| , Research Paper
Ed Schantz and his apprentice, Eric Johnson, work in a
very strange field of science. They grow and Harvest the
worlds strongest poison. It is, in their words, ?six million
times stronger than rattlesnake venom.? The toxin is
produced by a single-celled bacteria called Botulinum. The
botilin poison produced by the bacteria causes a form of
food poisoning called botulism. Botilin shuts down nerve
pulses from the brain making the victim paralyzed. The
victims usually suffocate to death when their diaphragm
becomes paralyzed. However, Ed and Eric do not use the toxin
for morbid acts of terrorism; they use it to heal people
with muscular disorders.
Electric impulses from the brain cause muscles to
contract. The toxin attaches itself to the nerve endings and
cuts the flow of neurotransmitters, a nerve signal
transmitting chemicals. Some disorders, called dystonias,
send too many and or random impulses. Ed has learned that by
inserting the toxin in very small amounts into the nerves
these extra impulses will be cut off. The nerve endings will
be weakened for a few months until new nerve endings can
grow around the toxins.
In Schantz?s early years of toxin making, he met up
with a doctor named Alan Scott. Scott contacted Ed to see if
he could use botilin to cure Strabismus ,or cross-eye, a
disorder that acts like many dystonias. After testing the
process on monkeys, Ed was given an affirmation in 1978 by
the FDA to proceed with the treatment on humans. Scott also
learned to use the toxin as a cure for blepharospasm; or
excessive and uncontrollable blinking, which previously had
no cure.
Though the years the toxin?s range of use expanded.
Amazingly every dose of botilin ever given was taken from
the 1979 harvest of the bacteria. The process to make the
bacteria starts in their closet sized lab. They can grow the
bacteria in about three days. The bacteria is then dissolved
in a fluid and sulfuric acid is added. The toxin becomes
insoluble because of the acid and settles out. This process
is repeated in varying methods until the toxin is almost
pure. Finally, ammonium sulfate is added to make the toxin
crystallize into ?glasslike needles? that are pure botilin.
Ed and Eric relate the process to an art. If you are
just a little off in one of the steps, especially
crystallization, then you will not get the result you want,
pure crystals. They also will not use any of the modern or
automated techniques like columns or chemical reactors,
since they do not produce a toxin that is as pure as their
technique. Their technique could be improvised in a home
kitchen but maintaining the high toxicity and desired
properties of the toxin are what takes years of practice to
master.
The 1979 batch of botilin that is being used for
medical treatment is expected to last for another five years
, but researchers that need the toxin to experiment on are
what keeps Ed and Eric in business. The toxin has been found
to help in many diseases including: multiple sclerosis,
cerebral palsy, and stuttering. The toxin is being used in
more and more cases than ever before, and the list is still
growing. Even the Food Research Institute is using the
bacteria to build up an immunity to botulism.
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