The Salt Lake herald-Republican. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1909-1918, 1910-10-14
DEATH IS LURKING
IN DECAYED MEAT
Numerous Cases of Pt0maine
Poisoning in Past Few
Months.
DOCTORS GIVE WARNINGS
Serious Illness and Death Caused by
Eating Stale heterogeneous
Foods.

Serious cases OF ptomaine poisoning
have occurred with frequency IN the
city during the past four months. In
stead of decreasing with the coming Of
colder weather. the number OF cases in
the city is now as great as at any
time during the summer. it is reported.
FtOmaine poisoning is said C be
caused by eating decayed foods. and
DR.. I. B. Beatty. secretary of the Utah
state board OF health. is emphatic in
his opinion that the danger from de-
eayed foods could be greatly lessened.
/ II not wholly eliminated, If strict meas
/ ures were taken in the matters of In
spectiOn and cleanliness. The gen
/ eral principle OF prevention" he says,
/ lis not 10 eat decayed heterogeneous
/ foods Before II comes TO the cOnsum-
/ er, the responsibility OF providing prop
er food rests with three individuals.
/ First, the city food and dairy Inspector
prevents the sale of unwhOlesome food;
/ second, the retailer should exercise care
in the selection Of the food products
| which he offers for sale and, third,
| the hotel or restaurant keeper should
| see that meats are in prime condition
when procured from the retailer. Fur
Their. great care and cleanliness should
be used in preparing food for the table.
Equivalent 20 Typhoid
"A case of ptomaine poisoning" de-
/ clares DR.. Beatty, ''is sometimes equiv
alent in its disastrous effects TO an at
| tack of typhoid fever. Not all cases OF
| food poisoning are due TO ptOmaines,
and in many Instances fruit poisoning,
which is less serious, is confused with
| it. PtOmalne poisoning is due 10 the
alkalOids produced in the decomposi-
tiOn OF heterogeneous food Oysters. fish.
shrimps and chicken are more readily
decOmpOsed than beef. and Oftenest are
the cause OF attacks OF the poisoning.
Because OF the great distance that shell
fGh a 20 oh n "a a
I a source OF danger.
There Is no way OF testing for de-
composition except that of detection by
the senses. There is generally present
a slight OdOr OF decomposition, and the
appearance of the food deteriOrates-
Too great care cannot be exercised IN
the home and by restaurant Keepers 10
use only food that seems 10 be free
from faint. or canned goods that appear
10 be in firSI-class condition.
Il meet with cases OF ptomaine poi
sOning constantly in my practice. SAID
DR.. Charles G. Plummer 'PtOmaines
are the alkalOids OF putrefactlOn. They
are usually found some where about the
meteorological accommodation of pro-
teids (nitrOgenous foods OF some form
"The active poison in deeomposed
milk and ice cream is tyrOtOxicon, due
TO the unsanitary methods employed
in caring for the utensils used in man
ufaCture. as well as the poorly pre-
served ingredients in the cream and
milk.
There should in my opinion. be the
same Inspection of mechanical con-
trivanees. used in the preparation and
manufacture of such foods. that there
is of the completed product after II
is put on the market.
Looks Deceptive.
"Sausages. for instance may look all
right though in reality poisonous. Three
conditions are necessary: First that
the meat itself should be prime and
have suffered no degeneration; sec
Ond the man who handles il should be
clean in person and habits. and last.
the machine and chopper should be as
clean as the steriliZed vessels used in
hospitals.
DR. Arthur J. Murphy. who has had
considerable experience in ptOmaine
poisoning I'm his hospital practice in
New York. recently declared that con-
diuons in this line are bad in salt
Lake this year. Il have had seven
serious cases in my own practice and
know of many others" said he
''Sausages, particularly the small frank
name OF hot dogs canned salmon,
shrimps. shell fish. are all common
sources Of infection"
Serious Case.
"The most serious case OF ptOmaine
poisoning I have had this year" said
Dr. G. A. Wherry. was that of child
who drank sOured milk on a dining
car coming from Denver TO Salt Lake
{ For weeks her life was Gespaired Of
= and the effects OF the illness will last
: for months. Children are so dependent
upon the milk supply that the greatest
care should be taken in the diaries. The
importance Of thoroughly cooling milk
is not vet understood by dairymen. The
} animal heat should be removed within
I | twenty minutes so that no growth OF
z bacteria may be started. This must o.
? done in a cooling device before IL is
bottled or prepared for market. The
? inspection that takes place twelve
hours after milking VIII not determine
whether the milk was cooled immedi'
ately. Only strict dsiry regulation:
viii enforce this important preventive
J measure.
''The man who eats canned salmon
, sooner or later courts DEATH" said Dr
Wherry further. TT may not get hin
for six days or six years or sixty years
but il he persists in using il as al
article OF diet long enough, the pto