222 FOOD POISONING. 



necrosis of the living tissue, the ulcerations, and the hemorrhages 

 into the intestines, 



Cornutin does not cause death of tissue, but acts directly upon the 

 nervous system, and is believed to be the active agent in the causa- 

 tion of ergotismus convulsivus. It acts on the brain and cord, 

 affecting the vagus and vasomotor centers, and acting through the 

 lumbar cord upon the uterus. Cornutin readily undergoes decom- 

 position, gradually losing its virulence, and is found only in fresh 

 ergot, disappearing more quickly than sphacelinic acid. For this 

 reason it happens that those symptoms due to cornutin. are more 

 prominent in outbreaks occurring soon after the harvest ; while those 

 due to sphacelinic acid are seen in both early and late epidemics. 



There are some reasons for believing that there are bacterial prod- 

 ucts formed in ergotized bread, and to these has been attributed the 

 septic character of certain epidemics of ergotism. However, this is a 

 mere supposition and there has been no scientific experimentation 

 made in its support. It is easy to see how sepsis occurs in ergotism 

 without the necessity of supposing the presence of bacterial products 

 in ergotized bread. In gangrene of the intestines bacterial infection 

 through the diseased intestinal walls may easily occur ; so in gan- 

 grene of the skin infection from without may take place with equal 

 readiness. 



Lathyrismas, or lathyrism, is a form of spastic spinal paralysis due 

 to intoxication from the eating of the seeds of certain species of the 

 genus Lathyrus of the vetch tribe. Of the more than 120 known 

 species of lathyrus, 13 are native to the United States, and others 

 are cultivated here on account of their showy flowers, the sweet pea 

 of the garden being an example of the latter. In northern Africa 

 and southern Europe lathyrism has been frequently observed, and it 

 occasionally occurs in India and other parts of Asia. The literature 

 of lathyrism shows that this disease was formerly much more prev- 

 alent than it is at present. As early as 1671 it was known that 

 bread made of vetch seeds mixed with graham seriously affected 

 those who ate of it for any length of time and the Grand Duke of 

 Wiirtemberg issued an edict forbidding the use of food of this kind. 

 It was then noticed that those who ate of this bread suffered from 

 marked stiffiiess of the extremities and the disease was regarded as 

 incurable, although death seldom resulted from it. Numerous at- 

 tempts have been made to isolate the poisonous principle or prin- 

 ciples of lathyrus, but, so far, the results obtained have been unsat- 

 isfactory and to some extent contradictory. Teilleux obtained a 

 resinous body which, when administered to rabbits in gram doses, 

 caused tetanic movements of the muscles and finally paralysis of the 

 posterior extremities, death occurring within four days. From 

 lathyrus cicera, Bourlier obtained an extract which killed frogs and 



