Daily Ohio statesman. [volume] (Columbus, Ohio) 1855-1870, 1864-08-06
05lo Statesman.
PRINTED AND PUBLISHED BY
The Ohio Statesman Company.
SATURDAY MORNING, AUGUST 6.
Disease Caused by Worms i'm the
Flesh OfSwine.
[From The Boston Courier.

Cases of infcstation of the human body
by that singular entoZOon, the Irtcltnd
Spiralis, are reported in number of local
tiles in this country. The existence of this
little worm as denizen of the muscular
system of man and other animals, has been
known for some time, but the recognition
of special disease due to it alone is re-
cent discovery of the German physiolo-
gists. #
Anatomists in all countries have occasion
ally had their attention called to a peculiar
spotted appearance presented by human
muscle, and portions of tissue thus marked
have revealed under the microscope, a min
ute coiled worm, surrounded with a cal
careous envelope, reposing quietly in its
singular position. AS all cases of this kind
that could be traced were presumed to have
died of well recognized diseases, and as no
symptoms which could be referred to the
presence of these worms were recorded,
the worms were regarded as harmless, and
described merely as objects of scientific Gu
riosity.
But within few years the medical pro-
fession of Germany has had its attention
called to certain anomalous cases of disease,
first suspected to be cases of acute poison
ing. Chemical investigation multiplying this
suspicion, further Investigations revealed
in all of the subjects examined the presence
of Trichin9 in large numbers. AS the
TrichinH were known to exist also in the
flesh of swine, and as previous investiga-
ton has shown the possibility of the trans
ference of entoZoa from animals to man,
suspicious were awakened, experiments
tried, and it was finally demonstrated that
these worms were not killed by a heat of
140 degrees, and thus in imperfectly cook
ed meat containing them might be trans
ferred alive to the digestive organs. Care
fu1 inunStinat tinn rpVpalpI olgO that naph
one of these animals thus released from i'm
prisonment in few days gave birth to
hundreds of others, which Immediately
commenced to perforate their way through
the intestines and surrounding parts, ma
king a straight path to the muscles of all
| portions of the body, especially those of
the limbs. This perforation of parts by
millions of microscopic worms was attend
| ed with symptoms more or less Violent de-
| pending upon their numbers and the
Strength and health of the victim. While
passing the coats of the bowels violent
| purging often arose. Stimulating arsenical
| poisoning, and many persons had been un-
| Justly suspected of this crime, when per-
sons eating food prepared by them had been
| thus aarminglv seized. As the worms
made their way into the muscle, pains like
those of rheumatism, cramps, weakness or
| entire loss of power resembling paralysis
| ensued, and when the numbers of Trichin9
were large, wasting, exhaustion, and death
followed. Persons escaping with few of
| these disagreeable tenants suffered in q
smaller degree from similar symptoms, but
gradually recovered, and a small portion of
their muscles, removed and magnilied, re-
Iealed the Trichin8 arrived at their desti-
| nation and undergoing the various stages
| of calcareous encystment.
No effectual remedy for this disease has
yet been discovered. Attempts have been
made to remove them from the intestines
by emetics and purging, but unless resorted
| TO early, before any symptoms have ap-
| peared, this is Intellectual. Parastecide
| medicines have not been found to afford re-
lief, and all that science has been able to do
Tor public protection as yet is to point out
| The source of danger. Swine and cats are
Ihe animals chiefly inhabited by the para
ite. The former only is supposed to be
| Used for food, but cases are said to have
been traced to ragouts, ostensibly of hare
br rabbit, sold in the Partisan restaurants,
md which were shrewdly suspected to he
ases of dishonest substitution. Sausages
from swine's flesh, smoked but uncooked,
re favOrite articles of diet among the Ger
,lans, and in these Trichin8 are often
Dund. Under-done pork may contain them
wing, but if the entire substance of the
leat be raised to the temperature OF boil
lg water, the vitality of the worms is de-
| troyed.
The appearance of the disease in this
| ountry makes the above facts of value to
he public. We annex the description of a
Use recently occurring in New York (erro-
eously stated to be the first in this coun-
W, taken from the Buffalo Courier:
"The June number of the Buffalo Medical
'ournal contains long editorial detailing
| faotc ooncarninn tha nnw1u flicnoUorad
sease which has appeared in Cheektowa-
| I, Erie county, New York. The discovery
as recently noted in Germany, but the
| uses described in The Journal are the first
| u hich have beenpositively identified in this
country. The disease is caused by the
/ !esence i'm the muscles of worm or para
| it5e, known as the trichin0 spiralis, and in
tte cases recorded, the victims have be-
| come infected from eating the flesh of
| vine, in which the worm CHANGED to
| sNound. The credit of discovering the
| disease is due to DR.. Krombein, of Buffalo,
no, in connection with DIR. Duyler of
| ] ,ncaster, in the middle of May last, at
| nded two patients, a man and his wife, in
| { leektowaga. Both of these died. An
| her family of seven members, at Merrilla,
| that county, was attacked in the same
v ". The parents died, but the children
a reported alive though in a dangerous
c. ndition. DR.. Lathrop writes the result of
microscopic examination Of the case. He
vs.: }f .F
The specimen of human muscle taken
( I'M person after death, and also the sau-
re he had eaten, which you gave me,
S. opposing them to contain the Trichina
s trails, / carefully examined under the
Il, croscope, both alone and with DIR. Had
L. :. The parasite was found in both, in
q, ,at abundance, but in different states In
ii muscle taken from the human body, the
rm was free, while in the sausage it was
e. ,ysted. In the first l failed to find the
W rms enclosed in cyst. They were often
NJ re or less coiled, two or three turns of an
ell ptical form; but often the shape was not
r, ular, though seldom straight. The irreg
vi forms in which the worm was found
WI probably caused by tearing and scrap
in the muscle to render it thin enough to
bd ONE transparent under the microscope,
Il normal shape being more or less coiled.
-Utider the microscope the worm could be
rc,,dily seen with low power, and pre-
Sc! ted uniformly pointed head, body in
or, asing in size to the tail, which had some
what of truneated appearance, with a
81 hit fissure. There was an appearance of
an intestinal canal running the whole
le, 9Th of the body, somewhat undulating,
AMI filled with granular matter.
| iIn the portion of the sausage examined
tn worms were enclosed in an ovoid cyst,
an here were found free. Even scraping
tn, muscle did not rupture the cyst. They
W . much smaller than the free worm,
Il