Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1858-12-22
lCcMNJNICAEI..
Tape worms ana aIeas.,s,

ed several times during the past year % o-
ticles in the newspapers relating 70 ,be sun.
posed conditions of cause AID cgCc; \, rv...
ing between the consumption Of d.-ra. r.,.
as food by man, and the production in r,.n
of parasites. As this is an impgrtar, sur
ject both to the consumer and yrClu.cr e
swine, imagine that the statement 4 a,.p
facts in relation TO it will not be whoI,y IN
interesting. / shall, therefore, cFer ssr,.
thing which will, | hope, afford ag-aca!,
subject matter for postprandial reflection,
to at least, the aristologist. The Tgr.,
Solium, or long Tapoworm, is an order f ,f,
class Cestoidea-f !llt-like--oi El,yz3.-.;p.,.
final parasites--I write, according to tie
almonitiyns Of the advisor Ct the Lecture
on the LaureGt CT England-wa rreeo,.
for its abiding place, the warm. cgzy and r..
condite cavity OF the small intcstines. Ths
worm varies in length from FIVE feet 10 lur.
dreds Of feet, and is composed Of segmep,s
which differ 10 their shape according 10 Il q
position they occupy in the animal, leiuy
broad if situated posteriOrly, bot tapcrirg
gradually as they approach the copha!ic ca.
tremity when they become slender al
thread-likc. These segments when segrcra.
ted resemble very much the seeds Of the
gourd and have hence been called cucurE.
tani. The head of this parasite is precisely
simiar in all respects to that OF the Cy,.icUr.
Gus Cellulos1--the entcz)on 10 whose r,e.
senee in the hog is due the Meases-ani
each individual contains within itself both
male and female organs of generlueu.--
The Cysticurcus holds The same rank in III,
history Of the Tapoworm that the Ca,ery.
lar does in that Of the Butterfly. Thu. much
for description Of the external conf gur.
ton Of the parasite.
| will now state fact which will not Z,
belived by many who have been accustona.
from their youth upwards to luxuriate N
pork, but concerning the truth of which Their,
can be no possible doubt, AID that fact Is.
that the flesh OF hogs affected with Measles
and a bog may have Measles without the
butcher being at all aware Of tiff eaten tv
man, will cause the production Of Tarc.
worms in that man. Within tie last tao O!
three years experiments have been instituted
by q most skilful and scientific Observer.
which have clearly demonstrated beyond
shadow Of doubt the truth of what have Just
stated, and also, that the Measles as it occurs
10 the hog is produced by the entrance into
that animal of the eggs Of the TapewoEm.--
Keuchenmeister, the distinguished expcr..
menter, having the control of the diet OF 3
condemned criminal caused him to be i.i gi
three days prior to bis death upon the ne'a
Of hogs, known to lie affected with Messl.'
and upon examination after death mu.Ututai
of diminutiee Tapewurms were icuni.n Die
iutestines. 10 addition to this it may be 80
ted az o we'll known and attested fact, I5l.
iD those sections Of country where Meas;
do abound, there also we fnd the TapewrI
in vast numbers, and that among those :.
tions or sects 0! people with whom porklsa
prohibited article, we find an entire abscta
of all entozoa resembling tho TInis; tho;
We see clearly that Measles do produce Ia'.
worms, and it is as certain that TapcwOrm'
produce Measles, for the same experimHtI
fed fine, young, juicy, fat ROSTERS, su'h d
Lamb would talk Of, upon corn in which tie
eggs of the TapewOrm had been placed, All
when the pigs were slaughtered myiiads o;
the Cysticurci were found scattered thr.uS''
out their bodies. By remarkable Prov.
sion of nature the egg Of the lmnIa 10, 10
leave its human habltatiOn ard seek acqu-!a.
lance with the hog in order that it may he.
come capable Of assuming the developed char
acter Of it's race, and though We find in man
0va, Cysticurcus, and fully formed Jm7la,
still for the full perfection Of the latter tie
passage of the egg through the hcg is cssca.
tial.
Each segment OF the tapcworm conta!0s nun.
bers Of eggs, which in various ways, tccmt
scattered over the surface Of the earth. The
bog, in his perigrinations, seeking what be
may devour, unconscI0u'ly paT,akCs Of {,
upon which the eggs Of tie TapCw0.m Laya
been deposited. The eggs following thccoua'
Of the other food, obtain al entrance into q.
blood vessels, are distributed 20 every pGTt
the body, and becoming matured ly the
yorable dyram!cai conditions OF heat 0,
moisture, form attachments nc the telni.
branches of the blood -vessel, throwing ar5u,.
themselves cysts in which they are conl.'i
to remain with becoming torpidity 50 lon2 o.
mortality continues with the hog. ThcpT
er meets his emo bis flesh and with it q cg'
ticurcus is carried into the stomach OF ms
where finding tha. TabuIum which vii .s
vste it one step higher in the scale Of Gni@'.
lizatiOn, it appropria,es it, and is devcIo'e
into the perfect taIeworm. Again, tie c's'
themselves are conveyed into tue st.m2ch .,
man, enter his bioot-yesseIs and are car.
where chance directs, perhaps to The tra'r'
causing by their presence there lnsauity;Fef
hops to the eye, causing blindness; Ierh1''
to the muscles, impact!ng their subS;aio
with tumors. From considerat!ons such a'
the above, the writer has with deep regr.'
been con- PEELED to forever eschew hcg fen o.
an article Of food, for far preferable IS II
refrain from the indulgence OF the appetite
one particular, than by SO doing 70 csh'-'
the human frame into opeyl5t matr!iicg'
10 which the eva Of loathsOme parasites ~
hatched.
When at the matutinal meal VIC L.
spread before US pattics fresh from TIE GU
try, sent by country farmers, aInos! Il .,'
10 the molten gravy, and spare Fit' Job
ing and frying on the dist; when at d.
ner We behold in all bis immortal gerry
round, plump, smiling rooster, WIKI
brown coat of osmazome: when o. Guy
our appetiles are tempted with tie Ge'.
tenderness, and gels cotsIsteH,!
fried pigs foot, let US pause and T'L .
Let US bear 10 mind that by infugi'g 10
one Of these our iavorite dishes, we q.
danger Of conveying into cur luiesths-
low parasite. the length Of which when ''..
i. N