The Austin weekly statesman. (Austin, Tex.) 1883-1898, 1890-09-25
ICE CREAM POISONING.
inlet corson writes on Subject OF In
tercst to All.

fCDcCicl correspondence
NEW YORK, Sept. 15.-Not awcek passes'
from Nav to November, that the ne":Pa-
nnrs do not tell of ice cream POISONING,
and fre1c ,ntly winter festivals are chahseu
into occasions of anxiety more or less pro-
Ionped, | was about to say, accorulnS W
the carelessness of the persons proVlulhS
the refreshments. Because there Is oIe
chance in fifty that the cause OF the Irouu JIG
NAV not be traced to human agency WIZ
restrain the indignation that my reauers
will admit is very natural when thes nave
reflected upon my statements Leu nie
here, and with emphasis, that these s'iine
statements are the plain, uhVaruis'teu
truth, not in the least degree coloreu iof
the purpose of making an interesting VI
striking piece of reading. Usualiy IL Is noo
necessary to make any such preface 10 my
PROPOSITIONS; either they are sell eNluehU
or my readers are willing, from past eN
perience, to take upon trust Whatever
may saw. But the present subject is very
serious, and should be cautiously treated
attentively read and well remembered.
Not only the manufacturers of ice cream.
and cream cakes or puffs, but caterers and
conrectioners who supply them to con-
sumers, are concerned. What | have to
butter. cheese. cream in any combination,
or any article of food into the composition
of which milk enters, and he or she will do
only his or her duty by paying the closest
attention to this entire article. 1t is not to
read in bits and be forgotten. Every SEN
tence is sound and valuable, since neglect
of the conditions defined always causes
illness md sometimes death.
Chemical analysis instituted in conse-
uuence of the alarming illness of number
of persons who had eaten of some special
food has developed the fact that virulent
pOison is formed in milk at certain stages
after it has been drawn from the COW. The
same poison, which is called tyrotoXlcon,
is found in milk cream and cheese, in oys-
ters stewed with milk, and in cream putfs
or Boston cream cakes. 1t has been found
in perfectly sweet milk which has not been
properly cooled, in the mixture OF fresh,
sweet milk and that which is day old,
and in cream under similar conditions.
When vessels that have contained milk
have not been properly cleaned, and other
fresh milk or cream is put into them, some
poisonous germs are communicated more
or less dangerous to health. The only safe
guard is the washing in boiling water OF
all vessels used in milking, straining cool
ing and keeping milk and cream, and IN
its transportation
In vessels of all kinds containing milk
which are kept in damp, i'll ventilated
places the poisonous elements will de-
velop with rIightful rapidity, a single hour
being sufficient time to charge the Innocent
milk with the 50 called ptomaines, or poi
sons of putrefacton. These poisons are
not like the hereditary in furious conditions
of "blue milk" which does not seem to be
absolutely poisonous, and the active germs
of tuberculosis, against which boiling is a
safeguard. They can develop in boiled
milk if it is placed in Il badly washed uten-
sill. The whole question settles itself into
the nutshell of cleanliness anu tempera-
ture. Put the milk in good block tin YES
sells and keep it in cool, dry atmosphere.
This touches the important question of
keeping all articles Of food free from moist
ure and warmth, since moisture combined
with warmth is the most prolific gener-
ator of all kinds of fermentation and
mold To become convinced of this fact
make sacrifice of a potato the next time
! some are boiled. Let it stand in the tenn
perature of warm kitchen where it is
damp; in Il few hours it will be covered
with slight indication of slime; allow
this to remain undisturbed over night, and
fine, soft growth of mold will appear,
which can be seen to develop under good
microscope. AS tie potato will be obvi-
ously unfit to eat, the lesson will be useful
beyond comparison with words. But, re-
member the conditions, heat and moisture;
dry heat would have different effect
The fermentation which results in llold
is quite different to the condition favora BILE
to the formation either of ptomaines or
tyrotoXicon, as the special milk and cht ese
| poisons are defined. both of which seem to
result from the careless treatment of milk
receptacles. So serious has this mischief
| become that the state health boards are
| discussing the legalized inspection of all
| mill; and cheese factories and depots 1t is
even proposed to limit the kind of vessel in
which milk may be transported with safe
| ty to block tin or porcelain lined cans. The
| use of copper vessels for holding or cook
ing milk will probably be forbidden, espe-
ci;;lly for making ice cream and cream
| cakes, because unless they are kept scrupu-
lousy clean the metallic poison, verdigris,
| is apt to form upon them. In making
| French ice cream, which is composed
largely of cream and eggs, and the pastry
cooks cream, rlaGe of milk, eggs, butter
| ana sugar, laNty acldS are developed,
which coming in contact with copper not
perfectly clean causes the formation of
verdgris, an active metallic poison. Va
nilla essence sometimes poisons because
the oil of the cashew nut, used to preserve
the bean, gives rise 20 symptoms similar
to those resulting from the internal use of
croton Oil The poisonous colo.ing matters
are generally metallic.
The symptoms of metallic and tyrotoxic
poisons are so similar that an antidote
should be used applicable to both The
! symptoms are pain in the head and back.
/ gripping pain in the stomach and bowels,
thirst, nausea. The antidote is copious
draughts of lukewarm water containing
salt or mustard, as an emetic A physi-
clan should be called in haste. If there is
delay any gastro-enteric irritation NAV be
allayed by the use of selatiyes, and some
such antiseptic as thymol should be en-
ployed. JULIET CoRsoN.
Novelists Admired by Eng,ishmen.
A literary contest recently held by n
London paper to determine the relative
| nODul nritV of yritarS IF -.+i,,,