The Delaware ledger. (Newark, Del.) 1879-19??, 1886-09-04
Concluded nert sceek.
Ice Cream Poisoning.

The delicious and palatable Amer
lean dish known as ice cream is fire.
quently charged with being the
cause of not only poisoning entire |
families, but often large assemblies,
such as church sociables, picnics,
parties and other summer gatherings
where this tempting delicacy is the
queen of the menu card. 1t is held
in like esteem by rich and poor, and
is the summer dish of the city cou-
pie who lazily lounge about the sea-
shore, as well as the rustic loving
pair that haunt the ice cream parlor
in a rural town on a Sunday night
It's exceeding popularity makes it
potent danger when tinged with i'm
purities. That this favored delicacy
has been the cause Of many reeling
in the agonies of being poisoned, can
not be denied, but the trouble is not
in the flavor used, as is generally
supposed, though too much care can
not be exercised in keeping the fla
vorings pure. The symptoms Of the
poisoning closely resemble arsenic
poisoning, and It is often supposed
that the cream has been adultera-
ted DR.. Vaughn, of Michigan Uni
versity, in an article in the Medical
Era, claims to have discovered the
substance that is productive of such
terrible results. He gives it the
name tyrotoxicon, and as ptomaines
are produced by putrefactive changes
in the dead body, SO tyrotoxicon is
product of the decomposition Of
milk and cheese. This is brought
about in milk when in an impure
atmosphere, or placed in unclean
vessels. The cause has often been
attributed to the use of zinc cans
and freezers, but there are few, if any,
establishments which use zinc, tin
being almost the universal metal of
which cans are made. Many cater
ers and restaurant men are careless
in taking care Of the cans used for
milk and cream, and it not unfre-
quent that when cars are returned
from a festival or wedding with q
portion of the ice cream not used to
dispose of it by turning it into a
fresh can of cream, it probably hay
ing stood over night and been ex-
posed to an impure atmosphere.
The poison is thus generated. A
small portion of tyrotoxicon intro
duced into pure milk will set up fer
mentative changes which will cause
it to impregnate the entire mass.
This also brings to light another inn
/ portant matter, which will be useful
: to physicians in the treatment OF
diseases. The tyrotoxicon is un-
l doubtedly a cause Of cholera-infan-
i, tum, and, while no new remedy has
) been discovered, it is a great help tc
5 know the cause. Ice cream is one
of the most delightful summer
: dishes used on the American table
y and is certainly as less harmful al
any when properly made. Any othe
), dish would be as productive of bat
results if the same carelessness wa
7 manifested in its making, and pub
= lie establishments guilty of careless
ness are criminally responsible. TIL
4 public is dependent upon the catei
= ers and restaurant men for this pa
;. atable article, and firm should nc
!, be patronized that is not known
= be responsible.
I 'Where is the best place to G,
k fat ?" asked a thin housekeeper
a neighbor. "All over" was the III
lie expected reply.
The honey aunt is now sought (
s. a delicacy by California epicures.