The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1899-04-22
DEAD FROM POISONING
Deadly Ptomaines in the Child.
ren's Milk.
ANOTHER CHILD Is DYING
The Case Puzzled the Physicians-The
Coroner Will Hold an Inquest-A
Milk Investigation May
Follow.

An extraordinary case of poisoning, in
which three members of one family are
supposed to have been poisoned by pto-
maines, or bacteria germs in milk came
to the attention of the authorities yes
terday when Alma, the 4-year-old daugh-
ter of German Chouivard of SO7 Utah
avenue, died under circumstances point
ing to poisoning Enthusiastically as the
cause.
The other members Of the family afflicted
with symptoms of the same affection are
Louis, a 16-year-old boy, and Addie,
3-year-old girl. 1t is thought the boy will
recover, but the attending physicians
stated last evening that there is scarcely
any hope that the little girl could live
the night through.
week ago to-day the boy Louis was
taken i'll and DR.. st. Jean called in. The
boy was taken with vomiting spells and
violent retching commissions, but as DR..
St. Jean after inquiring thoroughly into
the case could not find any reason for
believing poison had been administered
either accidentally or otherwise, he came
to the conclusion that the boys alment
could not result from poison. The boy
continued i'll and finally became paralyzed
and unconscious. DIR. st. Jean was much
mystified but was more so when on We'd
nesday last the 3-year-old girl Addie fell
Ill with the same symptoms manifested
in the case of the boy, and like her broth
eT, lost consciousness and became par
alyzed.
Friday night DR.. st. Jean received a call
to attend a patient living in the same
neighborhood as the tnouivards, and not
knowing the exact location Of the house
he sought, called at the Chouvard resi-
| dence to inquire. He was told that the
| 4-year-old girl, Alma, had been taken i'll
| about 6 o'clock; that she drank a glass of
| milk and in short time she began vomit-
| ing and manifested exactly the same
| symptoms the other children had shown.
DR.. st. Jean prescribed the same treat
| ment he had given the other children and
went away. Yesterday he paid his usual
| visit to the house and was told the child
was no better. When shown to the little
| ones bedside he was astonished to find
| the child was dying and was beyond any
assistance medical skill could afford. In
very short time the child was dead.
The symptoms in this last case con-
| WINGED DR.. st. Jean that death resulted
| from poisoning, and remembering the
| statement that the child was taken sick
| Immediately after drinking glass of
milk. he felt satisfied the milk would
| prove the seat of the trouble. The symp-
| toms were those resulting from metallic
poisoning and he at first had the impress
| sion that poison of this character had
| gotten into the milk. The opinion was
strengthened by the family now remem-
bering that the other children had also
| been taken sick Immediately after drink
ing milk.
| The case was so mysterious that Coro-
ner Julien was notified and that official
| inquired into the case. In the meantime
| DR.. Hanson, DR.. St. Jeans medical asso
| ciate, was called in consultation. The
| two physicians arrived at the conclusion
| that the death of the one child was due
to ptomaines and that the illness of the
other two was attributable to the same
| cause the strange poison undoubtedly, in
their judgment, having been contained in
the milk the children drank.
Ptomaine is described by an authority
| as "a prutescent product of animal origin
and of basic or alkaloid nature, closely
! allied to the vegetable alkaloids; a cadav-
eric poison The same authority adds:
"It is the presence of ptomaines in animal
food that has caused many mysterious
| cases of poisoning
The symptoms of poisoning by pto-
| maines are said to be so much like those
| produced by metallic poisons as to rem
| der it very difficult, in fact, practically
| impossible, to distinguish between them.
| The case is so very unusual that in all
| probability Coroner Julien will order an
autopsy and have the contents of the
| stomach of the dead child analysed. Sam
pies of the milk were procured and these
will also be analzed. Should the theory
| of Drs. st. Jean and Hanson prove cor
rect the health department will probably
| be called upon to make a thorough in
vestigation of the milk sold in the city.
ic frct Of he L Ind
| known in this city.