The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1908-05-03
PTOMAINE POISONING
A MYSTERY TO ANCIENTS
First Experimental Study TO
Determine Its Effects Made
Only a Century Ago

Few people understand what pEO-
maine poisoning is Many sudden and
otherwise unexpiainable local cpl
denies are often attributed 10 II when
perhaps they may be due 70 some other
and unknown origin Ptonaine poison
ing Is 4 form OF bacterial action which
IS just now beginning 70 be reduced 70
e very scientific knowledge BY the &C
cumulsting investigations OF students
II bacterioiogy-
Or al articles OF food. canned goods
4 properly prepared, are about the
safest from the action OF the bugs
mat make he ptonsines Yet they
have long been popularity believed 10
BE the most dangerous. And the req
son when ore comes 10 think about it.
IS fairly obvious. The canned goods
1-e zs4l-E--4sy prepared from fresh ma
rerial used before there IS An opPo--
tunity for decomposition 10 reach the
danger point, and they are further
freed from danger OF bacterial action
BY careful sterilization. And II these
safeguards have proved insufficient. as
IN rare Instances they Go. there re-
mains q method oy which the con-
sumner can tell whe Their or not the con-
tents OF = given can are perfectly
wholesome
Merely inspect the can, and II the
busy bacteria are within you may be
sure that they viii have been al work
and that their labor VIII have produced
gases. which n turn VIII have affected
the shape OF the can Z the ends bulge
ever 50 slightly don't buy IL But II
the ends OF the can are conczTe the
contents are quite safe and sane" 70
borrow the Slogan OF recent campaign
orators once the can IS opened. how
ever. the contents are perhaps more
subject 70 bacterial attack than most
other food products would be and must
be kept very carefully and eaten as
soon IS possible
The word p-oDsiae has somewhat
startling significance. going back 70
the Greek word for corpse. the --rst
ptomsines having been discovered in
dead bodies The name was suggested
IN the early Ss-s BY an Italian scientist
some years after the first exact knowl-
edge had been attained OF what the
Substance actually was that for cen
turtles had been causing such disas-
trous results 70 human beings who &C
cl6entaIly came IN contact with IL
The first experimental study OF the
effect produced upon animals BY the
eating OF INV wholesome flesh was car
E5sd on only 100 years ago, when the
famous Psychologist, Albert voR Halter.
began the present widespread work II
one OF the most -ninurely difficult OF
z4 Sclelll-e researches ana lloIEL
Already il is said that the time is not
far distant when the danger Of ptO-
maine poisoning with it's centuries long
list OF transporting victims viii be al
together abolished. there stu remains
from z scientific point or view E wide
field OF investigation for the labors Of
future generations OF scientists
Food poisoning may be caused in
various ways. the most common cases
being those OF meat, sausage. fish
milk ard cheese poisoning through
bacterial action producing ptonaines.
These bacterial changes usually take
place in the flesh before il IS cured or
cooked During this tine the bacteria.
which act by attacking the nitrogen
Gus portions OF the food and breaking
Il up into other substances, some OF
which are poisonous. complete their
work so thoroughly that even the heat
OF an oven or frying pan is insufficient
10 destroy their newly acquired poi
sonous qualities
Such changes take place with great
ralsidi1y and are almost impossible TO
detect IN their first stages Later the
6eeomPositsoa is accompanied By
characteristic odor. but the food may
have become dangerous before the
tslltale evidences are noticeable
What 70 Eat