[Artemisia] A New Discussion - SCA Skills in a Modern Plague

[Sondra Gibson]

> -----Original Message-----
> Subject: Re: [Artemisia] A New Discussion - SCA Skills in a Modern
> Plague

Padruig wrote:
 
> I researched quite a bit before doing this, and it was only 
> as an experiment (I was the taster, didn't give it to anyone 
> else, until after I would have felt any effects). You CAN get 
> the temp high enough to kill botulism, but it requires a 
> pressure cooker, and at a full 15 pounds of pressure. And, I 
> only re-used the lids on high acid foods, in which botulism 
> won't grow, anyway.
 

Probably more than you want to know about Botulism:

Actually, as with many Clostridial diseases, it is not the botulism bacteria
that causes the illness.  It is the toxin that it produces under certain
circumstances.  The botulism toxin is a neuro toxin, and without modern
treatment can very often cause death.  "Symptoms are symmetric and often
include blurred or double vision, drooping eyelids, difficulty swallowing,
dry mouth, slurred speech, and muscle weakness. Fever is absent, unless
there is a complicating infection. If untreated, these symptoms can progress
to cause paralysis of the arms, legs, trunk and breathing muscles and
death." (WI foodborne botulism fact sheet)  Even with treatment it may take
*months* to recover.  

The symptoms usually take from 6 to 24 hrs to develop.  In *rare* cases they
can occur in as little as 2 hrs or as long as 10 days after consuming
contaminated food.  They will not hit all at once, but are progressive and
get worse over time. " Often the symptoms of foodborne botulism are mistaken
for symptoms associated with stroke, chemical intoxication, myasthenia
gravis, and Guillain-Barre syndrome." (Univ. of FL factsheet)  

While the bacteria is very heat resistant, the toxin is not.  That is why it
is recommended to boil home canned foods for 10 full minutes before eating
them.  This should destroy any toxins that may be present.  

Something to note is that botulism is by no means restricted to canned food.
In Canada many outbreaks have occurred in native people consuming poorly
preserved seal and whale meats.

Gefjon
(who has seen and dealt with clostridial diseases in animals and has lost
family members to them)