. I have been advised to seize these brands, for reports have been received that children have developed sore mouths, pains in the throat and upper chest. Violent and moderate-severe illnesses have resulted from chewing these Bubble Gums.
Herbert E. Cannon, MD, Director of St. Tammy Parish Health Unit in a letter to merchants in St. Tammany Parish, St. Tammy Farmer, May 30, 1947.
The Feds Start Investigating
In response to reports of sickness related to gum consumption in multiple states, including California, Oklahoma, and Georgia, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration launched an investigation into the manufacturing plants responsible for producing the gum in America.
As part of their investigation, the agency employed monkeys to conduct research on various gum brands. After the testing was completed, the FDA reported that none of the monkeys had experienced any negative effects from chewing the gum.2
Gum Companies Fight Back
Gum manufacturers tried to counter the bad publicity with advertising. The Thomas-Wierner Company, Super Bubble Chewing Gum makers, took out a quarter-page ad in the Shreveport Times, "Shame on the carriers of rumors and idle gossip. Not a single case has ever been found where a reputable doctor blamed bubble gum for any sick child."
Andrew J. Paris, known nationally as the bubble gum king, announced that reports of children getting sick from bubble gum were only rumors made up by chewing gum manufacturers who had lost significant business to bubble gum companies. He produced a report from a Detroit laboratory that tested his Texas-manufactured gum, which concluded, "It is free from poisonous or harmful compounds and can safely be used for the purpose for which it was intended, namely a chewing gum."3
The Gum Scare Wraps Up
However, health officials eventually determined that the gum was not the cause of the illness, but may have been a carrier for bacteria that caused trench mouth.4
In late June 1947, two months after the first reports of illness, state officials announced that there was nothing wrong with the gum and lifted the ban.5 Their analysis of the seized gum found nothing harmful, and all the children who had become sick in May had recovered. ▪️
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➡️ Visit our archives for more stories from Louisiana's Past
“Bubble Gum in Double Trouble As Some Seized.” The Daily Advertiser. May 26, 1947.
Drew Pearson, “Washington Merry-Go-Round,” Intelligencer Journal, June 21, 1947.
“Bubble Gum King Says Rumors False,” The Times, June 11, 1947.
“Check Child Sickness Caused by Bubble Gum” The Times, May 24, 1947.
“Trouble Over Bubble Gum Is All Cleared Up,” The Daily Advertiser, June 26, 1947.