The Manitowoc tribune. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1866-1878, 1869-02-25
TRICHINOSIS.
TWO Deaths in This City--Eight Cases
from one House.
From the New York Tribune

|
On the 2lst of last January there was
admitted into the New York Hospital a
German sailor who gave his name as
John Wobka, and who was suffering
from what appeared to be typhoid fever,
although, as the case progressed, certain
symptoms were developed which were
very puzzling to the physicians. On
wednesday last it began to be suspected
| that the disease was trichinosis instead
OF fever, and the attends G physician gave
orders to have small piece of muscle
removed from the patient 8 shoulder and
| examined microscopically. The next
morning, however, the man was SO low
| that 1t was not deemed advisable to make
the incision, and on the evening of the
same day he died On Friday, an ex-
animation Of the body was made. No
traces of the LESSONS characteristics of
typhoid fever were detected, but the
muscular tissue was found to be full of
Trichinae spiralis. 1t was too late to
ascertain where he came from, the per
nit from the Custom House ION which
sailor is always admitted to thls hos
pitai) giving, OF course, no clue to his
place of residence. On Saturday, another
German sailor, named Robert Campbell,
was admitted, and his symptoms pointed
clearly to typhoid fever, tor which he
was accordingly treated. LIZ Sunday
evening he complained OF sew pain In
the back, and there was found to be con
siderable tenderness in all the muscular
parts OF his body. He was then ques-
toned as to whether he had eyer been In
the habit of eating raw meat, and replied
that in the boarding house at No. 5
Carlisle street, where he had been stop
| ping, they were given uncooked sausage
two.or three times week, and raw ham
on Sundays, of both of which he had
partaken By the permission of the pa
tient, an incision was made in his Shout
der, and piece of muscle was removed,
examined microscopically, and found to
be full of trichinae. He was then asked
whether any one else In this boarding
house had been sick, and replied that the
landlord, the landlords wife, the run
ner," and three other sailors beside him.
self had been taken i'll. 1t was also as
certained from this man, that the land
lord, landlady, and barkeeper were still
at No. Carlisle street, that two of the
boarders had been brought to the Brook
lyn Hospital on Thursday last. He said
that he could not give the names OF
these men, but believed he could recog-
nize them, and on being shown the body
of Vodka, lying in the dead house. at
once recognized it as the corpse Of one OF
| his fellow -boarders. --'
| Yesterday afternoon visit was made
to the Carlisle street house, which seems
| to be one of the best of it's class, and the
correctness of Campbell statements was
definitely confirmed. The land
lord, landlady and barkeeper were
but lightly attacked, and all three
soon recovered, and are now entirely
well. The runner, named Peter Nelson,
next fell sick, and was taken to the New
York Hospital, about the time Vodka
was taken there. A day or two later
another boarder, John Rasmerson, was
admitted to the same hospital, and on
Thursday last, still another man named
Hatnaun, was taken to the Brooklyn
Hospital. On examining the records for
the past month, it was found that Nelson
was admitted on January 16, suffering
apparently from typhoid fever, accom-
panied however. by certain puzzling sys-
toms, and that he died thirteen days
after his admission no one suspecting
that he was victim to trichinosis. The
patient Rasmerson, who was also suppos.
ed to have been suffering from typhoid
fever, is so far convalescent as to be able
to walk about the ward On closer ex-
animation. last evening, the history of
his case was found to point SO clearly to
trichinosis as to justify an incision, to
which the patient readily consented and
a microscope examination revealed the
fact that his muscles were thick ly studded
with triehinae, which he will doubtless
carry to the day of his death. 1tappcars
from the above statement that there have
been in this city at least eight cases of
this disease during the last month, all
traceabie 10 the same source. Three of
these were readily cured, one of the
patients is convalescent, one Campbell
will probably recover, and two Vodka,
the sailor, and Wilson, the runner,
have died, while nothing has been learned
of the condition of the man at the Brook
lyn Hospital