Why Honey Is Dangerous for Babies
Story context (click to hide this block) (click to show this block)
This paragraph may contain plot information.
Maomao traces the thread of a family tragedy: an infant died, and a toxic powder was blamed. The truth is quieter. The child was fed honey believed to be good for its health, yet this perfectly ordinary honey could be fatal at such a young age. The poison was not a poison in the usual sense, it was a food reputed to be healthy, dangerous only because a baby’s body isn’t yet equipped to handle it.
The subject in depth
Honey is not toxic in itself. The danger comes from what it can harbor: spores of the bacterium Clostridium botulinum [Wikipedia] . A spore is a dormant, highly resistant form of the bacterium, able to survive drought, heat, and time. Bees can pick them up along with pollen and nectar, so a small proportion of honey naturally contains them, without any visible or detectable sign.
In adults and children over one year old, these spores pose no problem. The gut hosts a dense, established microbial flora that occupies the terrain and prevents the bacterium from settling. The spores pass through and are eliminated without germinating.
Everything changes in infants under one year old. Their gut flora is still immature and sparse, leaving room to spare. The spores then germinate in the intestine, the bacterium grows, and produces botulinum toxin, one of the most paralyzing substances known [Wikipedia] . This toxin blocks the release of acetylcholine at the junction between nerve and muscle, preventing muscle commands from getting through. The signs of infant botulism are constipation, weakening suckling, a fading cry, loss of muscle tone that leaves the baby “floppy,” and then paralysis that can spread to the breathing muscles. It is this respiratory involvement that makes the disease potentially fatal.
The essential point, and what makes the show’s depiction so accurate, is that this honey has nothing abnormal about it. It is perfectly edible for everyone except an organism whose gut hasn’t yet matured. The same food is beneficial on one side and lethal on the other, depending solely on the age of whoever eats it.
Going further
Sources
Published on
Keep investigating
Auto-suggested from shared concepts, disciplines, episodes, or characters.
Fugu and Tetrodotoxin
In The Apothecary Diaries, Maomao loves fugu and its poison. We explain tetrodotoxin, how it paralyzes, and why there's no antidote.
Lead White Makeup
In The Apothecary Diaries, white makeup kills courtesans. We explain why this ceruse-based cosmetic caused deadly lead poisoning.
Aconite
In The Apothecary Diaries, aconite poisons even through honey. We explain aconitine, its action on nerves, and why it shows no mercy.
Rhododendron and Mad Honey
In The Apothecary Diaries, a tainted honey and a burned plant cause poisoning. We explain rhododendron's grayanotoxins and the famous mad honey.
Syphilis
In The Apothecary Diaries, syphilis erases a courtesan's memories. We explain Treponema pallidum, the disease's phases, and neurosyphilis.