190 FOOD POISONING. 



of a bad, coppery taste in their mouths, but in general this was in 

 answer to what lawyers call a ' leading question.' There was slight 

 pain in the abdomen, which increased on pressure, particularly in 

 the region of the bladder, which organ suffered variously in its 

 functions. In some the secretion of urine was suspended, in others 

 it was free, but passed with pain and great effort. The action of 

 the heart was feeble ; the breathing, unaffected ; the face pale, ex- 

 pressive of much anxiety ; the surface, rather cold ; the mental fac- 

 ulties, unimpaired. Unluckily the two fatal cases were not seen by 

 any medical person, and we are, therefore, unable to state minutely 

 the train of symptoms. We ascertained that the woman, in whose 

 house were five sufferers, went away as in a gentle sleep, and that a 

 few minutes before death she had spoken and swallowed." 



The woman mentioned by Combe died within three hours, and the 

 other death was that of a watchman, who was found dead in his box 

 six or seven hours after he had eaten of the mussels. Post-mortem 

 examination of these showed no abnormality ; the stomach contained 

 some of the food partially digested. The explorer Vancouver re- 

 ports four cases similar to those observed by Combe ; one of the 

 sailors died in five and one-half hours after eating the mussels. 



Schmidtmann has reported cases observed by himself in some 

 workmen and members of their families, who had partaken of mus- 

 sels taken near a newly constructed dock. The symptoms appeared, 

 according to the i amount eaten, from soon after eating to several 

 hours later. There was a sensation of constriction in the mouth, 

 throat and lips. The teeth were set on edge as though sour apples 

 had been eaten. There was no headache, a sensation of flying and 

 an intoxication similar to that produced by alcohol. The pulse was 

 hard and rapid ; no elevation of temperature ; the pupils were dilated 

 and reactionless. Speech was difficult, broken and jerky. The 

 limbs felt heavy ; the patients grasped spasmodically at objects and 

 missed their aim. The legs were no longer able to support the body. 

 The knees knocked together. There was nausea, vomiting, no ab- 

 dominal pain, no diarrhoea. The hands began to feel cold. The 

 sensation of cold soon extended over the entire body, and in some 

 the perspiration flowed freely. There was a feeling of suffocation, 

 then a restful and dreamless sleep. One person died in one and 

 three-quarter hours, another in three and one-half hours, and a third 

 in five hours, after eating of the mussels. In one of these fatal 

 cases rigor mortis was marked and remained for twenty-four hours. 

 The vessels of all the organs were distended, only the heart was 

 empty. There was marked hyperemia and swelling of the mucous 

 membrane of the stomach and intestines, and the spleen was enor- 

 mously enlarged, and the liver showed numerous hemorrhagic infarc- 

 tions. 



Many theories have been advanced to account for poisonous mus- 



