456  Tyrotoxicon  in  Ice  Cream,  Milk,  etc.  {AmkliZ'im&im- 
The  circumstances  under  which  tyrotoxicon  develops  require 
farther  study.  As  has  been  shown  above,  it  may  develop  in  normal 
milk  kept  in  a  clean  bottle  for  three  months ;  but  it  is  evident  that 
in  some  instances  it  appears  much  earlier.  The  production  of  the 
ptomaine  is,  in  all  probability,  due  either  directly  or  indirectly,  to  the 
growth  of  some  micro-organism.  In  the  cheese,  Dr.  Sternberg  found 
a  new  micrococcus ;  but  whether  or  not  there  is  any  relation  between 
this  organism  and  the  poison  remains  to  be  determined.  Tn  the 
cheese,  milk  and  cream,  in  all  of  which  I  have  found  the  poison,  there 
was  present  more  or  less  butyric  acid,  and  it  may  be  that  there  is  some 
intimate  relation  between  butyric  acid  fermentation  and  the  produc- 
tion of  the  poison.  Some  years  ago  Selmi  obtained  a  ptomaine  which 
resembles  coniine,  and  pointed  out  that  it  might  be  formed  by  the 
action  of  butyric  acid  on  ammonia,  thus  : 
2C4H802  +  NH3-2H20=CSH13N. 
(Butyric  Acid.)   (Ammonia.)  (Coniine.) 
or  thus:  2C4H802+OTI2+2H— 4H20=C8H15X. 
Tn  like  manner  other  fatty  acids  may  react  with  decomposing  nitro- 
genous substances,  forming  alkaloidal  bodies.  Tyrotoxicon  has  no 
special  resemblance,  so  far  as  is  known,  with  coniine,  but  the  possi- 
bility of  these  alkaloidal  substances  being  formed  in  this  way  is 
•  worthy  of  mention.  T.  Lauder  Brunton,  in  referring  to  the  writer's 
discovery  of  tyrotoxicon,  states  that  from  the  action  of  the  substance 
he  would  infer  the  presence  of  two  poisons.  This  is  altogether  possi- 
ble. The  writer  has  not  been  able  to  obtain  the  poison,  as  yet,  in 
quantities  sufficient  to  enable  him  to  make  an  ultimate  analysis  of  it. 
But  that  it  is  a  chemical  body  produced  by  fermentation  there  can  be 
no  doubt. 
If  there  be  any  doubt  about  the  poison  being  produced  by  fermen- 
tation, the  following  experiment  would  seem  to  clear  it  up. 
June  26,  I  took  two  samples,  of  one  pint  each,  from  a  bottle  of 
milk  which  had  already  undergone  the  lactic  acid  fermentation. 
These  samples  were  placed  in  clean  glass  graduates.  To  one,  a  piece 
of  the  solid  portion  of  the  poisonous  custard,  about  the  size  of  a  fil- 
bert, and  which  had  been  washed  with  distilled  water,  was  added. 
To  the  other  no  addition  was  made.  These  samples  stood  side  by  side 
for  forty-eight  hours.  Both  were  then  tested  for  tyrotoxicon.  The 
one  to  which  no  addition  wTas  made  gave  no  crystals,  no  odor,  and 
and  when  given  to  a  cat  produced  no  effect.    The  one  to  which  the 
