Ptomaine: The Story of Food Poisoning

The story of Clostridium botulinum: from food poisoning to Botox.

In the last fifty years, Clostridium botulinum has become notorious for its ability to produce the deadly botulinum neurotoxins. While botulinum toxin A, better known as Botox, is universally recognised by the public as a cosmetic enhancement tool, the botulinum neurotoxins are commonly used off-label for many medical conditions in ophthalmology, neurology and dermatology. The versatility of th...

The bacteriology of food poisoning.

From the figures it would appear right to concentrate most attention upon salmonellas, staphylococci, and Clostridium welchii. It is necessary also to consider briefly other organisms known to cause food poisoning. Of these by far the most interesting, as well as the most deadly, is Clostridium botulinum, the organism that caused the tragic disaster at Loch Maree in August 1922, when all of eig...

Food Poisoning

Food Poisoning

In this, the third edition of his well-known work, Dr. Dack has made a thorough revision and incorporated the newer knowledge of a subject which affects each of us at one time or another. The first two chapters on chemical poisoning and poisonings due to substances found in plants, fish, and shellfish contain useful tables of specific agents, incubation periods, symptoms, and foods involved. Bo...

A Case of Blackwater Fever Precipitated by Ptomaine Poisoning Due to Unclean Degchies

Mr. T. 11., a European, aged 34, has been suffering off and on for some months past from a subtertian malarial fever. He has been taking quinine regularly. On the 3rd January, 1932, he came in from the jungles with such an attack, and apart from taking 4 tabloids (Burroughs and Wellcome) of quinine bihydrochloride, 5 grains each, daily, he took no other treatment. On the 4th January, 1932, he t...