Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1867-04-19
TIichiniasisIs.

Six cases Of pork disease (tricA,aG sprdhs,
are reported in Springfield, Mass, one ol
, them terminating fatally. The sufferer.
were members of one family, and they all
. ate raw ham. The person who dIed--Ida
Hall, aged seventeen-ate more Of the ham
than any other. DIR. Hitchcock Of Amherst
College examined portions Of the muscle
taken from the body after death, and found
tnchina in large numbers. lie furnishes the
following descriptive account Of the disease :
The disease known as trichiniasis is caused
by the presence Of minute parasite infcst-
ing the voluntary muscles. The name OF
tnis animal : trIehina spirRlIS, and in it.
popular acccptatIon may be called minute
worm. somewhat like the common vinegar
eel. The animals which the nchina most
commonly in!cSts are man and the common
hog, though il has teen found IN other Dc
nestle animals Ii Is, however. most com
monty introduced into the human system by
using some preparation of pork as an ar
ticlc Of food. Ii probably can be introduced
only through the intestires, and not by the
skin Its ienacity Of life. like that of some
I OF the lower animals, is not little rem rka-
bic, since 1t withstands great amount OF
heat. Ii readily wIthstands heat to the
'Ae~-Ae y. AOF fdhItHutll, ALL y uOL kllltu
by temperature Is degrees below zero.
Various chemlcll substances, even those which
PARTIALLY dee0mpOse the muscle, including
common salt. are not injurious to 1t, and
SMOKING OF hams d0cs not destroy it. Trich
Iniasls has never prevailed extensively in
this country, but has been well known in
northern Germany and Prussia. and some
what IN France. And in those countries
where sauslses and hams are common arti-
cics OF diet. and especially when eaten IN
cooked, this disease is well known. SO that
1t Is safe TO say that ifa person will eat nam,
sausaSes or any portion Of the meat Of the
hog IN raw or partially cooked condition.
he runs great risk Of inflicting upon him
sell this very uncomfortable disease.
The trichlna, when it arrives at its adult
or perfect state, surrounds itself with 4 cyst
or sac. IN which It remains indefinitely when.
Il chance tavOrs its entrance into the stom-
ach oil another animal. it commences anew
ITS cycle of development, otherwise it per-
Ishes. 1t Is necessary, then, for the deyel-
opnent Of the trichina, that it be ingested
INTO the stomach Of another animal, from
which 1t bOres through the stomach and
bowels and ultimately reaches its destination,
the muscles of the body. Each trIchina is
capable Of producing from 400 to l000young
After the trichinous TODD has been eaten, in
the course OF a week the young are hatched
and commence seeking their "habitat" in
the muscles.
rs already mentioned these animalsEhep
in their perfect state, become ency.ted or
lodged in little bladder. If they pass to
this condition without destroying the indi-
vidual in whom they live, the "host" may
recover from the disease In the case of Miss
Ida Hall none of them, so far as ascertained,
had passed to this stage of the disease, but
had destroyed her life IN the earlier stage of
1t. Some authors state that as many as
200 trichina have been discovered in the
space of a square inch, one fitIeth Of an inch
thick. But probably in this case from
Springfield the number scarcely exceeded
one-half that number. There are two stages
OF this disease when II runs regular course.
First one OF intense pain in the stomach and
bowels, and second, that Of muscular irrita-
ton. The first is probably owning to the
passage Of the parasite upon and through
the coats Of the intestine, and the latter due
70 the vermicular motion through the tbres
of the muscles. In the first stage within 4
week or ten days after the iDgesiiOn Of the
food, the symptoms may be very much alike
those Of cholcrine. There is pain, sickness
Of the stomach, vomiting, diarrhea, fetid
breath, heartburn, etc, or the symptoms
like a severe eOlic or bowel difficulty. In the
second stage there is swelling or puffiness
)t the face, especially about the eyes, and
it extends to the throat and vocal
rassage, 50 that it produces hOarseness Of
the voice. \ great fever heat ragcs, and
the pulse Is accelerated to l34, and respira-
lion from thirty to thirty-six. Violent per-
spiratlOn Is also symptom Of this stage.
But the most marked features are seen in
The muscles, which become swollen, hard
md painful, the patient suffering agony up
IN any pressure or attempt to move the
lmbs, and lying generally upon the back
Death may occur from paralysis or typhoidal
YmptOms.
The Springfield Republican says
The lesson to be drawn from the cases OF
nehiniasIs IN this city is summed up in these
our words don't cat ralC ham While au-
horitles differ in many other things with
cgard to this new and ugly disease, all agree
hat if ham and pork are thoroughly cooked
here Is no danger in eating either. Some
ines the disease has been communicated by
ating imperiectly cured 'sdried beei," but
lere, too, all danger disappears when the
eel is cooked.