Devon colic 1718950 196071101 2008-03-05T17:19:00Z Addshore 642191 Reverted edits by [[Special:Contributions/142.33.42.236|142.33.42.236]] ([[User talk:142.33.42.236|talk]]) to last version by Lupin [[Image:cyder-rebuttal.jpg|thumb|A rebuttal to claims that the colic was caused by lead poisoning from cider, written by a cider manufacturer.]] '''Devon colic''' is an affliction caused by [[lead poisoning]] which was suffered by the people of [[Devon]] during parts of the 17th and 18th centuries. The first written account we have of the colic comes from [[1655]]. Symptoms began with severe abdominal pains and the condition was occasionally fatal. [[Cider]] is the traditional drink of Devonians, and the connection between the colic and apple juice and cider drinking had been observed for many years. This was commonly attributed to the acidity of the beverage. However, the precise cause was not discovered until the 1760s when Dr George Baker put forwards the hypothesis that poisoning from [[lead]] in apple juice was to blame. He observed that the symptoms of the colic were similar to those of lead poisoning. He pointed out that lead was used in the cider making process both as a component of the cider presses and in the form of lead shot which was used to clean them. He also conducted chemical tests to demonstrate the presence of lead in Devon apple juice. The publication of his results met with some hostile reaction from cider manufacturers, keen to defend their product. Once Baker's conclusions became accepted and the elimination of lead from the cider presses was undertaken, the colic declined. By [[1818]], Baker's son reported that it was "hardly known to exist" in Devon. == External links == * [http://www.devon.gov.uk/etched?_IXP_=1&_IXR=100676 Etched on Devon's Memory] [[Category:Toxicology]] [[Category:History of Devon]]