human
What is it? I asked.
gpt
Some other poison as rare and little known as the snake venom?
human
No--something much more curious. In the stem of the glass I find the toxin of the Bacillus botulinus.
gpt
Germs?
human
Not germs, but the pure toxin, the poison secreted by this bacillus.
gpt
What does it do?
human
Well, thoughtfully,
gpt
Then the apple juice they used for the wine was bad, spoiled?
human
No, not that. Werner was the only one stricken. Somebody put the pure toxin in his glass. It was, as I suspected, deliberate murder, as in the case of Miss Lamar. Bacillus botulinus produces a toxin that is extremely virulent. Hardly more than a ten-thousandth of a cubic centimeter would kill a guinea pig. This was botulin itself, the pure toxin, an alkaloid just like that which is formed in meat and other food products in cases of botulism. The idea might also have been to make the death seem natural--due solely to bad food.
gpt
Do you suppose it was used because it was quick and was colorless, so as not to be noticed in the glass?