218 FOOD POISONING. 



when treated according to Brieger's method, and the same substance 

 was obtained from perfectly fresh milk. It was most probably 

 formed by the action of the heat and reagents employed in this 

 method. This base was obtained in crystalline form, and several 

 portions of it were administered to kittens without effect. Tyro- 

 toxicon was obtained from the filtered milk by two methods : (1) 

 The method which has been previously described, and which con- 

 sists in neutralizing the filtered milk with sodium carbonate and ex- 

 tracting with ether. That portion of the poison employed in the 

 physiological tests was obtained in this way, and in order to be sure 

 that no poison came from the ether, the extract from the milk to 

 which nothing had been added, was given to a kitten, and was 

 found to produce no effect. (2) The filtrate from the milk was 

 heated to 70° for some minutes and refiltered. This filtrate, which 

 was perfectly clear, was treated with a small quantity of nitric acid 

 in order to convert the tyrotoxicon into a nitrate. Then pure 

 potassium hydrate in the solid form was added until the solution 

 was strongly alkaline. This solution was concentrated so far as it 

 could be on the water-bath. (The potassium compound of tyrotoxi- 

 con is not decomposed below 130°.) The dark brown residue, after 

 cooling, was examined with the microscope and found to contain 

 the crystalline plates of tyrotoxicon potassium hydrate, along with 

 the prisms of potassium nitrate. The former was separated from 

 the latter by extraction with absolute alcohol and filtration. The 

 alcohol was evaporated to dryness on the water-bath, and the res- 

 idue again extracted with alcohol. From this alcoholic solution 

 tyrotoxicon was precipitated with ether. The precipitate was decom- 

 posed by adding acetic acid and heating, the tyrotoxicon being 

 broken up into nitrogen and phenol. The phenol was recognized 

 by precipitation with bromine water, and by other well-known tests. 



The coroner's jury, after hearing the testimony briefly outlined 

 above, rendered a verdict of death from poisoning with tyrotoxicon, 

 and, so far as we know, this is the first instance in which a jury has 

 rendered a verdict of death due to a putrefactive poison. 



Camman reported twenty-three cases of milk poisoning which he 

 attributed to tyrotoxicon, although this substance could not be found 

 in the milk, and Kinnicutt has isolated tyrotoxicon from milk which 

 had been kept for some hours in unclean vessels. 



Gafi^y has reported a case of enteritis, closely simulating typhoid 

 fever, which was due to the presence of a virulent form of the colon 

 bacillus in the milk consumed by the individual. The cow that 

 gave this milk was at the time suffering from a bloody diarrhoea, 

 and it is more than probable that some of the liquid discharged 

 from the animal fell upon the udder or in some other manner found 

 its way into the milk. Rehn has reported similar cases and has de- 

 tected the colon bacillus in the milk taken by the sick. 



