Page:Treatise on poisons in relation to medical jurisprudence, physiology, and the practice of physic (IA treatiseonpoison00chriuoft).pdf/726

 in this country; and, on the whole, I believe it is generally considered here, that imperfect ripening of the pickle rather lessens the quantity, than impairs the quality, of the flour. But several times epidemics have been ascribed in France to unripe wheat. In 1801 M. Bouvier read a memoir to the Society of Medicine at Paris, ascribing to new and unripe wheat an epidemic dysentery, which laid waste several districts of the department of the Oise in the autumn of 1793. These districts abound in small farms of a few acres, on the produce of which the cultivators depend in great measure for their subsistence. Hence in unfavourable seasons the corn was commonly cut down before it was ripe, and made into bread soon after being reaped. It was accordingly among the peasantry of these farms only, and not among the agriculturists in large farms, which were under better management, that the epidemic prevailed. Bouvier remarks, that at all times when the long continuance of wet weather has compelled the inhabitants of a district to cut down the wheat before it is ripe, or a previous dearth has forced them to use it when newly cut, epidemic disorders of the bowels have been observed to rage in the latter months of autumn. And as an instance of this he refers to the year 1783, when the crops around Paris were believed to have been injured by the extraordinary prevalence of fogs, and were cut down unripe and used immediately. Various epidemics broke out in the metropolis, and still more in the surrounding country. This is an important subject for farther inquiry; but at present I cannot help thinking that M. Bouvier exaggerates the effects of the immaturity of the grain. At all events, the grain is often cut down in an unripe state in various districts of this country; and I have never heard that any epidemic diseases were produced. When M. Bouvier witnessed the epidemic of 1793 in the department of the Oise, he instructed the inhabitants of his own parish to dry the unripe corn before thrashing it, to repeat the process before the grain was converted into flour, and to mix with the flour a larger quantity than usual of yeast in making it into bread; and he states that in the succeeding yeer, which was even more unfavourable to the crops, they were enabled, by following these directions, to use unripe corn with safety.

Of Spoiled Bread.

This is the fittest opportunity for noticing certain injurious effects sometimes observed from the use of spoiled or mouldy bread. On the continent repeated instances have occurred of severe and even dangerous poisoning from spoiled rye-bread, barley-bread, and even wheat-bread. Several instances have been observed of horses having been killed in a short space of time with symptoms of irritant poisoning after eating such bread with their ordinary food. And Ur. Westerhoff has given an account of its effects on two children and several adults. In children the symptoms were redness of the