The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1866-03-22
TrIehIn1e n Humbug--Pork as an Ar
III II EIIele or Food. 2 U -ilo { z
Fronl "a Chicdpo Republiean.

The latest of these frauds practtced
upon the public credulity affects seri.
ousiy the interests of the agricultural
community. We mean the atrocious
trichine story. by which more thanone
half of the American people have been
frightened into theabandonment ofone
of their accustomed elements of subsis-
tence. Pork, as an article of food, Is
to-day in the United States as much
avoided as ever was strong drink by
faithful Mussulmans. The public have
been regaled with elaborate articles,
showing beyond all question the fatal
effect pponi human life of introducing
into the stomach any portion of pork,
no matter how infinitesimal, which con-
tains one trichine; and the manutac-
turers of microscopes have had their
Instruments advertised, under the pre-
text of Informing the public how they
might discover the presence of the fear
ful creatures that are supposed to be
literally feeding on their vitals. 4
The enormity of this hoax may best
be understood when II is known that
not one Authenticated case of presence
of trichinte in pork III the United States
has yet been produced. The whole
story is nfabricution, made out of whole
cloth, originating and encouraged by
spectators, who, to escaps losses, pres
ent or prospective, have not hesItated to
spread alnrm among the Whole people,
and cause serious loss to the growers
and packers of pork.
a few facts are worth whole volumes
of theory. The actual existence of
tricLin5e in pork is confined to very
small district in the Hartz mountains
in Germany, and that fact alone DEM
onstrates thht they are the result of
some local cause. 1t is also known
tliatt the only fatal cases are among
those of the people of that district who
a. IL v-snl 10
also demonstrable that the presence OF
trichipB in the pork is disease Affect
ing the general health of the animal,
and that il is as impossible to cure and
preserve diseased pork as it Is to cure
and preserve fish that has begun to de-
cay. No effort Of science or of human
ingenuity can. cure any pork thatis dis
ensed by the presence of trichinfe, or
otherwise before killing. These are
well established facts, sustained by uni
versnl experience and byeyery possible
test. Consequently, any pork that has
been cured, and will pass an ordinary
inspection by an intelligent person,
may be relied upon as having beenifree
from disease, whether from trichin9
cannot be cured by any known means
whereby, if it contain trichinGe or be
otherwise diseased, that disease may
not be easily and readily detected; and
therefore there is no more danger of
eating pork containing trichine than
there is of eating pork or any other
animal food diseased in any other why.
Trichin@ in pork, in the district where
the fact is ascertained, are attributed to
the food upon which the hogs are reared.
Corn is too valuable in those districts,
and pork too cheap, to Justify the growth
of the former to tutten the latter. The
swine are therefore left to fatten them
matter how unpleasant the thought
may be, it is nevertheless true, that the
peculiar flavor which has made the
hams of Westphalia so celebrated, is
due to the number and the character of
the snakes upon which the hogs are fed
and fatteEed. Nature seems to oThave
supplied that district. with the particu
lar kind of snake upon which pork
growers may fatten hogs with flavor
that has attracted the taste of epicures
the world over. ---.--rE
The pork of the United States, how
ever. Is not effected by any such causes.
II is universally fed and tnttened upon
corn. The hogs are not driven to feed
upon snakes or vernin; they are raised
TO be sold as pork, and for that purpose
corn is the cheapest, as it is the bestRnd
most rapid food for purposes OF fntten-
ing. The pork of the United States has,
during the last few years, been more
generally than ever used as food, par
ticularly by the millions of soldiers on
both sides during the war, and not one
case has ever been reported of any per-
son being injured or effected by the
presence of any disease in the cured
pork. 1t is possible that some unprin-
cipled dealer in fresh meat may serve
out to his unsuspecting customers pork
that is unfit to be eaten, but that might
happen as well in beef, mu ton, veni-
zen poultry, or evenain Vegetables as
in pork; but in no event could such n
case occur in pork cured and packed,
because, as we have seen, diseased pork
cannot be cured by any process. When
in that state it rejects the penetrating
and preserving properties and opera
tions of tho brine.
II any other reason were needed to
demonstrate the total absence of
trichine in the pork packed in Chicago
and throughout the Union, it is to be
found in the fact that almost every por-
tion of the hogs killed, and not used in
packing, has already been consumed in
The shupe of pigs feet, tenderloins, and
other parts, eaten fresh by the people;
and yet not one instance has come to
light wherein any human being has in
any wise rbeen injured by the food.L
Hid there been trichinse in the hogs
killed in the United States during this
or any previous season, the injurious
some at least of the millions ofinstances
where portions ofthose same animals
have been eaten without previous
curing. n-s r1nBri 6y7I lasf .,siIis5I
No reasonable man. no honest jours
nalist, and no one but a wilful ira flick
er in human fears, will, in view of
these irrefutable facts, any longer coun5
tenance or encourage hoax which has
already done grent injury TO one of the
leading productive interests Of the
country, and is calculated to do stiH
more. s15 cd: gs--s.sl - .sinf
bishop O'COnnOr ON FenlanIsm.
At "a recent Father Matthew Tenn
perance Society supper, held IN Cleve-
land, Rev. DR.. O'Conuor, formerly
Bishop of Pittsburgh, was called upon
to respond to a sentiment, which he
did in quite lengthy but very elo-
ouent address. The burden of his re-
marks were directed to an exposition
of the unity that had always existed
between the clergy and the people q
Ireland, and the sacrifices they had
made, and were always ready and viii
ling 20 make, for each other. BE depre-
Gated the attempt that Is now being
made to ALLEVIATE the people from their
teachers by the leaders of the Fenian
brotherhood. BE pronounced the whole
movement wrong, and would result
only in the enrichinS of a few nt the
expense of the many. He illustrated
his argument by several apt and telling
anecdotes. His remarks were listened
TO with the closest Intention. and he
was omen interrupted by the most
deinonstrative applause, showing that
in Cleveland at least, the Feniansbro-
therhood do not embrace all the sons
of Erin in their circles. a.i, ;
An -INrEI,I,FfyrIJAI, Loss.-It Is we'll