MARINE ANIMALS THAT ARE POISONOUS TO EAT 113 



broid flesh can be detected immediately upon tasting it. Victims 

 state that it has a "sharp, or peppery" taste. Symptoms develop 

 within a few minutes after eating the fish, and consist of intense 

 headache, dizziness, throbbing of the large blood vessels of the neck, 

 feeling of dryness of the mouth, thirst, palpitation of the heart, 

 difficulty in swallowing, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, and abdominal 

 pain. Within a short time, the victim develops massive red welts 

 which are accompanied by intense itching. There is danger of 

 shock, and deaths have been reported. Generally, the acute symp- 

 toms last only 8-12 hours, followed by rapid recovery. 



Treatment. In addition to such routine procedures as evacuation 

 of the stomach and catharsis, the use of any of the ordinary anti- 

 histaminic drugs will be found to be effective. 



Prevention. Under most circumstances the eating of scombroid 

 fishes is without danger as long as they are properly preserved. 

 Commercially canned fish are without the slightest danger. Scom- 

 broids should be either promptly eaten soon after capture, or pre- 

 served by canning or by freezing as soon as possible. Fish left in 

 the sun for longer than two hours should be discarded. Examine 

 the fish before eating, if there is any evidence of staleness, such 

 as pallor of the gills, or an off-odor, discard the fish. 



POISONOUS PUFFER-LIKE FISHES 



This group includes the puffer-like fishes, or members of the order 

 Tetraodontoidea, which is comprised of ocean sunfishes, sharp- 

 nosed puffers, the puffers proper, and the porcupine fishes. The 

 puffers proper, are our greatest offenders, and there are about 90, 

 or more, species of them. A characteristic of all puffers is their 

 remarkable ability to inflate themselves by gulping in large quanti- 

 ties of water or air. Puffers make considerable noise during infla- 

 tion by grinding their heavy jaw teeth together. Some of them 

 can, and do, inflict nasty bites. Puffers have a distinctive offensive 

 odor, which is particularly noticeable when they are being dressed. 



These fishes are among the most poisonous of all marine crea- 

 tures, and must be treated with respect. The liver, gonads, in- 

 testines, and skin usually contain a powerful nerve poison, which 

 may produce rapid and violent death. The flesh, or musculature, 

 of the flesh is generally edible. Strange to say, despite the great tox- 

 icity of this fish, it commands the highest prices in Japan as a food 

 fish. Puffers, called fugu in Japan, are prepared and sold in special 

 restaurants, which hire specially trained fugu cooks. The fugu is 



