[162] “Feeding the Family,” p. 84, by Mary Swartz Rose.
[163] Saccharin may be used to sweeten.
CHAPTER XXIII
OTHER CONDITIONS MORE OR LESS AFFECTED BY DIET
PTOMAINE POISONING, ACIDOSIS AND PELLAGRA
PTOMAINE POISONING
The poisoning due to ptomaine is very similar to that brought about by overeating and other dietetic errors. However, it is not so easy to avoid being poisoned by ptomaines as it is to observe moderation in the quantity of food eaten.
Origin.—These substances are believed to be of an infective bacterial origin and may be present in foods which are otherwise seemingly fresh and good. The fact that they cannot be detected in food without an analysis makes them more of a menace than they would otherwise be, for any substance which is not discernible to our senses, the taste, sight, or smell, and which exerts a baleful influence, such as ptomaine, cannot be anything but a menace to humanity.
Infected Food Materials.—We may congratulate ourselves in the knowledge that these substances are not present in many foods, and if we avoid eating nitrogenous materials, which may have become polluted, either through imperfect canning or by standing in unclean vessels, we may avoid much of the poisoning which may otherwise be due to the action of ptomaines.