CHAPTER X. 



FOOD POISONING (Beomatotoxismus •). 



Untowaed results frequently follow the eating of food -which is 

 ordinarily harmless. These ill effects may be due to the following 

 causes : (1) Grains may become infected with the poisonous parasitic 

 fungi, such as ergot. (2) Both plants and animals may feed upon 

 substances which are not harmful to them but which may seriously 

 affect man on account of his greater susceptibility j it is said that 

 birds which have fed upon mountain laurel furnish food poisonous to 

 man. (3) The flesh of some animals is poisonous during the period 

 of physiological activity of certain glands ; this is true of certain fish 

 during the spawning season. (4) Any food may be infected with 

 specific germs and serve as the carrier of infection ; typhoid fever is 

 frequently disseminated in this manner. (5) The animal may be 

 afilicted with a specific disease, and this may be transmitted to man 

 in the meat or milk ; tuberculosis may be spread in this way. (6) 

 Foods of various kinds may become contaminated with saprophytic 

 bacteria, which by their growth elaborate chemical poisons either 



' The following is a glossary of the new words employed in this article : 



Bromatotoxismus, ppaua [ppi>fiaTog), food, and ro^iicdv, poison. Food poisoning 

 or poisoning with food. 



Bromatotoxicon. A general term for the active agent in a poisonous food. 



Bromatotoxin. A basic poison generated in food by the growth of bacteria or 

 fungi. 



Galactotoxismus, ya?ia (ydXa/c-of), milk. Milk poisoning. 



Galactotoxicon. 



Gralactotoxin. 



Ichthyotoxismus, tx^vi, fish. Fish poisoning. 



Ichthyotoxicon. 



Ichthyotoxin. 



Kreotoxismus, icpea( or tp^uf, meat. Meat poisoning. 



Kreotoxicon. 



Kreotoxin. 



Mytilotoxismus, /ivrtJioc, a sea-mussel. Mussel poisoning. Used already by 

 Husemann. 



Mytilotoxicon. 



Mytilotoxin. The name given by Brieger to the ptoma'm discovered by him in 

 poisonous mussel. 



Sitotoxismus, dirof, cereal food. Poisoning with vegetable food. 



Sitotoxicon. 



Sitotoxin. 



Tyrotoxismus, rvpoc, cheese. Cheese poisoning. Used already by Husemann. 



Tyrotoxicon. 



Tyrotoxin. 



Husemann uses the word zootrophotoxismus to indicate poisoning with animal 

 food. The same author has employed the word halichthyotoxismus to designate 

 poisoning with fish. 



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