Show POISONING BY WE do not suppose that more than one out of every thousand of our readers could correctly answer the question what are es or has ever overheard heard of a case of ptomaine poisoning quite a controversy has recently arisen in omaha over the sudden d eath death of ex mayor patrick F murphy of that city who appears to have been highly respected eted by the officials and the people dr stone an eminent physician phy who attended him announced that he had died from ptomaine poisoning es are noxious properties which are formed in decayed aniual animal matter tuey they are found in putrid or tainted fish beet beef mutton poultry sausage etc they are not all poisonous but s f ovae ome are said to be exceedingly so the poisonous effects in bee stings snake bites etc are due to the presence of es different people are differently affected by them some 1 being more susceptible than others to the poison mr murphy and his family were all affected by some disease which followed lo 10 ed ind indulgence gence in a c chicken c en diet et mrs murphy urphy was attacked and took powders and then quinine and recovered four children were similarly affected and treated to the same medicine with similar results the sym symptoms atoms were chills with vomiting and pains in the shoulders followed by a sore throat mr murphy was seized on the wednesday afternoon and the remedies applied to him did not have the desired effect he grew worse on thursday dr stone was called in who after inquiries said mr murphy was suffering from ptomaine poisoning caused by eating tainted chicken the ilie means employed not having the desired effect another physician was called who coincided with dr stone and their combined wisdom failing to relieve the patient still another doctor wis was sent for and after consultation while other medicine was being procured mr murphy died a high fever having set in with violent hiccoughs coughs A post I 1 at mortem examination was bad at which arto ich lour four physicians assist assisted mi and the autopsy showed bad congestion of the stomach andt andl intestines the doctors agreed that the cause ot of death was gastroenteritis gastro enteritis B but u t the cause of the disease is the subject of controversy dr stone maintains his position the ithe other doctors differ with him Ache A chemical analysis was rendered abortive by fluids injected into the body by the undertaker to preserve it from the discussion that has ensued we glean these facts that attention was first called to the existence and effects of in the human body by a number of cases of poisoning from eating insufficiently cooked sausages in in nw 1789 out bui or of 70 76 cases in that year 87 47 were fatal the cause was traced to es many ex peri sri ments have since been made and si it has been found that simbar es existed in the bodies of the dead to those in the uneaten portions of tainted food partaken partaker par taken of by the patient and those when administered to animals have prodoc d death after similar symptoms to those of the poisoned person it Is argued that some nations eat putrid food with impunity A also 1809 that some persons in the murphy household ate of the chicken without bad results but this is met by the argument that different individuals are differently affected aff affe ested ted by the same poisons and that the existence of es in tainted flesh and that some of them are poisonous in their nature are proven facts the lesson lessan to be drawn from this is that putrid and tainted food of all kinds should be avoided and that sausage veal pork poultry ete etc should be thoroughly cooked before it is eaten there is no need to get up a chicken scare for poultry is at least as w wholesome holesome as any other flesh when it is in proper condition for food and after ail some grave doubts yet remain over the cause of the death of the ex mayor of omaha |