

[7J POISONING BY RED CODFISH. JO,;;; 



fish, which were found to be spoiled and which had caused the cases 

 of sickness, "consisted in an abnormal coloring of the muscular tissue 

 of the fish. This color varied from a tender rose color to an orange-red, 

 and seemed to follow certain portions of the flesh, leaving others close 

 by entirely sound. Tins change was noticed in the two muscular 

 bands lying along the backbone and in the neighborhood of the head. 

 The more intense the color, the more deeply did it penetrate into the 

 tissues. In codfish which had some pale rosy spots it went only to the 

 depth of half a millimeter [one-fiftieth inch], while in some which had 

 an orange-red color it went to the depth of 3 or 4 millimeters, and even 

 half a centimeter [12 to .20 inch]. In these last-mentioned fish the 

 spoiled portions exhaled a putrid odor, and at the same time the mus- 

 cular fiber crumbled to pieces, having lost all consistence." 



The above are the symptoms of cases of poisoning by spoiled codfish, 

 observed and described by Dr. Bea-enger-Feraud. 



In spite of the most exhaustive bibliographic researches made by us 

 in regard to this subject, we have not been able to find in the numerous 

 medical publications consulted by us any other cases, and, as far as 

 our knowledge goes, we have not learned that any cases of this kind 

 have ever occurred at Bordeaux. Our city, however, is the principal 

 port of importation of codfish, and an enormous quantity of this fish is 

 consumed in Bordeaux. 



Cases of poisoning by codfish are therefore extremely rare, consid- 

 ering the vast quantity of codfish consumed throughout the world. 

 Such cases have only been observed among troops or on board a fleet, 

 where it is well known the food is not always of the first quality, and 

 where the culinary arrangements often leave much to be desired. 



II.— Characteristics of the codfish producing cases of 



POISONING. 



Iu endeavoring to ascertain the characteristics of the codfish which 

 have produced cases of poisoning like those described, we find that in 

 4 out of the 7 cases the codfish did not show any red color (on the gun- 

 boat, on the practice fleet, case reported by Dr. Hermann, and the case 

 which occurred in the Foreign Legion at Sidi-Bel Abbes.) 



In the St. Petersburg case — the only one where the symptoms were 

 violent enough to cause death — the codfish had a deep yellow color, a 

 bad flavor, and a bad odor; its flesh crumbled to pieces; in short, it 

 showed unmistakable signs of putrefaction.* 



The same, or very nearly the same, physical characteristics were ob- 

 served in the case which occurred in the Foreign Legion at Sidi-Bel- 



*It seems proper to state here that the only case of death resulting' from spoiled 

 codfish was one caused by the cod caught and prepared by the Norwegians, and 

 termed "stock-fisch." But "stock-fisch" never turns red. The mode of curing it is 

 entirely different from that followed in France. The " stock-fisch " is cod dried, hard- 

 ened, and rolled out into sticks, which are left to dry in the open air tor two or three 

 months. The French fishermeu never cure codfish in this way. 



