Weekly expositor. (Brockway Centre, Mich.) 1882-1894, 1885-07-30
THE STATE AT LARGE
Worse than Shippers.

At the meeting of the state board of health,
July IA, DIR. Vaughan presented report OF his
investigations on poisonous cheese. it Is well
known that cases Of severe illness follow the
eating of some cheese. Such instances are OF
frequent occurrence In the North German
countries and in the United States In Eng
land they are less frequently observed; while
In France where much cheese is made and
eaten, these cases are said to occur very rare
ly. few years ago the reputation OF large
cheese factory In Northern Ohio was destroyed
by the great number of cases of alarming Ill
ness arising from eating its cheese. Dalrymen
know this cheese as sick cheese.
KINDS OF CHEESE THAT ARE POISONOUS.
A German author says: "The numerous
kinds of soft cheese, prepared In small iaml-
lies or on small farms, are generally the cause
of the symptoms; while II is quite exceptional
To hear of symptoms arising from the use OF
chee prepared in large quantities Some
two years ago family in Alpena, Mich, was
poisoned by eating of cottage cheese; but the
cheese that po soned so many In this state last
year Mas made at one OF the largest factories
In the state and by thoroughly experienced
cheese maker The old foul.smelling cheese,
such as Limburgcr and Schweitzer' have never
been known to be poisonous.
EFFECTS OF THE CHEESE.
The symptoms produced by ''sick" cheese,
as reported by German and American
physlci ms, agree quite closely and are as fol
lows Dryness of the mouth and throat with
n sense of construction, nausea, vomiting,
diarrhna, headache, sometimes double vision,
AMI marked nervous prostration. In rare in
stances the sufferer dies from coll lpse. As
rule I, coyery occurs in few hours or at most
after few days. The symptoms Of cheese
poisoning and those Of sausage, canned meats
and fish-poisoning are very similar though
death results more frequently from the Others
mentioned than from cheese-poisoning.
HOW TO RECOGNIZE POISONOUS CHEESE.
There is no certain means aside from
chemical examination by which poisonous
cheese can be distinguished from wholesome
one. The most reliable ready method Is prob
ably that proposed by ID. Vaughan IA year ago,
and it is as follows: Press small strip of
blue litmus paper (Which can be obtained at
any drug store9 against freshly cut surface
of the cheese: II the paper Is Redeemed instant
ly and intensely the cheese may be regarded
with suspicion. When treated in tails way any
green cheese will redden the litmus paper, but
ordinarily the reddening will lie produced
slowly and will be slight. If the piece OF
cheese be dry small bit should be rubbed up
with an equal volume OF water, and the paper
should then dipped In the water. DIR. Vaughan
does not regard the above test as free from
error, but as the most reliable ready means
now known Every grocery man should apply
this test to each fresh cheese which he cuts.
The depth of the reddening of the paper may
be compared with tnat produced BY cheese
which is known TO be wholesome.
NATURE OF THE POISON.
DR.. Vaughan has succeeded In isolating the
poison, TO which he has given the name tyre
toxicon from two Greek words which mean
cheese and poison). 1t is product of slight
putrefaction in the cheese which probably oc-
ours in the vat, as the curd has been known TO
poison person BY this slight putrefaction;
or excessive fermentation as it may be called.
a large amount of butyric acid is formed, and
this in the presen Of the cascin of the cheese
is capable Of developing a poison. Different
samples of poisonous cheese contain different
amounts of poison. The same weight of cheese
from one cake furnished three times as much
poison as that from another cake. The poison
was obtained in long, needle-shaped crystals
which are freely soluble in water, chloroform
alcohol and ether. The smallest visible frag-
men of crystal placed upon the end of the
tongue causes a sharp singing pain at the
point of application, and in a few minutes
dryness and construction of the throat. A
slightly larger amount produced nausea, vom-
iting and diarrh9a. The poison Is volatile ut
the temperature of boiling water, and for this
reason even poisonous cheese may be eaten
with impunity after being cooked The sub
stance has also marked, pungent odor, and
through the nose one can obtain sufficient OF
the volatile pc son to produce dryness Of the
throat THIS Is true, however, only Of the $50
lated poison. In the cheese the taste aud odor
of the poison are both modified TO such an ex-
tent that they would not he recognized as has
already been stated.