Food Poisons 299 



presence of a ptomain known as tyrotoxicon, formed by 

 the growth of bacteria in the milk, but whether of any 

 particular bacterium is not known. The milk may become 

 poisonous during any time of the year, but chiefly in the 

 summer, when, because of the higher temperature, bacteria 

 develop most rapidly. The change takes place in stale milk, 

 and it is supposed that many cases of what was formerly 

 looked upon as "summer complaint" in infants were really 

 poisoning by this toxic ptomain. 



Ice-cream poisoning depends upon the growth of the bac- 

 teria in the milk before it is frozen. In some cases the error 

 made has been to prepare the cream for freezing and then 

 keep or transport it, the freezing operation being delayed 

 until the development of the bacteria has led to the poison- 

 ous condition. 



Cheese-poisoning (Tyroloxismus) is also thought to depend 

 upon tyrotoxicon at times, though it has been shown that 

 other cheese poisons exist. It is more or less a question 

 whether cases of milk- and cheese-poisoning do not depend 

 upon the toxic products of the colon bacillus growing in the 

 foods. 



2. Meat-poisoning (Kreotoxismus). Botulism or meat- 

 poisoning depends upon the growth of certain bacteria, 

 Bacillus botulinus of van Ermengem,* in the meat. The 

 symptoms following infection by the organism sometimes 

 closely resemble those of typhoid fever, and are characterized 

 by acute gastro-intestinal irritation, nervous disturbances, 

 and, in case of death, by fatty degenerations in the organs 

 and minute interstitial hemorrhages. 



3. Fish-poisoning (Ichthyotoxismus) sometimes follows 

 the consumption of canned and presumably spoiled fish, 

 sometimes the consumption % of diseased fish. It is not 

 known whether it depends upon ptomains or upon toxico- 

 genic germs, though probably the latter, as Silber has 

 isolated a Bacillus piscicidus that is highly toxicogenic. 



4. Mussel-poisoning (Mytilotoxismus) depends partly 

 upon irritating and nervous poisons in the mussel substance, 

 in part upon toxicogenic germs that they harbor. 



5. Canned Goods. Improperly preserved canned goods 

 not infrequently spoil because of the growth of bacteria, but 

 the occurrence of gas-formation, acidity, insipidity, etc., 

 causes rejection of the product, and but few cases of poison- 

 ing from canned goods can be authenticated. 



* "Zeitschrift fur Hygiene," Bd. xxvi, Heft 1. 



