Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1886-11-15
agricultural department.
TYROTOXICON-A faint IN
MILK.

is an article upon the above subject, |
disclosing discovery which has re-
Gently been made of changes which ,
warm new milk, in closed vessels, is |
liable to undergo, and which, taken
in connection with other facts which |
have gradually been ascertained by
scientific observers, seems destined
to revolutionize the whole system of
dairy management, and give certain
and definite results where hitherto
has been vague uncertain specula-
ton, too often based upon stolid,
conceited ignorance, if not gross SUI
perstition.
In the year 1883 about three hun
dred persons were taken violently ill
with. nausea, vomiting, cramps, col
lapse, etc., after eating cheese.
Prof. Victor G.. Vaughan, of the
University of Michigan, was requested
by the State Board of Health of
Michigan, to make investigation into
the cause of the sickness. In the
course of this investigation he dis
covered a poisonous substance, in
the form of long needle shaped crys-
tails, which, on being dissolved in
milk and fed to cat, produced
symptoms similar to those produced
in the human subject by eating the
cheese. Surprising it to be new,
or hitherto unrecognized, chemical
substance, and being found in
cheese, he gave it the name of tyro-
toxIcon, or cheese poison. In June,
1886, he was able to obtain this SUBJ
stance from ice cream, which had
sickened some eighteen persons.
On August 9TH, twenty-four per-
sons at one of the hotels at Long
Branch were taken Ill soon after sup
per with symptoms similar to those
above described. Drs. S. H. Hunt
and Williams were employed by the
State Board of Health to ascertain
the cause of the illness. In the
meantime nineteen persons at anoth
er hotel, and thirty at another, had
been taken i'll with the same sick
ness, and all these cases came under
the care or observation of Drs. Hunt
and Williams. The victims eventu-
ally all recovered, some after only a
few hours and none lasted more
than a few days. After much care
full research the doctors ascertaincd
that all these people had partaken Of
milk, and that this milk was all re-
ceived from one dairy. On investi-
cation this dairy appeared to be in
excellent condition. Cows in good
health and besides being at pasture
were we'll fed with bran, middlings
and corn meal. They soon found
however that the COWS were MIXED
at unusual hours-at midnight and at
noon, and that the milk was put into
closed cans as soon as drawn, and
carried in a wagon about eight miles
to be delivered to the consumers
that drawn in the night being carried
in the cool of the morning, and that
drawn at noon being carried in the
hot part of the day of one of the
hottest months. 1t was further
found that it was only the milk
drawn at noon which produced the
sickness. 1t was known that fresh
milk put into closed vessel, in
warm place, soon generated disa'
greeable odor, which it seemed rea-
sonable should make it unhealthy fol
food. Old dairymen speak of "ani
NAL heat" as of something which
should be removed from milk in or
der to make it keep well, and had as
certained that milk drawn at nigh
and put into open cans partly sur
rounded by water, TO cool, woulC
keep sweet longer than that draw
the next morning and put immediate
ly into closed cans, and carried a
the same time to market.
Having these thoughts in thei
minds they were led to suspect som
ferment had acted upon the milk, il
its hot, closed condition, and ha
been the cause of the sickness the
were investigating. Suhjecting som
of the milk which had caused tn
sickness to careful and elaborat
chemical analysis they found mas
of needle shaped crystals which the
were able to identify as the tyroto1
icon of DR.. Vaughan, and which the
are of the opinion is closely allieC
chemically, to butyric acid. Tyre
toxicon has indeed been develope
in normal milk kept in bottle fC
three months, and probably may
developed under other favorab
conditions. Tyrotoxicon is change
and driven off at 1902 Fahrenhel
and boiling milk would probably e.
pei it. 1t is very important to kno
that such a ferment does exist
warm milk and may be easily deve
oped into this poison, not only e
dangering life and health, but re
dering the milk and cream, butt
and cheese, uDpalatable, offensi
and perishable. In this instanc
emphatically, to be "forewarned
to be forearmed." Proper ventil
ton in cooling of the new milk is t
sufficient preventive.
Farmers have learned, and q
learning, much OF practical val
with regard to the real properties