INTRODUCTION 29 



chronic in character. In many of these cases it is not possible 

 to acertain definitely how the infection entered the system. 

 There are numerous so-called autointoxications which are said 

 to be due to autolytic changes in the ingested food substances 

 resulting in the formation of toxins which often give rise to very 

 serious and even fatal poisoning. As is generally known, certain 

 toxin-forming bacteria after once gaining access to the intestinal 

 tract may remain there for years feeding upon the contents of 

 the intestines and producing enough of the toxin to give rise to 

 symptoms of poisoning of a more or less chronic character. In 

 some instances the toxin-forming bacteria are not present in suf- 

 ficient numbers or do not multiply in sufficient numbers to give 

 rise to any marked symptoms, and in still other cases the originally 

 pathogenic or toxin-forming bacteria lose their virulency after 

 having lived in the intestinal tract for some time. As is known, 

 there is constant warfare in the intestinal tract between the harm- 

 ful and the really beneficent bacteria, and it is this discovery which 

 has led Metschnikoff and other bacteriologists to find germs 

 which upon being introduced into the intestinal tract would 

 overcome or crowd out the objectionable toxin formers. 



Food poisoning has received considerable attention in re- 

 cent years. Vaughan and Novy have suggested a nomenclature 

 applicable to certain recognizable forms of poisonings traceable 

 to foods, as: 



Bromatotoxismus or food poisoning. 

 Galactotoxismus or milk poisoning. 

 Tyrotoxismus or cheese poisoning. 

 Kreatoxismus or meat poisoning. 

 Ichthyotoxismus or fish poisoning. 

 Mytilotoxismus or mussel poisoning. 

 Sitotoxismus or cereal poisoning. 



The poisonings mentioned are generally due to toxins or 

 related products elaborated by bacteria, but in some instances the 

 exact species responsible for such toxin formation have not yet 

 been determined. The identification of the species of bacteria 



