POISONOUS MEAL AND BREAD. 83 



claim, inasmuch as he calculates from the amount of flavor- 

 ing ordinarily used in ice-cream, that in order to produce 

 the toxic symptoms observed, the flavoring must be ten 

 times as poisonous as pure strychnine. 



Baetley suggests that poisonous cream sometimes 

 results from the use in its manufacture of poor or putrid 

 gelatin. This is highly probable, and with the gelatin 

 the germs of putrefaction may be added to the milk. 



Poisonous Meal and Bread. — Reference has already 

 been made to the fact that the peasants in certain parts of 

 Italy are frequently poisoned by eating mouldy corn-meal. 

 As has also been stated, Lombeoso and others have ob- 

 tained from this meal ptomaines, some of which give the 

 same color reaction as strychnine. In 1886, Ladd suc- 

 ceeded in isolating from " heated " corn-meal a ptomaine 

 which forms in urea-like crystals. The quantity was not 

 suflicient for an ultimate analysis, and the physiological 

 action has not been studied. Poisoning from decomposed 

 and mouldy bread is not unknown. 



