The Portland daily press., 1866-05-05
Trichiniasis.
To the Editor orthe Press.

The facts which here follow are drawn
from reliable medical sources, and will, doubt
less, be found of more peculiar interest to
those who use than to those who sell pork
The trichinal disease which has received
the rather difficult name, Trichiniasis, was
first brought to light, and referred to its true
source by Prof. Zenker, of Dresden, in the
winter of 1850. Since that time numerous
cases have been detected, both in Europe and
in this country, but more especially in Ger
many.
The disease has its origin from the develop
ment. within the bowels, of kind of para
site worm, Tfichina spiralis, which afterwards
finds its way to the muscles, where it becomes
encapsulated, after which it remains compare
lively inert
That there was such parasite, sometimes
to be found in the muscles of swine, has for a
long time been known; but whence it came,
and what were its pathological effects, none
could tell. In 1885, Prof. Owen, of England,
detected and described this parasite in the
muscles of men. And as the microscope has,
since then, been extensively employed in ana
tomical investigations, it has been frequently
found in different parts of the world, in per-
sons who have died of other diseases, But it
was not till within the last six years that this
parasite was suspected of being itself the
cause of very grave disease, many cases of
which terminate fatally.
The trichina, as it is found in the muscles,
lies coiled up, like hoop, in minute, top
shaped capsule or cyst, which at first consists
of kind of granular matter which afterwards
becomes chalky. If the cyst be broken open,
the parasite is found to be, under the micro
scope, minute, round, red worm, measuring
1-2Sth of an inch in length, and 1-620th of an
inch broad. While the worm occupies the
cyst it is the source of no particular disturb
ance, and may remain an indefinite period
without undergoing any appreciable change.
But when the flesh containing it is taken into
the stomach of another animal, and the mus
Gle and the cyst become dissolved by the ac-
ton of the gastric juices, a very great change
takes place. The trichine now, being set free,
pass into the intestinal canal and be-
gin to grow rapidly, till they reach three o.
four times their former size. The female, in
a few days, gives birth to vast numbers of liv-
ing young, which grow and acquire strength.
and in day or two are ready for their work.
Upto this time there are no symptoms of their
presence, as they have yet caused no disturb
ance Now, however, the case is changed.
and the disturbance becomes very great. The
young trichin@ penetrate the lining of the
bowels, and passing through it work their way
to the different muscles throughout the sys-
tenn; there, in turn, to become encapsulated
and quiescent like their ancestors, and there,
too, like them. await the favored opportunity
when some other hungry animal shall eat the
one in which they have lodged.
That fearful symptoms should thus arise, is
not strange. The gravity of these symptoms
will, Of course, other things being equal, be in
to the number of the trichin@
present in the given case Though the para
site be out microscopic worm, and the injury
small any one can do, yet the multiplication of
even small injury may lead to the gravest
results. And that death should result from
the trichin@ may not seem incredible when it
is remembered that the reception of half
pound Of pork, as fully infested as it has been
found, may, in few days, give rise to 10000
ooo OF the trchin@, to prey on the mucous
N'e ,nn and burrow through the muscles.
:. ne symptoms which they thus produce are,
sne,ai' those Of the typhus or typhoid few
u % mat the real nature of the case NAV be
easny overlooked by the common SYMPTOMS of
these ievers, and the difficulty of br;n g;no tho
microscope 70 bear On such cases in common
practice. DIR. Mueller, of HAMBURG ,,S - -.,;.
messed many cases, and attended ma, w.,
norton examinations on persons ~ po',
died of the trichinal disease, saws tho 100
important symptom of typhus fever ah.ont':
this disease, was the enlarged spleen. H.
thinks it probable, that many of the epidemios
OF the so-called typhus fever of former times
may have been but cases of the trichinal dis.
ease. And so it may be, if the truth were
known, that many of the cases we have here
tofore treated as typhoid fever in this country
have been only the results of the propagation
OF this parasite through infected pork. And
SO, too, 1t may be we have been treating some
cases ofpain, stiffness, and atrophy OF the mus
Giles, as cases of chronic rheumatism. which
by and by, will be found to be but the detri-
mental effects on this tissue from the burrow-
ing and presence of trichin@.