The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1898-10-28
Chemist Green Begins
His Analysis.
SEEKING FOR PT0MAINEs
CURIOUS PROCESSES FOLLOWED
IN THE WORK.
An Investigation Fraught With
Interest and Important Results
to One Branch of
Science.

The disreputable Butchertown shrimps
after enjoying q long period of immunity
at the hands of the law, are in serious
trouble.
Yesterday morning City Chemist Frank
Green, acting under special orders from
the San Francisco Board of Health, sent
two deputies to the slaughter-hous
wharves. armed with long cane poles, sea
grass lines and sharp hooks, to cap
ture thirty or more Of the swarm of dan
gerous little wretches for analytical pur-
poses. The deputies efforts were crowned
with success and within a short time they
wended their way toward the city build
ings with the required number of shrimps.
To-day Professor Green will begin sci
entif1c operations upon them, and by the
time he gets through there will be very
little left of these good-for-nothing
shrimps, except, possibly, a few ounces
of poison, a pot of sulphuretted hydrogen
and some unsavory memories.
For a long period Of time fishermen
plying their trade in the waters of the
bay in the vicinity of the Butchertown
wharves have complained Of violent
stomachic pains, necessitatng frequent
calls for the doctor and heavy medical
bills, thereby entailing financial discom-
fort as we'll as physical suffering. AS
the pains usually followed the eating of
Butchertown ShrimpS all theories OF oyS-
pepsia were soon swept to the winds by
the suspicion, which soon r1pened into
belief, that the ShrimpS were poisonous.
Nobody thought for minute that the
fish had resorted to the dissemination OF
poison with malice aforethought, but the
fact remained that shrimps in other por-
lions of the bay were palataDle to the
taste and wholesome for the digestion.
Finally the fishermen complained to the
Board of Health about the matter and
DR.. GallWey made an investigation, re-
porting that he was led to believe that
the Butchertown shrimps were highly sea-
soned with poisonous ptomaines. He ad,
Vised that Chemist Green be instructed
to analyze the fish and see whether or
not his conclusions were correct. sew
eral citizens who had purchased some OF
the Shrimps in open market and VINO SUI
fered for their indiscretton made the
matter still more urgent, and the chem
list was told to get to his work on the
analysis as soon as possible.
Professor Green will chop the shrimps
into small pieces. He will put the f1sh
through various machines of brass, glass
and iron; pass them through varied col
ored acids and alkalies, gradually dissipat-
ing the fieshy substance and the bones
and aiming to save nothing except , the
poisonous ptomaines, if such exist. The
operation will require number OF days
and the outcome will be watched with
interest. Up to the present time pto-
maine poisoning has never been clearly
explained by scientists. Investigations
on the subject are in progress in all of the
medical institutions of this country and
Europe 1t is now believed that pro-
cesses of decomposition in animal mat
ter generate ptomaines of several hun
dred different kinds. The eating of de-
cayed animals by fish would transfer the
ptomaines to them.
If it is found that the Butchertown
shrimps are deadly when dead, fishermen
will be warned to let them alone in the
future and will be advised to do their
angling in Oakland and Alameda waters,
where the shrimps are of unblemished
reputation.
The shrimp investigation will be the
first work undertaken in the new labor
atory just finished The apparatus is of
the most complete character. In fact,
the laboratory is the finest west of Chi
cago. 1t will be possible to conduct the
most exhaustive inquiries into various
food products sold in the market, with a
view to the detection of authorizations.