College health officials will meet today to discuss the mysterious illness that swept the campus at the end of last term, afflicting more than 100 Dartmouth students just before final examinations.
Dr. Nield Mercer, assistant director for clinical affairs for College Health Services, said although the illness has yet to be publicly identified, Health Services Director Dr. Jack Turco will meet with his staff this morning to discuss the investigation into the sickness.
The most common symptoms of the illness experienced by students were nausea and vomiting, according to Mercer.
Health Services and the New Hampshire Department of Health launched investigations into the illness after the outbreak occurred during the first week of December.
Both organizations sent out electronic mail questionnaires to students who had said they were ill that asked students to recall what they had eaten up to three days prior to the outbreak and asked them to list their symptoms.
The New Hampshire Public Health Service also took blood samples from both sick and healthy students during the outbreak and two weeks after, Mercer said.
The illness struck Matthew Silvia '96 at 3 a.m. one morning during exam period. Silvia said he vomited intermittently for nine hours until noon the next day and then slept until midnight.
"I lucked out -- for those who got whatever it was -- because I had no final exams," Silvia said.
Silvia said he lost a day of work because of the illness and had to spend less time than he normally would on his final papers for classes.
He said he did not visit Dick's House but he telephoned for advice four to five times while he was ill.
Students afflicted by the illness who went to Dick's House received anti-nausea medication, Mercer said.
Mike Strahs '96 said he fell ill the night before his first exam.
"I was sick all night, many times," Strahs said.
Strahs attempted to sit for his exam but said he had to leave before finishing.
"It was a history exam and my professor was very accommodating and I was allowed to take it again," he said.
Nicole Scaramelli '97 was "lucky" enough to become ill the evening after her last exam.
"Right before I went to bed my stomach began to hurt and I ran to the bathroom and was sick," she said.
Scaramelli said she passed out on her way to the bathroom at 5 a.m. and was found by another student.
At the same time Dartmouth experienced the outbreak, outbreaks of similar illnesses were reported at Harvard University and the University of Wisconsin.
According to the New York Times, more than 200 students at Harvard complained of vomiting, nausea diarrhea and dehydration though no common origin of illness has been found at any college.
Turco was unavailable for comment yesterday.
