Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1900-01-11
DEADLY PTOMAINES.
DANGERS THAT ALWAYS ATTEND
POST MORTeM SURGERY.
The Form of Poisoning That Is Most
Drended by ply sicians who Per-
form Autopsics-The Eject of the
virus Upon the Victim.


1t is not generally known that dead
body is simply mass of yirulently poi
sonous matter almost Immediately after
death and long before apparent decompo-
sition sets in. Every medical man knows
this from his medical college days, for it
is c1e OF the stock warnings to medical
students aud one which they not inlre-
Quently disregard. Occasionally one pays
the price of his carelessness with his life.
There is probably no long established dis
secting room in the country that hasn't in
its records at least one such death. Some
times the victim OF the poison RECEIVERS.
Poisoning of this kind is from pto-
maines which are present within a very
brief period after life leaves the body.
Skin taken from a dying person half an
hour before death can be grated on a pa
tent aud will grow and form healthy It's
sue. Skin from the same person half an
hour after death might very likely kill
the patient upon whom it was grated.
There is no form of blood poisoning con
sdered by physicians to be more danger
Gus than poisoning by post mortem pto-
maines.
The smallest prick or scratch will ad-
n, enough of the dead tissue to cause
death. Often the wound is so minute
that il is not noticed 10y the victim at the
time He goes about his business as usu-
al for two or three days. Then he has a
sudden chill. followed by fever. If he
has any suspicion OF the truth. he exam
ines his arms carefully. On one of them
he finds red lines indicating the lymphat-
ic veins, the unmistakable symptom and
usually the signature of his death war
rant All that remains for him to do is
to send for the brother physician in whom
he has the most confidence and hope that
his con stitution is strong enough to with
stand the action of the ptomaines. If
the septic action is very virulent. the arm
and shoulder swell. high fever, with
temperature reaching to log or 1O7 de-
grees. follows, the swelling passes to the
body. which becomes discolored, the red
tracings OF the ptomsines make ret
work over the skin. and week or zen
days after the venom has entered the lit
tie, unnoted scratch the patient falls into
state of coma from which he never
energies.
A physician who has had many years
of experience in medical colleges and the
dissecting room, in speaking to reporter
of post norton said:
Il have never failed, so far as | can
remember. TO warn students about using
the utmost care in dissecting with their
knives and needles, lest they scratch their
hands or wrists. so in all the medical
schools there is stringent rule against
any person going into the dissecting room
who has any kind of sore, scratch or cut
on his hands, but all these precautions
prove insufficient sometimes. Sewing up
cadavers is one great source of danger.
The dissector is likely to be hasty or
clumsy with his needle and pricks him
self. If he notices the prick he will, I'M
less he is criminally careless, suck the
wound vigorously, for the ptomaincs may
be taken into the stomach without dan
ger Unless he is satisfied that he has
got out all the septic matter he will eau
terize freely. If he doesn't notice the
wound until the symptoms make them
selves known he will be fortunate if he
gets off alive, for it is almost impossible
to check the poison once it has fairly en-
tered the system.
Il recall a case several years ago which
| attended The patient was n young
physician, DR.. G. Of this city. While dis
sccting he scratched finger OF his right
hand and Immediately sucked the wound
and washed it in antiseptics. Three days
later his finger began to swell. He laid
open the sore and cauterized it freely. but
a day or two later signs of inflammation
appeared along the lines of the lymphat
les The patient had already suffered
from chills. Fever and depression. ! was
called in and by the time | got there the
hand and wrist were badly swollen and
the swelling was extending up the arm.
1t got as far as the shoulder, and | had
an extremely sick man on my hands.
About all that could be done was TO keep
up the heart action with stimulants, and
DR.. C.'s naturally strong constitution
kept him up till the poison had run its
course. His system took its own way to
rid itself of the poisonous matter and for
six months his life was made miserable
with Assesses, but he recovered com
petely. In this respect he was more for.
tunate than another physician of my ne
quaintance who was poisoned by ca
daver through hangnail. That was ten
years ago, and he still has assesses
which he ascribes to the after effects of
the ptomaines. | know of number Of
other cases Of post mortem poisoning
which had fatal results. In fact, a large
majority of these cases result fatally"
Another curious form of post mortem
poisoning is sort of warty excrescence
which appears upon the hands Of en-
banners. morgue keepers and others who
habitually handle dead bodies and is
known scientifically as verruka NEGRO
genica. 1t is very difficult to root out
and in some cases results apparently in
ptomaine poisoning,> as the chills, fever
and swelling of this poisoning follow its
| spread. Only less dangerous than poi
soning from a dead body is poisoning
/ from the dead tissue of live person,
though the septic process is different.
! Physicians operating upon gaDgrened
| limbs are obliged to exercise the greatest
/ care. Not long ago Brooklyn doctor
! while thus operating and bending over
the affected part got drop of blood from
it on the inner part of his nose. Despite
all his precautions the organ soon be-
came sore and began to swell. In a short
time it was rs big as his fist Anoth II
! physician W. called in to treat him. and
after weeL during which time his life
hung on the question Of whether the poi
son would tend upward to the brain or
not. the patient was informed that his
life would be saved, but his nose would
have to go. He begged respite for his
nose, and the poison subsidized, leaving
that organ as good as new except for one
small scar New York Sun.
The Peculiar Chinese.
In China vhen an honor is conferred
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