1889.] MICROSCOPICAL JOURNAL. 129 



so quickly, is usually only on the surface, and may be removed by 

 brushing and washing. This reddening has sometimes been accom- 

 panied by a tendency to decomposition, which of itself would entii'ely 

 unfit the fish for market. 



Alleged Poisoning. — In regard to the actual poisonous nature of 

 this substance, while there are several well-authenticated cases of poi- 

 soning occurring after eating reddened fish, yet it seems to be shown 

 that cases of the same symptoms, which resemble those of cholera, have 

 occurred from eating codfish which had undergone putrefactive changes, 

 but in which there was no trace of this redness. There have been 

 seven instances carefully recorded where poisoning has resulted from 

 eating spoiled codfish, in which a total of 700 persons were affected ; 

 but the poisoning was rather annoying than dangei - ous, as only one 

 person out of the whole 700 died from the effects. In four of the seven 

 recorded instances — and it should be observed that many of them were 

 among troops or sailors, where the food was not of the best quality, 

 and was prepared and served by wholesale methods — no specially red- 

 dish color was observed ; and the poisoning from eating in the other in- 

 stances was not so severe, nor were so many persons affected, while 

 there was some putridity of the flesh in the fish causing ail the cases. 



Especially in all the cases of poisoning attributed to reddened codfish, 

 mention is made of a putrid odor of the flesh, of its softening and tend- 

 ency to crumble to pieces. These are marks of decomposition, and are 

 usually attended by the formation of a poisonous alkaloid in the sub- 

 stance used as food. This poisonous alkaloid is not attributed nec- 

 essarily to the action or presence of the red parasitic growth, and it is 

 even found that in a number of cases where the redness was apparent, 

 yet where there was no decomposition, the fish had been eaten with 

 perfect impunity. This reddening of the flesh seems to be simply a 

 coincidence of the poisoning in some cases, but not in all or the most 

 severe — the only case reported where death resulted was from eating a 

 codfish that had not this redness — while it appeared in a vast number 

 of cases where no injurious results can be traced. In some of the 

 cities of France large quantities of red codfish from the suburban drying 

 establishments have been consumed by the people with no resulting 

 cases of sickness. Enormous amounts of reddened cod are eaten in 

 some of the French colonies and in other hot countries with impunity ; 

 and in some regions, especially in the Antilles and the island of 

 Reunion, consumers at present give the preference to codfish having a 

 rosy tinge. 



Microscopic Examination. — The French researches seem to show 

 that this redness is produced by a cryptogamous vegetable growth, 

 frequently found in masses, and particularly dense about the salt 

 crystals. The nature of this growth they did not fully determine ; 

 some considering it a fungus, others an alga ; but by most it was re- 

 garded as a parasitic alga. The germs of this growth seem to be 

 specially found in the Mediterranean salts. 



As early as the summer of 1878 the U. S. Fish Commissioner called 

 the attention of Prof. Wm. G. Fallow to the peculiar condition to which 

 salt codfish is liable during the moist summer weather, and observations 

 were made, particularly at Gloucester, Mass., by Prof. Farlow during 

 that summer and fall. During his investigations at Gloucester, Prof. 



