A Century Apart Among Botulism And Botox

Maria Guajardo
EN1056 Written Proficiency
Assignment 4
14 October 2010
A Century Apart among Botulism and Botox

The botulism and the botox are scientific discoveries that represent majorprogress in Food and Cosmetic Industries respectively. Botulism is the name given to food poisoning caused by a potent toxin that can be telthal in humans because it paralyzes the muscles of thechest causing asphyxiation. Such toxin is produced by the clostridium botulinum bacteria, which was discovered by the German scientist Emile Van Ermengem in 1897.1 Botox is the trade name of the toxintype “A” isolated from the same microorganism, which was approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in 1989 to be used in the cosmetic field.2
Their contributions to society havereached unexpected and paradoxical dimensions. On the one hand, the discovery of the characteristics of the toxin and its serious effects in humans, have contribuited significantly in the implementationof Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP) inside the Food Industry. What this mean is, that the food producers have to control the entire process: from the reception of raw material, through the thermalprocess including packaging pasteurization. As a result of this, the effective prevention of botulism is the key to extend the shelf life of processed foods and to ensure the delivery of safe product tothe ultimate consumer.
On the other hand, who could imagine almost one century ago, that the dangerous toxin could be injected in the muscles of the face to provide an anti-aging effect?Strangely enough, the lethal characteristic described above, is the main reason to use the toxin in order to get eternal youth. The proper use in controlled doses makes the lean muscles get rigid andconsequently, the facial wrinkles disappear.1 Nowadays it is very common to see how the “baby boomers” (those born at the end of the World War II) are investing their money in themselves. Most of the...