Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1891-02-12
Symptoms of Alimentary Poisoning
from the Use of Spoiled Arti-
cleS of Food.
All Food Stuffs May be Suspected. and
How You May Detect
fermentation.
Terrifying Effects on Animals that
hat. been Inoculated with Spoiled
Preserved Meats.
European edition of the Herald

The injury that may be done to our
health by using certain articles of food
that have become spoiled has been known
from time immemorial, but no truly scien-
tltc explanation of this form of accident has
ever been given until our day. Every
one has read of cases of poisoning cansed
by eating shell fish. or pork that has be-
come charged with tIichinosis These
two accidents are quite frequent, particu-
larly In certain countries where the I'M
fortonate habit exists Of not submitting
articles destined for the table to a suffici ent
| amount of cooking.
But In addition to these there are a num-
Der of other alimentary poisoning, and Oh
examining tie question we finds that dam
aged meats of all kinds forms of charcu-
terle, game, cheese and the various va
rieties of sea fish particularly the repre-
sentative of the crustacean and mollusc
families) nave been accused in turn of do
ing damage. There is no doubt that
these different articles of food have caused
cases of poisoning under certain fixed GER
tain fixed circum stances, and the gravity
of these cases will be seen at glance when
we add that in more than one instance
they were followed by the death of several
victims.
SIGNS OF POISONING.
By what exterior signs do these cases of
poisoning by alimentary products mani
fest themselves? In general way it can
be said that each one of the different ap-
paratus OF organic life can be interested
J or compromised to a certain degree and
| 1t is easy to see that in complex cases this
tact Will produce great variety of symp-
toms. Disorders to the digestive app
ratus naturally appear first, and sometimes
take such serious form that. in many
cases, an attack of true and specific cholera
has been feared.
Nausea, vomiting and diarrhea con-
stltute the symptoms that are usually met
with, and that are considered almost
obligatory. It is exceptionabe that these
symptoms should be wanting, and COM
bined with them we generally find the
form Of internal inflammation, which
physicians call CASTRO enteritis. This is
characterized by the loss of appetite, a
feeling of disgust at the thought of food
! continue! thirst and redness of the tongue.
The fact that tie nervous system is affect
ed likewise is show by the person s weak
ness, feeling of lassitude, prostration
| (which may amount to temporary paraly-
sis), chills, cramps in the legs and head
ache (which is sometimes atrocious).
Different disorders of the heart are
also met with, and some cases have been
seen In which the symptoms pointed to a
case of poisoning by one of the substances
considered as having specific of action
on the central organ of the circulation
| (digitaline cocoaine, &C.,. A feeling of
anxiety and oppression and very weak
pulse belong especially to the latter cate
cory of accidents.
SYMPTOMS OF ALIMENTARY POISONING.
The phenomena which show themselves
i'll connection with the external treatment
are more apparent and are sometimes the
only signs we find in, and cause the least
anxiety, although their Specification be-
come often more complicated owing to
their coincidence with moressserious symp-
toms connected with the internal organs.
They usually consist in different forms of
eruptions, generally of a congestive nature
that is to say, produced by simple tenn
porary disorders of the circulation, owing
to which the skin shows red spots, more
Or less diffused in extent, and other marks
of different varieties, accompanied by an
intense itching which, is extreamly disagree
able. One form of the latter is represent
ed by urticaria, an eruption very much
like that produced on the skin by flea bites
or by nettle stings. Uricaria appears
especially after meals during which she'll
fish, Holsters or crabs have been eaten. 1t
also shows itself on persons who have par
taken of strawberries, or of certain forms
of charcuterie, and it is without doubt the
symptom of a certain kind of poisoning.
This is a short resume of the symptoms
of what are called by common consents of
to1,
who were quite aware of the existence
such cases; out owing to lack of sufficient
means Of investigation an exact eXplana-
ton OF their cause was unknown to
them.
Il is to the chemical and physiological
researches of our day that we owe our
precise knowledge on these points. A few
years ago Mn. Semi, in Italy, Gautier, in
France, and Brieger, in Germany. took up
this question and discovered in spoiled
meat several forms of poisonous sub
stances, of which they succeeded in isolat-
ing certain number.
According to M Gautier these poisons
are really alkaloids, and are similar in
every respect to vegetable alkaloids
caffeine, morphine and atropine}, te which
they can be compared both in their chem
ical formula and physiological properties.
Different names have been given to these
poisons, but for our present purpose it
will be sufficient to say that they may be
divided into two principa! categorles-
) plon1aines, which are the product of the
putrefaction of animal tissues. and leuco-
maine, which are created in these tissues
while they are in fresh condition and
while the animal is alive. This destinc-
ton is even little subtle, and the limit
between the two groups is III many cases
not very closely defined.
Ii, now, we wish to get an insight into
the activity of these chemical polsons we
have only to refer to the very numerous
experiments of Brieger, Gautier and OF
Poincarrer and Mace The latter ovser-
vers witnessed effects that were simply
terrifying in rabbits and guinea pigs that
J had been inoculated with fragments OF
spoiled preserved meats.
Nearly all these animals died in the
space of twenty-four OF twenty-eight hours
OF course, it is scarcely allowable to claim
that what holds true for animals would be
equally true for man, and yet under GER
tain circumstances man has been known
to suffer Just as much as the lower species
of animals.
There is no hiding the fact that the risk
in using spoiled provisions is much greater
than is generally thought. Two French
army surgeons, NM. La bit and Collin, have
published On this question pamphlet I'LL
ed with cases, and have pointed out a
number of local epedlmlcs IN which a
number of persons were seized with serl-
Gus symptoms, which sometimes resulted
in death.
In nearly all the instances meal had
been taken in common, during which some