204 FOOD POISONING. 



sebacic acids, or both, while Buchner named it acidum botulinicum ; 

 but the acids of the former proved to be inert, and that of the latter 

 to have no existence. Schlossberger suggested that the poisonous 

 substance is most probably basic in character, and he found an 

 ammoniacal base which could not be found in good sausage, and 

 which did not correspond to any known amid, imid, or nitryl base ; 

 however, this substance has not been obtained by anyone else, nor has 

 it been demonstrated to be poisonous. Liebig, Duflas, Hirsch, and 

 Simon believed in the presence of a poisonous ferment, and Van den 

 Corput described sarcina botulina, which he believed to be the active 

 agent. Miiller, Hoppe-Seyler, and others found various microor- 

 ganisms, and Virchow, Eichenberg, and others examined micro- 

 scopically the blood of persons poisoned with sausage. Ehrenberg 

 attempted to isolate the poisonous body by employing Brieger's 

 method, but obtained only inert substances. 



GaflFky and Paak made a study of sausage consisting of horse- 

 flesh and liver which poisoned a large number of people, one of 

 whom died. In the majority, the symptoms came on with a chill 

 within six hours, and in one instance within half an hour. The 

 most prominent symptoms were headache, loss of appetite, pain in 

 the bowels, vomiting and purging. From the sausage these investi- 

 gators obtained a short bacillus, which, when given by the mouth, 

 subcutaneously or intravenously, produced the above-mentioned 

 symptoms, with a fatal termination in rabbits, guinea-pigs, mice and 

 apes ; they were unable to isolate the chemical poison. This bacillus 

 probably belongs to the colon group. 



In June, 1880, a large number of persons were poisoned at Well- 

 beck, England, by eating ham in which Klein found a bacillus, in- 

 oculations with which were followed by the development of pneu- 

 monia ; while the affected persons were described by Ballard, who 

 investigated the outbreak, as suffering from "diarrhoea! illness." 

 Ballard has reported the following additional instances : In the 

 " Chester case," the man ate of some so-called American sausage, 

 which consisted mostly of pork. Gastroenteric symptoms with 

 great prostration resulted, and in a few days the man died, apparently 

 from pneumonia. No post-mortem examination was permitted, but 

 the meat killed the animals fed with it, and in these, section showed 

 hemorrhage in the stomach, congestion of the lungs, and hyperemia 

 of the medullary portion of the kidneys. In the " Oldham case," 

 members of two families partook of a newly opened can of pigs' 

 tongues. Nausea, vomiting and diarrhoea occurred in all but one, 

 and he fell into a comatose condition, which was not relieved until 

 a purgative was administered and acted. In the " Bishop case," 

 members of three families ate of ribs of beef. The meat was 

 cooked on Saturday and it was more poisonous on Monday than on 

 the preceding day. This meat evidently became infected after it 



