464 J. Lindhard. 



I consifler it as nortain that this was an instance of poisoning rlup 

 to eating the dish mentioned. That it was due to the liver cannot in 

 itself be proved, as it was the first and only occasion we ate bear liver; 

 but when it is considered that we had often eaten the heart and kid- 

 neys without being sick, as also that other polar travellers before us 

 had found bear liver to be dangerous, it seems to me that this may with 

 great probability be taken as the cause of the sickness. There can liardly 

 be any talk of the organs mentioned being putrified at a time of year 

 when the thermometer at nights stood about — 40°. 



The clergyman Jörgen Bronlund, who was not present on the occa- 

 sion in question, told me later, that the Greenlanders never eat bear 

 liver as they consider it poisonous; and they just as little touch the 

 liver of the dog and fox. He considers this as a very old tradition. On 

 the other hand, the liver of the sea-mammals is eaten (even the liver 

 of walrus and narwhal) with exception of the liver of a seal (Phoca bar- 

 bata), which is considered dangerous; the liver of the older animals 

 especially is avoided. When the liver of this seal is eaten, peeling of 

 the skin takes place in 2 to 3 days, beginning in the folds of skin, in 

 the inguinal region, for example, and then spreads over the whole. Dogs 

 will not eat the liver of Carnivora unless absolutely forced to do so, 

 but we do not know whether it makes them sick or not. 



With regard to poisoning from other arctic animals Brønlund 

 states that sickness follows on eating fresh shark meat (this has also 

 been observed by Danes at Ivigtut); the result is ■fullness" in the head; 

 dogs experience the same fate on eating shark meat. This can 

 however be used for human food, if it is boiled 3 — 4 times in water and 

 the soup thrown away each time; the Greenlanders then freeze it in 

 snow, by which means it becomes white and brittle like this. The Green- 

 landers also advise against eating deep-water fish, halibut, Norway 

 haddock, for people who are sick or not quite strong, e. g. pregnant 

 women. Eating these fish is said to give rise to heaviness and drow- 

 siness and makes the sickness previously present still worse. The Green- 

 landers are also acquainted with mussel poisoning. 



Mylius-Erichsen has narrated that the Cape York Esquimos never 

 eat bear liver as a consequence of tradition. 



Some scattered notes are also found in the arctic literature. 



Kane^ states that he had several times experimented with l)car 

 liver, in spite of the generally accepted view that it was poisonous; in 

 some cases it went all right, but then suddenly ])oisoning appeared: "ver- 

 tigo, diarrhoea and their concomitants". Ivane was not frightened by 

 this result, however, but continued to eat bear liver, sometimes but not 

 always with the consequences mentioned. On one journey the whole com- 

 pany became sick after eating liver, and when they later in spite of this 



Arctic Exploration in tlit- years 1853—54—55. Vol. 1, pp. 39-2—93. 



