In rec.food.historic I read this message from David Friedman
>:

>In article >,
> Frogleg > wrote:
>
>> I disagree on the matter of 'wisdom of the Old Ones.' While chewing
>> on willow bark for pain and fevers turned out to be a good idea, myth
>> and superstition were, I believe, far more common. Since much
>> foodborne illness doesn't strke immediately, but after a delay that
>> may be days or even weeks, it would take a very clever Old One to
>> associate, say, hemorrhagic colitis with food eaten 3-4 days
>> previously.
>
>I'm curious about this. My impression was that the overwhelming bulk of
>problems from spoiled food involved food poisoning, with results
>observable in hours, not weeks. How common and serious a problem is the
>sort of long term effect you describe? How likely is it that techniques
>which didn't risk food poisoning would result in a serious risk of such
>effects?

Guillan-Barre Syndrome can develop from campylobactor-related
illness. Botulism has a high mortality rate. Salmonella can
trigger arthritis in certain people. This is from memory; there
may be other risks.

Susan Silberstein