Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1873-06-13
Farm and FsreSaae.
POEs O.v'OUs CHEESE.

In Mr.. Wizards book on Practical Dairy
Husbandry there is an article on poisonous
cheese. Though cases of cheese poisoning
are known to have occurred in Germany
more than fifty years ago. and though such
modern chemists as DIR. Voelcker of
Europe, and DIR. Jackson of Boston, have
investigated the subject, and analysed the
poisonous cheese, no conclusion entirely
satisfactory has been reached.
In one case Dr. Voelcker took piece of
cheese he was Analysing, not larger than a
hazel nut into his mouth for the purpose
Of ascertaining If the presence of certain
poison could be detected by taste, and he
felt the effect for hours. Two of his assist
ants, who took no more than a quarter of
an ounce each, were attacked with vomit-
ing and pains in the bowels five hours af-
forwards, and one of them was i'll all night.
Yet though carefully operating on large
scale with cheese thus PROFESSIONALLY
poisonous, he says that, 81 failed to detect
timony, arsenic, or any of the metallic
poisOns which might possibly have impart-
ed injurious properties to the cheese.
Having failed to detect any miner al
poison l next directed my attention to the
examination Of the organic constituents.
The proportion Of water in this cheese was
rather large, considering that it must have
been cut for some time, and lost wafer by
evaporation. On further examining it 1
found it remarkably sour, and had no diff
Guilty in detecting an unusually large guam
tity of fatty acids, which if not poisonous
themselves are the vehicle conveying the
peculiar organic poison which appears 10
be generated sometimes in cheese under
going peculiar kind of fermentation.
probably the poison generated in this
modified decay of cheese is identical with
the so-called sausage poison, which is
sometimes found in German sausages, es-
pecially those made Of coagulated blood.
A similar poison appears to he generated
sometimes in picked salmon, smoked
sprats, pork, tainted veal, bacon and hams.
Bacon and hams when not properly cured,
and fat meat, kept in damp, badly-ven-
tilated cellar, are very apt to become more
or less injurious to health, and even but
ter after it has turned rancid, and similar
OiSahiN hsttcAo arc iipeiatcu III II, WIlCu
exist in this cheese in free state, acts as
poison in most cases."
In st Lawrence County, N. Y, several
persons were made i'll by eating of cheese
sold by merchant. The cheese was traced
to the dairy where it was made, but no
cause of its bad condition could be discov-
cred. Samples of it were analysed by DR..
Jackson, who stated:-
Each and all of the samples were en-
tirely free from any known poisons. There
are no metal or mineral poisons of the kind
present, nor any alkaloids or deleterious
vegetable principles. But there is small
proportion Of offensive putrefying animal
matter which has been separated here that
does not belong to good cheese. 1t is i'm
possible to give this impurity any correct
name, and it is only an opinion of mine
that it comes from the rennet used. 1t is
not poisonous, though it occasions vomit-
ing in dogs and cats, and small portions of
1t may be taken into the human stomach
without effect.''
Thus far, it would seem, that tho investi-
cations which have been made show that
"cheese, as well as other kinds of animal
food, under certain conditions Of decay,
generates peculiar organic poison, but
what the composition ofthls poison is the
chemists are as yet unable to determine"
N. H. Farmer.