The aegis & intelligencer. [volume] (Bel Air, Md.) 1864-1923, 1867-04-19
Trichina spiralis in Springfield, Mass.

Trichina Spiralis in Springfield, Mass.
Six cases of that broad disease known
as trichina spiralis have occurred in this
city, says the Republican of Tuesday with
fatal result, yesterday afternoon, 10 one
of them. The family of Ransley Hall,
living at As Hickory street, were the VIC
Tins, and the disease is traceable to ham,
which was purchased few weeks ago, at
a grocery store in ward 7. TIE family
ate free y of this ham in its raw state, no
part of it being cooked, and in few days
unpleasant symptoms began to manifest
themselves. On the I'd of March, Mr..
Hall, feeling very unwell, summoned a
physician, and about the same time his
son Cornelius was attacked in the same
way, but not so severely. Ga the follow
ing Saturday, his daughter Ida, aged II,
was taken sick with the same disease !;
the next Tuesday, her sister Laura, two
years younger; the next Saturday, Mrs.
Hall; and subsequently, Mrs. Halls
father, Mr.. Church. 1t is noticeable that
Ida, who was fondest of the ham and ate
the most freely of It, was the sickest of
the family ; aud after singular illness of
a little more than two weeks, she died,
yesterday afternoon, at about 2 o'clock -
The others we're ill as most in proportion
to the amount Of the ham they had eaten,
but it is hoped that all the survivors will
recover. The illest one is now Mrs Hall,
whose case is still critical; but the others
are considered out of danger. Mr.. Church
has stoutly refused to be considered sick
and has taken no medicine, but his limbs
are so badly swollen that his boots cannot
be removed from his feet. Mrs. I. II.
Dillaber, nee Miss Olive Robinson, was
with the family when the ham was eaten,
and helped to cat it. She went from there
to Albany, where she had been sick pre-
viously with the same symptoms, This
pork disease, caused by minute worms
preyiug upon the muscles, is the one
which has proved fatal in thousands of
cases in Germany, and has also ap-
peared in some of our western Cities
In the case of Mr.. Halls family, the
symptoms were quite uniform, vary
ing only in degree of intensity. The
first one was violent pain through the
eyes, which soon became swollen aud
bloody. This was followed by pains in
the stomach and bowels, with vomiting
and a very offensive and mucous diar-
rhel. There was at the same time and
subsequently the most prosuse perspira-
ton aud urination, and the face and
limbs became badly swollen. After the
swelling and bloody appearance in the
eyes had disappeared, which occurred at
about the end of the third day, tho limbs
began to be rigid When lying perfectly
at ease, the patient would feel no pain,
but the least movement of the limbs would
cause terrible agony, and touching them
in certain places would also cause great
pain. Ida, the young lady who died,
could only lay with her lower limbs per-
fectly straight the least change from
that position caused her dreadful suffering
During all her illness her pulse was never
slower than $50 or 40 minute, while
during the last four days it was too quick
to be counted. During the first part Of
that time, her hands and feet were cold
and clammy, while the rest of her body
retained its natural warmth. At 6
o'clock, yesterday morning, she fell asleep
and never awoke. The physician in at
tendance was not fully satisfied as to the
actual disease, until yesterday; but his
treatment was the same that is laid down
in the books for trichina spiralis, and,
with the exception of the copious urina-
ton, the symptoms were mainly the same.
Tue cases have excited great interest in
the medical profession, and it is to be
hoped that microscopic examination of a
muscle will be made to ascertain whether
trichina are present, and thus confirm or
disprove the theory held with regard to
these singular cases.
Recent investigations have placed be-
yond all doubt the fact that trichinosis
has made its appearance at Ionia, Mich.
Portions of muscle from the bodies of two
of tho children of the Haight family who
recently died, as was suspected, of this
disease, have been placed under micro
scope, and found to contain over 10000
Of the trichina spirals to the square inch.