11 ISToKir AL SKETCH. 28 



during tin- \v:inii Mini dry summer of that year. 

 < ..... pelled to drink very foil I water. Later M.v;KNDIE, 

 induced by the investigations of (lAspAKD an<l the obser- 

 vation< of I>iri;i : :. made many experiments, in which do<rs 

 and other animals were OOBuned over ve~- eU containing 

 j)Utrid animal matter and compelled constantly to breathe 

 the emanations therefrom. The effects varied markedly 

 with tin- species of animal and the nature of the putrid 

 material, l>nt in some instances symptoms were indn<-ed 

 which resembled closely those of typhoid fever in man. 

 l.i.i KKT directs! his attention to the chemical changes 

 produced in 1)1 ..... 1 by putrefaction, but accomplished noth- 

 ing of special value. Hri'UY injected putrid material into 

 the jugular vein of a horse, and with TROUSSEAU studied 

 alterations produced in the blood by these injections. 



During the third decide of the present century there 

 were main investiritors in addition to those mentioned 

 alxve, who endeavored to ascertain the active agent in 

 |M.i-onon- foods. DANN, WEISS, Bi'riiNER, SCHUMANN, 

 CADET DE GASSICOURT, and ORFILA studied jwisonous 

 sausage, but made no advance upon the work done by 

 KEUNKH. HENNEMAN, HUNNEFELD, WESTRUMB, and 

 SKRTURNER nuide contributions concerning poisonous 

 i-hee-c, but all In'lievcd the caseic acid of KERNER to 

 IM- the poi-oiious princi])lc. 



In 1850 SCHMIDT, of Dorpat, made some investijrations 

 on the deoompomtion prodoctB and volatile substanco 

 found in cholera st<M>ls ; and, two years later, MEYKI:, of 

 licrlin, injecte<l the blcxnl and stools of cholera patients 

 into lower animals. In 1858 STICH made an important 

 contribution on the < fleets of acute poisoning with putrid 

 material. He ascertained that, when -riven in sufficient 

 ijuantity, putrid matter produces an int4-stinal eatarrh, with 

 choler.iic stools. Nervous symptoms, trembling, nn-teady 

 trait, and, finallv, convulsions were also observed. STICK 

 made careful po>t-niortcm <-xaminations, and was unable 

 to find any characteristic or important lesions. Theo- 

 retically, he concluded that the putrid material contained 

 a ferment which pnxluced rapid decomposition of the blood. 



