POISONOUS CHEESE. 61 



movements. The rats lay upon their sides, and could be 

 handled without manifesting any attempt at movement. 

 In this condition some died after three or four hours, while 

 others, after lying in this position for from eighteen to 

 twenty-four hours, gradually improved, and alter some 

 days seemed to be wholly recovered. 



" This substance belongs to the so-called poisonous albu- 

 mins. From its aqueous solutions it is not precipitated by 

 heat or nitric acid, singly or combined. Its solutions 

 respond to the biuret test. It is not precipitated by satura- 

 tion with sodium sulphate, nor by a current of carbonic 

 acid gas ; therefore, it is not a globulin. It is precipitated 

 by saturation with ammonium sulphate; and this fact 

 removes it from the peptones. 



"That animals were not affected when fed with the 

 whole cheese may be explained by the supposition that they 

 did not in this manner get enough of the poison to affect 

 them. It, cannot be said positively that the samples of 

 cheese of the first class mentioned above owe their poison- 

 ous properties to this substance. We have not had the 

 opportunity of testing samples of this class since the 

 recognition of the poisonous proteid in those of the 

 second class. Four samples of the latter have been tested 

 for the poisonous albumin with positive results. 



" It may be found that traces of this poison exist in all 

 samples of green cheese. This point will be investigated. 



" It is highly probable that the poisonous effects of some 

 samples of sausage and meat are due to similar products of 

 bacterial activity." 



In reference to the poisonous proteids in cheese and other 

 articles of food the following interesting questions arise : 

 How is the poisoning explained ? Is it not generally sup- 

 posed that poisonous proteids are not absorbable from 

 mucous membranes? MITCHELL and REICHERT showed 

 that the venom of serpents may be absorbed from mucous 

 membranes; especially did they find this to be true of the 

 poisonous peptone of the cobra. It may be, however, that 

 the bacteria, which are in the cheese and to which the 

 formation of the poisonous proteids is due, find their way 



