27 



are abnormally dilated giving the swollen appearance lo Ihe ab- 

 domen. 



An interesting parallel lo these symptoms of poisoning from moulds 

 in bees is fonnd in another paper by the writer (24) where an ac- 

 count is given of feeding experiments on rabbits with a number of 

 species of the genus Asper gillas and with Penicillium avellaneum 

 Thom and Tnresson and P. divaricatum Thom. The symptoms 

 of poisoning from these moulds are muscular convulsions resembling 

 tetanus, weakness and paralysis, followed by death. The identity 

 of this disease, in all probability the same as a certain disease 

 prevalent among domesticated animals, by the veterinarians called 

 epizootic cerebro-spinal meningitis, with bee-paralysis will become 

 clearer from the following quotation from the paper just mentioned 

 {pag. 21). »Some characteristic disturbances of tlie digestive appa- 

 ratus were common to all the animals fed (rabbits). In most of 

 Ihem the stomach was hard and iilled to its limits with undigested 

 food. Faecal matter had accumulated and abnormally distended 



Ihe caecnm The symptoms of poisoning from the toxic 



moulds were invariably muscular convulsions resembling tetanus. 

 The animal becomes so weak that it can no longer support itself. 

 The mouth is kept wide open, the head is thrown backwards and 

 friction sounds are distinctly heard al each heart beal. Paresis, 

 especially of the bind quarters, is apparent. Finally the pulse be- 

 comes weak and slow and the temperature sub-normal.» 



From the investigations of Gosio (12) and particularly from those 

 of Alsberg and Black (1, 2) we are now comparatively well in- 

 formed of the chemistry of the toxic substances in moulds. Gosio, 

 who used Roulin s solution, found that Penicillium endowed the 

 culture medium with tlie power of reacting like a phenol with 

 weak aqueous ferric-chlorid solution. Furthermore, the culture me- 

 dium, which presented other properties characteristic of phenols as 

 well, gave rise to symptoms resembling phenol poisoning when 

 injected into mice. rats, quinea pigs, rabbits, cats or dogs. Gosio 

 drew the conclusion that phenols are produced by the moulds, and 

 that the toxicity of the culture medium is due to their presence. 

 Alsberg and Black succeeded to isolate and chemically identify the 

 characteristic phenolic substances in Penicillium puberulum Bainier 

 and P. stoloniferum Thom. Both elaborates phenolic acids; P. pu- 

 berulum »penicillic acid» with the formula C 8 H 10 4 , and P. 

 stoloniferum another new phenolic acid, mycophenolie acid, to which 



