362 
PTOMAINES IN CORN MEAL. 
I have already called attention to the subject of heated 
corn meal! and investigations by Husemann, Brugnatelli 
and Balbiano have shown? that such meals frequently con- 
tain a toxic (poisonous) principle belonging to the class. 
ptomaines due to putrid decomposition of the nitrogenous. 
portions of the corn meal. I have succeeded in isolating, 
by the Stas-Otto method, a small quantity of this poisonous. 
principle from asample of badly heated meal. This pto- 
maine, from an etheral solution, gave urea-like crystals on 
slowly evaporating. The solution gave many of the char- 
acteristic ptomaine reactions as follows : Potassio-ferriccy- 
anide was reduced, also gold chloride. Ferric chloride gave 
a dirty greenish-yellow, platinic chloride a brownish-yellow,. 
and potassio-mercuric iodide a yellowish-white precipitate... 
Phosphomolybdic acid gave an abundant lemon-yellow pre- 
cipitate and on the addition of ammonia the solution became 
green. [odine in iodide of potassium gave a burnt umber, or 
brownish-red precipitate, sulphuric acid after a little time 
gave a reddish-brown coloration. 
I had intended to study the physiological effects of this 
ptomaine but have been unable to procure enough of the 
material to do satisfactory work so that I have been obliged 
to discontinue it for the present but shall again take it up 
at the first opportunity. The ill-effects sometimes arising 
from feeding cotton seed meal I suspect may be due to 
similar causes, but do not know that any attempt has been 
made to see whether ptomaines might not be present in 
such cases. This meal is so highly nitrogenous I suspect 
on fermentation ptomaines might be produced in consider- 
able quantities, however, it does not necessarily follow that. 
all heated or damaged meals contain ptomaines, since they 
are only one of the products of decomposition; or ptomaines. 
having been formed they may again on further decomposi- 
tion disappear, or be changed into other forms. 
Ptomaines are not alone confined to the food of our”do- 
mestic animals, but are found in many substances used tfor 
the food of man, when decomposition is allowed to set in 
before being used, and serious cases of poisoning have oc- 
curred from eating cheese* and milk which were unfit for 
use. In ice cream, particularly that containing gelatine, in. 
canned meats and fruits when they are opened and ex- 
posed to the air for some time before being used these 
poisons sometimes are found. 
‘Fourth anuual report N. Y. Ag. Exp’t. Station, p. 318. 
4Fresenius Zeit. fur Chemie, Band XXIII, p. 451. 
3 Zeit. Physiol. Chemie. Band 10, p. 146. 
