ABSTRACT
The history of foodborne illness is as old as the human race. People must have been getting sick from food for as long as we have been eating it. The knowledge gained by earlier people must have come from eating a particular food in particular conditions; if it caused problems, then they must have tried to avoid the stale food or particular plants/fruits. The first suggested case of a known foodborne illness appears to have been that of Alexander the Great, who died in 323 BC. from a case of typhoid fever when he and his army stopped to rest in ancient Babylon. Typhoid fever is caused by the bacterium Salmonella typhi, which can be contracted from contaminated food or water. Although this theory can never be fully proven, it goes to show that humans have probably been affected by these illnesses throughout history. Other well-known people from history who are suspected to have died from foodborne illnesses include King Henry I, Rudyard Kipling, President Zachary Taylor, and Prince Albert. These types of incidents did help to create some kind of informal system to identify and avoid the food that can cause illness. So early on, along with the development of techniques for preserving foods, we also started adopting certain types of laws and regulations to control the handling of foods. Numerous “food taboos” were already known in ancient times. They often had a ritual and religious character, yet they always served food hygiene and safety. For instance, Judea prohibited the consumption of pork in 1800 BC and India developed a list of “unclean” foods in 500 BC; this list included meat cut with a sword, dog meat, human meat, and much more. The Middle Ages were another period in which food regulations continued to be developed. King John of England passed the first food law in 1202. In the United States, foodborne pathogens have played roles in settling territory and fighting wars. Many historians believe that the first English settlement in Jamestown, VA, was decimated by typhoid fever many times between 1607 and 1699, ultimately leading to its demise. Also in the late 1600s, a toxic fungus changed the course of history and led to the Salem witch trials. The fungus, which was growing on the rye they used for food, caused many symptoms with which settlers were unfamiliar, which led to the accusations of witchcraft and the killing of those infected. In 1898, typhoid fever struck again during the Spanish-American war, infecting more than 20,000 American soldiers.
