306
FINDLAY E. RUSSELL
from its effects. Only the prompt administration of artificial respiration
saved the sleuth.
Perhaps the most interesting description, and certainly one of
the most lucid, is that of Captain James Cook :
7th September, 1774.
“ This afternoon a &h being struck by one of the natives near the watering-place,
my clerk purchaaed it, and sent it to me after my return on board. It waa of
a new species, something like a sunfiah, with a large, long, ugly head. Having no
suspicion of its being of a poisonous nature, we ordered it to be dressed for supper ;
but, very luckily, the operation of drawing and describing took up so much time,
that it waa too late, so that only the liver and row were dressed, of which the
two Mr. Forsters and myself did but taste. About three o’clock in the morning
we found ourselves seized with an extraordinary weakness and numbness all
over our limbs. I had almost lost the sense of feeling; nor could I distinguish
between light and heavy bodies, of such as I had strength to move ; a quart pot,
full of water, and a feather being the same in my hand. We each of us took an
emetic, and after that a sweat, which gave us much relief. In the morning, one
of the pigs, which had eaten the entrails was found dead.”
Aboriginal peoples sought to differentiate poisonous from nonpoisonous fishes on the basis of their colors, the condition of their
gills, the positions of scales, and the staining effects of various organs
on metals. In some areas of the world the fish was often fed to some
animal. If the animal remained asymptomatic for a number of hours
the fish was considered safe to eat.
More recent testing methods have included the “ silver coin test ”,
the “ ant test ”, the “ fly test ”, and the “ copper test ”. None of these,
however, are satisfactory. A number of field tests are being studied
by several investigators at the present time, and it is hoped that a
more reliable testing method for fish toxins will be developed within
the next several years.
More recent reviews on fish poisoning have been prepared by
Hiyama (1943), Yudkin (1944), Lee and Pang (1945), Russell (1952),
Fish and Cobb (1954), Mills (1966), Halstead (1958), Randall (1958),
Banner et al. (1963a, b), Halstead (1964).
A: Ichthyosarcotoxic fishes
Ichthyosarcotoxism is caused by the ingestion of fishes containing
a poison within their musculature, viscera or skin. It is generally
identified with the kind of fish involved : ciguutera, tetraodon, scombroid,
clupeoid, cycbstome or elusmobranch. Hallucinatory fish poisoning is also
identified with this type of poisoning.
FINDLAY E. RUSSELL
from its effects. Only the prompt administration of artificial respiration
saved the sleuth.
Perhaps the most interesting description, and certainly one of
the most lucid, is that of Captain James Cook :
7th September, 1774.
“ This afternoon a &h being struck by one of the natives near the watering-place,
my clerk purchaaed it, and sent it to me after my return on board. It waa of
a new species, something like a sunfiah, with a large, long, ugly head. Having no
suspicion of its being of a poisonous nature, we ordered it to be dressed for supper ;
but, very luckily, the operation of drawing and describing took up so much time,
that it waa too late, so that only the liver and row were dressed, of which the
two Mr. Forsters and myself did but taste. About three o’clock in the morning
we found ourselves seized with an extraordinary weakness and numbness all
over our limbs. I had almost lost the sense of feeling; nor could I distinguish
between light and heavy bodies, of such as I had strength to move ; a quart pot,
full of water, and a feather being the same in my hand. We each of us took an
emetic, and after that a sweat, which gave us much relief. In the morning, one
of the pigs, which had eaten the entrails was found dead.”
Aboriginal peoples sought to differentiate poisonous from nonpoisonous fishes on the basis of their colors, the condition of their
gills, the positions of scales, and the staining effects of various organs
on metals. In some areas of the world the fish was often fed to some
animal. If the animal remained asymptomatic for a number of hours
the fish was considered safe to eat.
More recent testing methods have included the “ silver coin test ”,
the “ ant test ”, the “ fly test ”, and the “ copper test ”. None of these,
however, are satisfactory. A number of field tests are being studied
by several investigators at the present time, and it is hoped that a
more reliable testing method for fish toxins will be developed within
the next several years.
More recent reviews on fish poisoning have been prepared by
Hiyama (1943), Yudkin (1944), Lee and Pang (1945), Russell (1952),
Fish and Cobb (1954), Mills (1966), Halstead (1958), Randall (1958),
Banner et al. (1963a, b), Halstead (1964).
A: Ichthyosarcotoxic fishes
Ichthyosarcotoxism is caused by the ingestion of fishes containing
a poison within their musculature, viscera or skin. It is generally
identified with the kind of fish involved : ciguutera, tetraodon, scombroid,
clupeoid, cycbstome or elusmobranch. Hallucinatory fish poisoning is also
identified with this type of poisoning.