The Wheeling daily register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1864-1878, 1867-04-04
From the Springfield (Mass) Republican,
TRICHINIASIS.
Rayaxes OF the Disease in Massaehu
SETS

o
sets.
Six cases of the dread disease known
as trichina spiralis have occurred in
this city, with fatal result, yesterday,
in one ofthem. The family of Ransley
Hall, living at 40 Hickory street, are the
victims, and the disease is traceable to
a ham, which was purchased few weeks
ago at grocery store in Ward Seven.
The family ate freely 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
ID of March, Mr.. Hall, feeling very I'M
well, summoned physician and about
the same time his son Cornelius was at
tackled in similar manner, but not so
severely.
On the following Saturday his daugh.
ter Ida, aged IL, was taken sick with
the same disease; the next Tuesday her
sister Laura, two years younger; the
the next Saturday Mrs. Hall; and sub
seouently Mrs. Halls father, Mr.. Church.
II in noticeable that Ida, who was fond
est of the ham, and ate the most freely
of il. was the sickest of the family; and
after singular illness of a little more
Inhfathan two weeks, she died yester-
day afternoon at about 2 o'clock. The
Others were i'll almost in proportion to
the amount of ham eaten. The illest
one is now Mrs. Hall, whose case is still
critical, but the others are considered
ont 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. Il. II. Dill
laber and Miss Olive Robinson were
with the family when the ham was
eaten, and helped eat it. 1They went
from there to Albany, where they have
been sick precisely with the same symp-
tvus.
This pork disease, caused by minute
worms preying 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, varying
only in degree Of intensity. The first
was a violent pain through the eyes,
which soon became swollen and bloody.
This was followed by pains in the stom-
ach and bowels, with vomiting and very
offensive bilious and mucous diarrhpa.
There was at the same time aud subse-
auently the most profuse perspiration
and urination, and the face and limbs
became badly swollen. After the
swelling and bloody appearance in the
eyes had disappeared, which occurred
ct about the end of the third day, the
limbs began to be rigid. When lying
perfectly at ease, the patient would
feel NO pain, but the least movement of
the limb would cause terrible agony,
and touching them in certain places
would also cause great pain. Ida, the
Young lady who died, could only lie
with her lower limbs straight; the least
change from that position caused her
dreadful suffering. During all her ill
ness her pulse was never slower than
100 or 140 q 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 the body re-
taiaed its natural warmth. At O'Clock
yesterday morning she fell asleep and
never woke. 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 e1cep-
ton Of the eopious urination, the symp-
toms were nearly the same. The cases
have excited great interest in the med
ical profession, and Il is to be hoped that
microscopic examination of'a muscle
will be made to ascertain whether tri-
chime are really present, and TINS con-
| firm or disprove the theory with regard
to these singular cases orr