KATAKAR OIL POISONING By SARASI LALL SARKAR, M.A., l.m.s. Civil Surgeon, Malda (Reprinted from Indian Medical Gazette, 1926, Vol. LXI, p. 62) The following occurrence shows that symptoms hk those of epidemic dropsy have resulted in some cas from the use of adulterated mustard oil. g In a village named Attar, situated about three the from the Bamangola Thana in Malda district, occurred a few cases resembling epidemic dropsy, whi on careful investigation were found due to the use, r mustard oil adulterated with what is known as 1 oil. The cases occurred about three years ago t August 1922. I intended to publish the reports of ^ cases, after ascertaining, if possible, something the physiological action of katakar oil. But as I ha^ ..
.
katak.^
a^ol.e
FROM WARFARE TO WELFARE
Dec., 1939]
.(ou.nd this last to be possible I content myself with D?f Publishing the notes of these interesting cases from my note
book
district. Katakar
on
the
eve
of
my
transfer
from
this
oil is the oil obtained from the mustard-like Ayurvedic medical herb known as Sialkata vh I h has multi-lobed thorny leaves and produces bell bright yellow flowers. The scientific name of plant, as ascertained from the Curator of the Royal otanical Gardens, Calcutta, is Argemone mexicana lrin. an American weed that has run wild throughout _ue country, and is commonly known as the Mexican prickly poppy. -I he following is a brief account of the occurrence esultmg from the use of mustard oil adulterated with wtakar oil. ^ve or six days before the Janamastami festival, i.e., n the 9th or 10th August, the wife of Gamaroo, an ni.an, prepared some katakar oil, as generally used edicinally for such skin diseases as scabies and eczema, .an oil-mill and the oil-mill was put aside without , eing washed or cleansed properly. Her husband, the Urnan, was ignorant of this fact and he prepared some ustard oil in the same oil-mill, and this was taken r c?oking purposes just before the Janamastami f following persons:? nfval iu the houses of the Mondal, (2) Pancha Mondal, (3) Moti an
tjiaped jie
.
^Kamchandra -The main
and the chief pleasure of the festival is frying cakes of the thick juice tained from palm fruits in mustard oil and eating Thus a large quantity of this adulterated oil W eiV' mto the system of the members of these families occas^on ?f this festival and all the members of t) these three households were affected. house of Ramchandra Mondal, there was a bon 5 years and another boy aged 12 years, four aa?ed t females and seven adult males iK, ranging from about years to 40 years. All these were affected. house of Pancha Mondal a boy aged 7 years a^ult aged about 42 years who were badly aff fan subsequently. Besides this, three boys ran fr?m 10 to 13 years of age and one adult male of ^ears of age and two adult females were affected in the house. h?lIse ?f Moti Mondal two boys aged 5 years an ' years, three adult females, and two adult males j
Miajnastami
ceremony
?
o-
anfT
:
753
HAMID
August, who treated them up to the 31st of August without benefit. Meanwhile the affected families were able to discover the fact that their disease was due to the use of adulterated oil on Janamastami day. On hearing about the epidemic I wrote to the Medical Officer, Bamangola, to send me any information which he possessed regarding the cases. He confirmed the fact that the outbreak of the disease which so resembled epidemic dropsy was really due to the use of adulterated oil, but the clinical description was very meagre in his and is contained only in the following lines:? report ' I was called to attend the cases on 5th September, 1922, and found the following symptoms:? 1. Intense pain all over the body. 2. Inflammation of the leg from the toes to the hip. 3. Profuse diarrhoea in some cases, and in others constipation. Slight fever running up to 101 ?F.' The cases were subsequently seen by the medical officer a month later, when he found these symptoms to be gradually subsiding. I saw some of the cases, a month later, and found some amount of solid oedema left on the lower part of the leg and feet in some cases. Two of the girls who went to buy oil from the oilman finding only a very small quantity of residual oil left, smeared the oil over their heads. On the night of the same day the scalp was found to be inflamed with a burning sensation on the head and later on there was marked falling of the hair. Regarding the properties of the oil derived from the seeds of this plant, the following information is contained in the Dictionary of Economic Products, by Sir George Watt, Vol. I, part III, pp. 306-309:? The seeds yield a pale yellow, clear, limpid oil; used in lamps and medicinally in ulcers and eruptions. There is also a great difference of opinion as to the action and dose of the oil of Argemone mexicana Postscript?'The following is a report on the analysis of katakar oil from the Director, Bengal Public Health Laboratory:? severe
4.
'
g*
J* 7'le
affected.
^ie onset symptoms was the 12th of Autc 1922. The earliest symptoms were excessive ng and vomiting, which was followed by disturba the bowels, followed by gradual oedema of the fe e,e an
.
katak.^
a^ol.e
FROM WARFARE TO WELFARE
Dec., 1939]
.(ou.nd this last to be possible I content myself with D?f Publishing the notes of these interesting cases from my note
book
district. Katakar
on
the
eve
of
my
transfer
from
this
oil is the oil obtained from the mustard-like Ayurvedic medical herb known as Sialkata vh I h has multi-lobed thorny leaves and produces bell bright yellow flowers. The scientific name of plant, as ascertained from the Curator of the Royal otanical Gardens, Calcutta, is Argemone mexicana lrin. an American weed that has run wild throughout _ue country, and is commonly known as the Mexican prickly poppy. -I he following is a brief account of the occurrence esultmg from the use of mustard oil adulterated with wtakar oil. ^ve or six days before the Janamastami festival, i.e., n the 9th or 10th August, the wife of Gamaroo, an ni.an, prepared some katakar oil, as generally used edicinally for such skin diseases as scabies and eczema, .an oil-mill and the oil-mill was put aside without , eing washed or cleansed properly. Her husband, the Urnan, was ignorant of this fact and he prepared some ustard oil in the same oil-mill, and this was taken r c?oking purposes just before the Janamastami f following persons:? nfval iu the houses of the Mondal, (2) Pancha Mondal, (3) Moti an
tjiaped jie
.
^Kamchandra -The main
and the chief pleasure of the festival is frying cakes of the thick juice tained from palm fruits in mustard oil and eating Thus a large quantity of this adulterated oil W eiV' mto the system of the members of these families occas^on ?f this festival and all the members of t) these three households were affected. house of Ramchandra Mondal, there was a bon 5 years and another boy aged 12 years, four aa?ed t females and seven adult males iK, ranging from about years to 40 years. All these were affected. house of Pancha Mondal a boy aged 7 years a^ult aged about 42 years who were badly aff fan subsequently. Besides this, three boys ran fr?m 10 to 13 years of age and one adult male of ^ears of age and two adult females were affected in the house. h?lIse ?f Moti Mondal two boys aged 5 years an ' years, three adult females, and two adult males j
Miajnastami
ceremony
?
o-
anfT
:
753
HAMID
August, who treated them up to the 31st of August without benefit. Meanwhile the affected families were able to discover the fact that their disease was due to the use of adulterated oil on Janamastami day. On hearing about the epidemic I wrote to the Medical Officer, Bamangola, to send me any information which he possessed regarding the cases. He confirmed the fact that the outbreak of the disease which so resembled epidemic dropsy was really due to the use of adulterated oil, but the clinical description was very meagre in his and is contained only in the following lines:? report ' I was called to attend the cases on 5th September, 1922, and found the following symptoms:? 1. Intense pain all over the body. 2. Inflammation of the leg from the toes to the hip. 3. Profuse diarrhoea in some cases, and in others constipation. Slight fever running up to 101 ?F.' The cases were subsequently seen by the medical officer a month later, when he found these symptoms to be gradually subsiding. I saw some of the cases, a month later, and found some amount of solid oedema left on the lower part of the leg and feet in some cases. Two of the girls who went to buy oil from the oilman finding only a very small quantity of residual oil left, smeared the oil over their heads. On the night of the same day the scalp was found to be inflamed with a burning sensation on the head and later on there was marked falling of the hair. Regarding the properties of the oil derived from the seeds of this plant, the following information is contained in the Dictionary of Economic Products, by Sir George Watt, Vol. I, part III, pp. 306-309:? The seeds yield a pale yellow, clear, limpid oil; used in lamps and medicinally in ulcers and eruptions. There is also a great difference of opinion as to the action and dose of the oil of Argemone mexicana Postscript?'The following is a report on the analysis of katakar oil from the Director, Bengal Public Health Laboratory:? severe
4.
'
g*
J* 7'le
affected.
^ie onset symptoms was the 12th of Autc 1922. The earliest symptoms were excessive ng and vomiting, which was followed by disturba the bowels, followed by gradual oedema of the fe e,e an
