POISON DEVELOPED IN MEATS AND SAUSAGES. 489 
The fearful number of poisonings of this kind which have 
been observed in Germany, whilst awakening the attention 
of the authorities, led to researches by men of science who 
for some years have given the most contradictory hypotheses 
on this subject; but none of the scientific men who have in¬ 
vestigated this subject, have yet been able to isolate the 
poison, or to form, as regards its nature, anything but purely 
speculative theories. 
The importance of this subject, and the interest which it 
presents in so many aspects, have led us to offer, in our turn, 
on this very abstract question, some considerations resulting 
from the collection of certain little-known facts, and which 
have appeared to us of a nature to merit attention in a gene¬ 
ral, as well as in a scientific point of view. 
We regret only that the impossibility under which we 
have at present laboured, of procuring the poisonous sub¬ 
stance under consideration, has prevented us from verifying 
experimentally the theory which an imposing synthesis of 
proofs henceforth acquired to science authorises us, however, 
in establishing as logically demonstrated. 
It is in Wurtemburg, and especially in Suabia, that acci¬ 
dents of this kind have been most frequently observed, and 
according to an official return, the number of individuals 
poisoned by sausages has amounted, in 50 years, in Wur¬ 
temburg alone, to more than 400, of whom 150 died. 
The first observations relative to this poison ( Wurstgift .- 
Toxicum. botulinum ), are to be found in the Acta Physico- 
Medic . Colleg. Medic. Onoldini , of 1735. 
Afterwards, Kopp, Kuhn, Horn, Dann, Berndt, Thru- 
chsess, and some others, relate a considerable number of 
cases of poisoning of the same kind. 
Dr. Kerner, to whom we owe the first researches on the 
nature of the poison of meats and poisonous sausages, col¬ 
lected 135 cases of poisoning of this kind, observed from 
1793 to 1822, and of this number, 84 were fatal. 
A distinguished practitioner of Wurtemburg, Dr. Weiss, 
collected in the space of eight months, 19 similar cases of 
poisoning observed by him, 6 of which died. 
Cadet de Gassicourt likewise relates, in the Journal de 
Pharmacies several cases of poisoning by decayed sausages. 
Quite recently, also, MM. Deutsch and Engelken, have 
noticed several new similar examples. 
We may here mention one thing worthy of remark, of 
which we shall show the importance in speaking of the indi¬ 
cations which have led us to the toxicological etiology of 
poisoning by poisonous sausages; this is the singular cir- 
xxxii 64 
