View report page

63
food. In connection with "blown" tins or cans, a trick in
the trade is to prick holes in a "blown" tin or can, so as to
allow of the escape of the pent-up gases, and to afterwards
solder up such holes, selling the "faked" goods as genuine.
These are known in the trade as "pricked" tins or cans.
"Blown" tins or cans point to their contents being decomposed,
and such contents should, in all cases, be rejected as
food.
It is possible for the contents of a tin or can to be decomposed
without such tin or can showing any sign of "blowing."
In this case, the decomposition has taken place in
the food before it is tinned, or canned, and antiseptics have
been added thereto (also before tinning or canning) so as to
arrest decomposition, and thereby prevent the formation of
gases in the food when tinned or canned. The contents of
these tins or cans are equally unwholesome and unfit for
food, and should be rejected, for the reason that, though the
antiseptics used may destroy, or arrest the growth of, the
actual putrefaction or decomposition germs, the products
(i.e., the ptomaines or enzymes or tox-albumens as they are
generally called), to which the germs have given rise, would
remain practically unaltered, and might cause acute poisoning
(and death) in a susceptible subject, partaking of such
infected food.
The same applies to pierced tins or cans, allowing of the
access of air, which causes decomposition or putrefactive
changes in the contents of such tins or cans.
Again, there is no doubt that tinned, or canned, foods (especially
salmon and other fish), when opened and exposed
to the air, are rapidly acted upon by germs and decompose
—the putrefactive germs, that may gain entrance, causing a
rapid formation of ptomaines, enzymes, or tox-albumens.
In these ways tinned, or canned, foods may prove deleterious
on account of putrefactive changes having taken
place (i) before or (2) after the food has been tinned, or
canned, or (3) after the opening of the tin or can, and the
exposing of its contents to the external air. Salmon is
specially liable to undergo putrefactive changes, being often
tinned or canned in a slightly decomposed state.
Tinned, or canned, fruits undergo alcoholic fermentation
when kept in a warm temperature.