Unpublished paper, 'On the effects produced by poisonous fish on the human frame' by William Burnett

Description

Burnett shares a report of the fatal consequences of eating the liver of a fish known at the Cape of Good Hope [South Africa] as the bladder- or toad-fish, also known as Aptodactylus punctatus (Zamba marblefish). Symptoms include pain and a burning sensation at the epigastrium, constriction and spasm of the fauces and muscles of deglutition, rigidity of the tendons, coma, paralysis and convulsions, following one another in quick succession, terminating in death within twenty minutes after the poisonous food had been taken. He shares further stories of poisoning by eating portions of fish and poisoning from the bite of a water snake.

Annotations in pencil throughout. Marked on back as 'Archives May 28 1846'.

Subject: Medicine / Toxicology

Received 26 February 1846.

An abstract of the paper was published in volume 5 of Abstracts of the Papers Printed in the Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society of London [later Proceedings of the Royal Society] as 'On the effects produced by poisonous fish on the human frame'.

Reference number

AP/28/3

Earliest possible date

February 1846

Physical description

Ink on paper

Page extent

33 pages

Format

Manuscript