Botulinum toxin: from poison to ploughshare The term ‘botulism’ comes from the Latin word botulus, meaning ‘sausage’. The fi rst published account of the food-borne illness was traced to sausage in 1820 by German physician Christian Kerner. The symptoms of dry mouth, blurred vision, diffi culty swallowing, drooping eyelids, slurred speech, vomiting and, in some, generalized muscle weakness, are...
