The morning call., 1893-10-29
CHEFS DISAGREE.
The Mystery of Mussel-
Poisoning.
BUT THE DOCTORS AGREE
Some Light on the Cause Of Frank
Vincenzo's Death After Eating
the BivaIves.

The fatal effect OF a mess OF muSSels
upon Frank VincenZo. an Italian fisher
man, and the serious poisoning OF his boat
mates and a pleasure party near Point
Reyes, have given rise to question that is
difficult to answer with any degree OF cer-
tainty.
Doctors are fairly unanimous in their
opinions about mussel- l-p0isoning, its causes
and effects. According to the medical
theory there is little or no danger from eat
ing live mussels, but once decomposition
has begun poisonous compound forms
which cannot be removed or neutralized
by cooking. This may be all correct and
in accord with conclusions OF science.
But when and where to gather wholesome
musses and how TO detect deleferlous
varieties, or whether the fish be dead or
alive, appear to be altogether another
matter. Chefs of considerable experience
and dealers in mussels hold variety of
opinions as to how the poison Gus ones can
be known. Some declare there is no way
of telling, while one man says that alter
thirty years. experience be will undertake
to say which mussel is poisonous and
which safe food.
Withal, people have not yet learned the
secret-if such there be-and frequently
many sicken from eating those treacherouS
succulent parasites OF ocean rocks. Occa-
sionallv life is lost, but still the mystery
remains unsOlved.
Medical or chemical science has its con-
clusOns on the subject.
Practical men have theirs and what they
believe is more of geological distinction
than one of chemical change-though, in.
sharo n far of nj ion
The mussels Vincenzo and his CON-
panions ate were gathered off the rocks
near Point Reyes and cooked and eaten
on the strand. Soon after the feast symp-
toms of irritant poison showed themselves
in all alike, but presently VincenZo grew
deadly sick and died in agony. The other
men fastened 10 this city for treatment
and are now out of danger.
The mussels of which they partook were
unusually large, and this a dealer in fish
holds was proof positive they we're poison
Gus.
II have had thirty years. experience"
said NJ. B. Monaghan, 'ln shellfish on this
coast This is the third or fourth case of
fatal poisoning in that time Every once
in a while men go out and pluck mussels
off rocks up along the coast and either get
sick or die. They get the large mussels.
which are full of poison. Down the bay
where mussels are got for the San Fran
cisco market you will not find any poison
ous varieties. They are all small and not
half as long as the dangerous ones, and if
eaten properly yol need not be afraid OF
them. 1t is easy 10 distinguish between
the two kinds, and when you have the
right ones the boards should not be swal-
lowed. The proper way TO eat a mussel Is
to catch the beard in the fingers and bite
off the rest. leaving the beard on plate.
If you swallow number of these boards
you will find them very indigesti6le and
probably get sick from them"
Doctors say that mussels are poisonous
after DEATH" was suggested for the pur-
pose of getting an opinion regarding way
to distinguish between live and dead BIZ
valves.
"When mussel dies the shells open
out, just like an oyster. That is plain
enough, and open mussels should not be
cooked"
Police Surgeon Somers. who treated one
of the poisoned fishermen, said the patient
was suffering from irritant poisoning.
symptoms of which he presented to the
hospital physician. TIE symptoms indi-
Gated mussel ptomaiDes, an alkalOid poison
formed in fish through the chemical action
OF decomposition.
Cor oner Hughes was quite cetain that
Vincenzo was killed by mussel ptOmaines
This is an animal alkaloidal poison. and
think it is the result of decomposition
1t is most virulent in the human body and
exists in animals generally. For example,
alkaloids are taken from vegetables. Nor
phine is an alkalOid of opium, which in
turn is an extract of the poppy. Evil
IDENTIFY there was change in the musses-
that is, decomposition. These poisonous
germs thrive in decomposed masses,
though they may not be the result of de-
composition.
Edible mussels frequently become ac-
lively poisonous. probably by reason of
changes in the character of surrounding
water" said DR.. Stanton, reading from a
medical encyclopedia.
IF the water becomes stagnanr the
mussel seems to grow poisonous, and death
has resulted In several instances from eat
ing mussels thus affected. People who
have eaten mussels without removing the
moss, or lyssus, have fallen sick, and
presented symptoms of acute pains and
irritant poison. The poisonous mussel has
a somewhat lighter and more striped shell
than such as are innocuous. Poisonous
akaIoids have been obtained from poison
GUS mussels. 1t is rarely that we bave a
case of poisoning which we can trace di-
rectly to mussels."
There is no rule to 90 by in selecting
mussels for the table," said the assistant
chef of the Palace Hotel. "We rely on
simple test in cooking. We put silver
spoon in the pot, and if 1t comes out un-
tarnished the mussels are safe; if not. and
the spoon is black, we throw the mussels
away. The same test Is made with mush-
rooms. Often when mussels get on the
copper bottoms of ships and are afterward
washed ashore they are poisonous with
copper. The beard should not be swal-
lowed, and it is best to remove it alto
gether before cooking"
The chef Of the Maison Tortoni said
there is only one correct way OF cooking
mussels. The beard of each should be
plucked out, and IL there is no beard on a
mussel that one should be discarded. be-
cause inside it would be black and decom-
posed.