The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1866-03-09

H
3fessrs. Editors:-As a great deal has
been said and written on the subject of
Trichina without giving the public that
information relative thereto as I think
they are entitled to ut the hands of the
profession, and as I think it the duty of
the physician to quiet the fears as well
as to take care of the health of the pub
| lie, 1 have thought proper to pen the
following lines on the subject of Tri-
china, u disease which i shall prove has
no existence except in the brain of the
l'ehthusiast or cattle speculhtor. "A COM
munication from member of the pro-
fession, published in your paper last
week, defines the disease to be "a disease
begotten, as lit is supposed, by eating raw
or very under done pork, or any of its
forms in sausage, &C., in which spe-
cies ofyworm has been deposited y With
this definition of the supposed disease,
shall proceed to show that the exist
ence of the "Frichina Spiralis," which
is said to be the cause oft this disease, or
the eating of pork in which these ami
malculae exist, has nothing to do with
the production of disease whatever:
that it is no new thing, and that their
existence in the human muscles, Where
they dwell sometimes in myriads has
been knownlto the scientific for many
years: for instance, they were first dis
cOV9feu IN GQG uuIIlhl sDOuy ny MI
Hilton, of Guys Hospital, and more
fully described by Professor Owen, as
far back as 1885. Mr.. Owen, on exam-
ination of a portion of human muscle,
found certain spec6s, and in each speck
or cyst minute cylindrical worm coll
ed up in or 2A spiral turns. The
worm usually measures about l-30th Of
an inch in length, and 1T10Oth of an
inch in diameter, as examined under
the microscope. Now this is the little
insect which has been accused of doing
SO much damage to the human. race.
L boldly assert that it never did.sand
never will destroy human life; that they
have, in all probability, existed in the
human flesh always, certainly for the
last half century; and thtnkFit a fair
deduction, taking it (for the sake of the
arrumentl as granted that we may re-
ceivei them through the heinstrumentalt-
ty of the hog, that they are not more
dangerous to life on that account. But
the idea that we receive them thus is
simply y lridiculons. We are not canni
balls; we do not eat raw meat of any de-
scription, and the application OF cook
ing heat is certain death to all living
animals, besides che sailing ndsmok-
| ing of pork into bacon is sure destruc-
tion to them. They do not fnhabit the
muscle of the hog more than that OF
any other animal or ofSnan ,hlmself.
DEFY any one to prove by the record of
the last thirty-five years that solitary
death has been caused beyond doubt
by the presence of the Trichina. The
celebrated DIR. Watson, of London, on
this subject remarks: Gone would i'm
agine that. the presence of these innu-
mernble living beings in or between
the muscular hbres would be likely to
give rise to symptoms, yet no indtca-
tion of the presence of these worms
seems to have been afforded in those
instances in which the condition OF the
subject in whom they We're found was
| known during life" These worms in
| the human being occur more frequent-
| ly in the fiat muscles, as those of the
chest and back, !apd, have even been
| found in the muscles of the eye, ear,
tongue, palate, throat, DC. DIR. Wood,
of Philadelphia, the distinguished au-
thor of Woods Practice, also says
tsThus the Trichina spiralis sometimes
inhabits the muscles In great numbers,
without apparently interfering with
the action OF these organs, or with the
general health in any way. think
enough has been said to vindtcate those
l innocent worms from the grave charge
made against them. In conclusion, L
assert that the charge made against
them is without the shadow of a toun-
| dation in fact, and would advise the
| community If they desire to eat pork to
| do so, provided they do not eat It raw
\ or tainted. j. A. READ, NJ ID.