Wessington Springs herald. (Wessington Springs, Aurora County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1891, 1885-10-16
A NEW POISON.
IT,. Result OF n Chemical searoh c.r,,.
~ hY Cheeae P0lxnnlnr

rne Result OF a Chemical Search cau,ea
by Cheese Poisoning.
It is we'll known that cases of severo
u,ness sometimes follow the eatinc ~
.hccse. In the United States and IN
some parts of Germany, such instance.
sre of frequent occurrence. We hear
Of similar cases. too. in England and.
though less often, in France. Among
American dairymen cheese that pro.
duces such effects is known as sick
cheese. Formerly this article was be-
[evcd to be confined wholly to cheo,cs
made in small quantities on farms
S Sl"oe years ago. however, the rennt..
tjon of a large cheese factory in Ohio
was destroyed through the large num-
her of cases of alarming illness arising
from eating Of its product; and more
recently. cheese poisoning became so
common as to excite alarm among
dairymcn. Finally, so many persons
were poisoned last year in the State Of
Michigan by cheese made in one of its
largest factories, and by a thorouehlv
s%yperienced maker. that it was decided
to enter upon a search for the mystcri-
o,s substance which was CAUSING all
tbe trouble. This work was under
taken by Prof. v. c. Vaughan. who
lately presented a report of his inyesti-
cation to the Michigan State Board Of
Health.
The samples of cheese examined
had no peculiarities of appearance.
olor or taste by. which they could be
dist nguisled from those of good
cheese. OF two pieces, one poison
Gus and the other wholesome. a dog
or cat would choose the good cheese,
but the Professor thinks this is due to
an %acutcness of the sense of smell
not possessed by man. The animals
are not affected by eating the cheese.
Possibly if a person tasted a cheese.
knowing that it was poisonous he
might detect o Sharpness of taste
which would not ordinarily be no.
ticcd. But there is no certain means.
aside from a chemical examination. bv
which a poisonous cheese can be dis.
tinguishcd from a wholesome ono,
The most trustworthy, ready method
of examination is to press a strip of
blue litmus paper against a freshly
cut surface of the cheese. If the pa
per is Redeemed instantly and intense
", the cheese may be regarded with
suspicion. When treated in this way
any green cheese will reddcn the
litmus paper, but ordinarily the red
dening will be produced slowly and
will be slight. II the piece of cheese
be dry it should be rubbed up with an
equal volume of water. and the y
should thon be dipped in the water.
Dr. Vaughan thinks that grocerymen
should apply this test to every fresh
cheese.
After a long and determined hunt
the Professor succeeded in isolating the
poison, which will now pass into Chem
ical science under the name of tyrotox-
icon. 1t is found to be a product OF
imperfect putrefaction in the cheese
and it occurs in the manufacturing vat.
for the curd itself has been known to
poison persons. T%yrotoxicon appears
in the form of necdlc-shaped CRYSTALS,
which are freely soluble in water. The
smallest visible fragments of a crystal
placed upon the tongue caused a sharp,
singing pain. and in q few minutes
dryncss and construction of the throat.
A slightly larger amount produced
vomiting, nausea and diarrhea. The
isolated poison has a sharp, pungent
odor, but in the cheese the taste and
odor of the poison are both modified
beyond recognition. The poison is
volatile, and even poisonous cheese
may be eaten after it is cooked.
The symptoms observed in cheese
poisoning are similar to those caused
by tyrotoxicon. with the addition of
headache. double vision and marked
nervous prostration. In rare instances
the sufferer dies from collapse.-N.
SuA,