Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1904-12-29
Ptomaine Poisoning
Scientifically Explained
The Causes of Bacterial Changes in Meat, Milk and
Fish Precautions that Should be Taken in
Preparation of Food Products - Canned Goods
Are Safer Than Is Commonly Supposed

time the bacteria. which act BY AT.
lacking the heterogeneous portions az
the food and breaking it up into other
substances, some of which are poison.
Gus, complete their work so thorouel
y that even the heat of an oven or
frying pan is insufficient to DESTROY
their newly acquired poisonous dual.
ltles. These changes take place with
great rapidly and are almost impos
s1ble to detect in their first stages.
Later the decomposition is accom-
! panied by characteristics taste or
odor; burt the food may have become
dangerous before these teltale evid.
ences are noticeable
The remedy lies in stringent laws
regulating the sale of any food produce
/ that is open to suspiclon-and espect-
/ ally in removing from every creature
! that has been sacrificed to the human
| appetite the intestinal tract where
! these dangerous organisms are found
il. greatest abundance The passage
Of such laws, based upon the work or
the meteorological laboratories. has
already maryellously reduced the mum
Der of reported cases of ptomaine poiS-
oning-a danger that must have been
vaguely realized by primitive man cen
turtles before the presence Of any Iaind
I, o. bacteria was even distantly SUI
| pected.
Fish poisoning is another way in
which the so-called ptomanes have
! caused humanity a great deal of I'M
| happiness; though many times this
type of food is wrongly supposed to
be guilty. Certain fish, for example
| have poison glands of their own and
are only wholesome when these
glands have been removed, and YET
others are poisonous atcerta il sea.
sons owing to changes that are TAX
ing place in them that give rise to
poisonous compounds. But in many
| cases the disastrous effects Of eatine
fish are undoubtedly to be attributed
| to the ptomaines produced by bacteria.
either after the fish have been prepar-
ed for market or on account of the ac-
emulation of such bacteria in infect
eQ waters. And here, also, the dan
ger is fortunately decreasing in PRO
portion as greater scientific knowl
edge not only safeguards the fish mar
liets, but attends to the publication Of
sewage before it is permitted to enter
bodies of salt or fresh water
In this study of the ptomaines lies
also the secret of the modern develop
ment Of laws governing the milk SUP
ply of our big cities and the employ
ment of experts to maintain a stand.
ard of purity in various dairy products,
The omnipresent bacteria, are also III
evidence in the milk of i'll kept dairias
and it is only by the greatest care in
the handling of every object thai
comes between the COW and the milk
consumer that the danger can be com
petely avoided. Before the modern
scientific study Of milk and its prod
ucts there were undoubtedly many
cases of poisoning that remained I'M
explained to those who experienced
them; and the known cases, since the
subject was better understood. have
included even ice cream and custards
in which bad milk was the dangerous
element.
Some persons, of course. are more
easily affected by ptomaine poisoning
than others, and general good health
is, therefore an additional safeguard
against this particular danger II
has been suggested indeed, that mos
of our minor ills could be attributed to
Standardization" or the accidental
poisoning of ourselves with more or
less mildly poisonous substances,
majority of them being ptomaines OF
one kind and another, This. how
ever, is simply theory that has been
neither proved nor disproyed, and mod
ern science claims credit only for the
discovery OF the large number whose
existence can be proved by the deli
cate archaeological experiments tina
have led to so many laws that look
modern living. And these laws are
nevertheless of vital Importance in
adding to the comfort and safety OF
modern living And these laws are
invariably approved in practice by all
reputable dealers in food products for
in the long rum pure goods are more
profitable and more easily handled
than those in which there are ell
montS of decomposition