The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1866-05-15
NOTES ON SCIENCE.

TRICHINosIs-RESULT OF THE FRENCH INvEsTIGA-
TIoN AS TO THE EXsTENOE AND PROPAGATION
OF THE PORK WORM.
From GaHgnanPs Messenger, April 8.
Professor Delpech, of the Paris Faculty of
Medicine, al d Professor Reynal, OF the lmpe-
rial Veterinary School at Abort, who were
charged with q mission TO study the above
named disease in Germany, both in human
beings and mammals, have presented to the
Minister OF Agriculture, Commerce, and Public
Works report OF the results OF their lnvestiga-
tions at Hull (Belglum), Hanover, Magdeburg,
Berlin, Halle, Dresden, Leipsic, and MayenCe.
To render their investigations more complete
they solicited and obtalned the cooperation OF
the most eminent German physicians who had
made the disease in question their especial
study. The chief practical Iacts ascer tanned are
as tOlloWs:-The epidemic trichinosis lately
prevalent in Germany has now almost entirely
disappeared. The mortality was everywhere
slight, except at Hedersleben. At ZWickau
Seltendorf and Sommerleld there were eighty
eight patients, not one of whom died. In every
case the disease was caused by eating imper-
tectly cooked pork containing trichines, a case
of rather frequent occurrence in Germany.
In Hanover, in twenty-one months, out of
twenty-five thousand pigs eleven were found full
OF trichines, sixteen out of fourteen thousand in
Brunswick and four out of seven hundred in
BlakenbuIg. The animals while living show no
signs OF their presence, nor can they be de-
teCted in the meat with an ordinary magnitying
glass, but powerful microscope renders them
distinctly visible. The utility of a microscopic
inspection of pigs flesh by competent observers
is so evident that many of the German Govern
ments have rendered it obligatory, aud NM.
Delpech and Reynal would not hesitate to re.
commend 1t in any country contaminated with
tTlchinosis, but they think it unnecessary in
France, where no case of the disease has yet
been noticed. In Germany the hospitals receive
many patients suffering from this affection.
During last year there we're thirteen at Magde-
burg, OF whom only one died. Post mortem ex-
amlnalions have also shown, among persons
hn iaH from ,th
OF old trichinosis cured by the encystment of
the parasites. The proportion of these at Leipsic
has been about SAX per hundred. In places
where the complaint prevails the rats which
intest slaughter houses are found to have it, as
proved by Leserlng at Dresden Adam at Augs-
burg, and Roll at Vienna.
Since their return MN. Delpech and Reynal
have examined many OF these animals, as we'll
as pigs, without finding trace Of trichines.
Consequently there is no reason in France for
any person TO refrain from eating hogs flesh,
especially when so thoroughly cooked as is
usual among the French. In Germany, on the
contrary, many of the peasantry eat it almost
raw or only smoked. The most tlmid may
safely eat the heart, kidneys, brain, and fat of
pigs, as those Parts never contain trichmes.
NM Delpech and Reynal assert, as an undoubted
TACT, that temperature of rs degrees @. O67
Fah.) Is sufficient to kill trichnes. Meat
thoroughly salted is also perfectly safe. Smoke
dried sausaees which have been kept a long
time, are considered free from danger, but the
u
authors OF the report attribute the spread of the
disease among pigs to the fact that they are
foul feeders, and will eat any offal such as the
dead bodies OF rats and other animals which
are now known to be liable to trichinosis
Great care ought therefore, to be taken to keen
such things out of their reach. NM Delpech
and Reynal likewise advise all eXperimenters
never to throw away trchinized flesh, but to
burn 1t as soon as their examination is COM
pleted, for fragment of 1t carelessly exposed
might be eaten by rat, the rat devoured by
q pig, and this last become the cause OF fatal
accidents. They recommend farmers to be
very cautious in feeding their pigs; 10 avoid
giving them otfal flesh without tirst boiling IT,;
to destroy rats and other small carnivorous ami
mails; and never TO leave human OF other eXcre-
ments in places where pigs can go.
ADULTERATIoN OF FOOD EXPOSED BY THE MICRO
SCOPE
A French writer publishes an article entitled
les MeTpeiUes du Monde Invisible in which he
shows how people may discover frauds practised
upon them by dishonest dealers, simply by a
general acquaintance with the microscope
Thus, while genuine coffee ground to powder
displays under that instrument a quantity of
berry by means of torrefed sawdust will bee ome
evident because of the ibrous texture of the
latter. Pure milk seen through a microscope
between two glasses lamine, appears formed of
spherical Rlobules more or less adherent TO each
other by considerable intervals But ii we ex-
anime the liquid dishonesty sold for milk we
at once perceive the fbres of some ingredient
which have resisted all manipulation. Let us
take chocolate, which is manufactured with
cocoa. Through the microscope we see that it
contains fragments ot cellular tissues with bits OF