FOOD POISONING. 51 



other is a -vvliite, waxy body. From 1885 to 1892 inclusive, 933 

 cases of poisoning witli this fish were reported in Tokio, with a mor- 

 tality of seventy-two per cent. 



Fish poisoning is quite frequently observed in the "West Indies, 

 where the complex of symptoms is designated by the Spanish term 

 siguatera. It is believed by the natives that the poisonous prop- 

 erties of the fish are due to the fact that they feed upon decom- 

 posing medusae and corals. In certain localities it is stated that 

 all fish caught off certain coral reefs are unfit for food. How- 

 ever, all statements concerning the origin and nature of the poi- 

 son in these fish are mere assumptions, since no scientific work has 

 been done. Whatever the source of the poison may be, it is quite 

 powerful, and death not infrequently results. The symptoms are 

 those of gastro-intestinal irritation followed by collapse. 



In Russia fish poisoning sometimes causes severe and widespread 

 epidemics. The Government has offered a large reward for any 

 one who will positively determine the cause of the fish being poi- 

 sonous and suggest successful means of preventing these outbreaks. 

 Schmidt, after studying several of these epidemics, states the fol- 

 lowing conclusions: 



(a) The harmful effects are not due to putrefactive processes. 

 (b) Fish poisoning in Russia is always due to the eating of some 

 member of the sturgeon tribe, (c) The ill effects are not due to 

 the method of catching the fish, the use of salt, or to imperfections 

 in the methods of preservation, {d) The deleterious substance is 

 not uniformly distributed through the fish, but is confined to cer- 

 tain parts, (e) The poisonous portions are not distinguishable from 

 the nonpoisonous, either macroscopically or microscopically. (/) 

 When the fish is cooked it may be eaten without harm, (g) The 

 poison is an animal alkaloid produced most probably by bacteria 

 that cause an infectious disease in the fish during life. 



The conclusion reached by Schmidt is confirmed by the re- 

 searches of Madame Sieber, who found a poisonous bacillus in fish 

 which had caused an epidemic. 



In the United States fish poisoning is most frequently due to 

 decomposition in canned fish. The most prominent symptoms are 

 nausea, vomiting, and purging. Sometimes there is a scarlatinous 

 rash, which may cover the whole body. The writer has studied 

 two outbreaks of this kind of fish poisoning. In both instances 

 canned salmon was the cause of the trouble. Although a discus- 

 sion of the treatment of food poisoning is foreign to this paper, the 

 writer must call attention to the danger in the administration of 

 opiates in cases of poisoning with canned fish. Vomiting and purg- 

 ing are efforts on the part of ISTature to remove the poison, and 



