The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1874-03-09
.ssTerrsssess Tsieilinss..,, -. !

II Family iYfng at Gffnnell,. iowa. was po
isoned by trichinm some thirteen week nor
Iand TWO Of the members s,lbseuuentIy dis,
IRON the effects !; yet that The. poisoning va
oy tfirhin8 asjnst been Brought to lieht b,
chicago physicians. The facts In this sine,;
lar case are Of no little interest, mud ars NOV
given as told to the Times reporter by ana :,
the sufferers, who departed for his home q,
last evening. ...,..-..,, ~ ~
Fourteen weeks ago the family of L. P
biooc, farner dwelling near Grinnell
comprised thirteen members, two daughters
ln:aW ana two grandchildren included. All
were wen ana OF strong constitutions, such
as are bred OH the level lands of sGent rai
Iowa. Father and mother; Hulburt 7 an =
wife, with Bertha and Lille, his children
Wallace and wife; Mary, Annie. Willie
Agnes, and Perley-these composed the
healthy and happy group. -
| 1t so happened, unfortunately enouob
that common article of family corsnmntion
was raw pork. a new crop of inyit;no
Ihams having been gathered by MIR. Blood
slices from these were freely eaten without
| being submitted to the crucible of cooking
Shortly after the first indulgence Mrs,
| Blood and four of the children were taken
with violent diarrhea, cramps in the stom.
ach; and subsequent vomiting. A doctor
| was summoned, and gave his medical opin.
ion that the five had been poisoned by
arsenic. Whence 1t came was beyond
discovery. Relief was afforded partially,
and the others went on eating the deadly
meat, to which suspicion was not attracted
Wallace, the second son, was the next one
stricken, and more severely. Two or three
| days later and nine of the thirteen were all.
ing, some more than others. At this juno,
| ture the eldest son, Hurlburt came home
| with his wife and two cbildrerfrom Angus.
Ia, Kan, to take care of the sick. The doc.
| tor was still of the opinion that arsenic had
somehow crept into the cooking and thence
| into the stemachs of the patients. All OF
them continued to have violent pains aud di
arrbea, and weakness was inevitably the re.
suit. After an illness of five weeks Allie, the
| wife of Wallace, died. She was worn GU.
with pain, having suffered intensely. Nc
| direct cause could be found for her death,
yet no examination was made or thought ne
! cessary. Two weeks ago last Saturday Will
| lie, . lad of twelve years, died. He did not
seem to suffer so much as the other, but
grew weaker day by day till death came to
| him. He Vas sore, as if bruised, all over his
body, and could not bear to be touched or
| moved. No examination was made either
| in his case, and still the raw pork had not
| been suspected.
But one day Mr.. Blood, who was able to
be about, carried ham to bis son Hulburt.
A portion of it was eaten, and almost imme.
diatey there were four more patients. The
doctor now had bis attention pointed to the
pork, and at once charged upon it all the
previous troubles of the family. To make
certain, four or five pounds Of it were sent,
nearly two weeks since, to DR.. j. Adam AL
len, OF this city, who no sooner placed it be-
meath his powerful microscope, than it pre-
sented most hideous spectacle of lite, and
one which there was no mistaking. He in-
Stautly wrote the Iowa doctor that there was
no doubt about the case, and Instructed him
as to the best known remedies for the dreaded
disease. '.~'.--- '..--
On Monday last, Wallace Blood, accom-
panied by Huiburt, reached Chicago. Wal
lace had been suffering nearly thirteen
weeks with the cramps and diarrhoea, and
gradually becoming weaker, though his
splendid constitution yielded but slowly to
disease. He decided, on learning the nature
Of his malady, to place himself in the hands
of Or. Allen for treatment. His brother,
who has but slight attack, came to take
care of him. Arriving in town, they
stopped at the Grand Central. DR..
Adams called DR.. Justin Hayes to consult
with him, the case being an import.
ant one, and the disease one that
has thus far baf1ed the medical men to o
great degree. The young man has good
appetite and ruddy color, but he is without
spirit. and there Is the internal warfare for.
ever Waging his life away. His entire body
is sore, and white swellipgs appear on the
muscular parts. The doctors say that his
case is of the severeSt form, and they doub.
if he can ever regain his former health,
though be may live many years. The cramps
are always liable to come on, and from these
he will be most liable to suffer sudden
death.
Dir. Blood informed the reporter on last
evening that bis sister Annie, aged nineteen,
was dying, and he did not expect to find her
alive when lie reached home. The other
members of the sadly-stricken family are
not recovered, but are considered out OF
danger. The symptoms in all the cases were
similar in character though not like in de-
gree.
The trichipn were found in the fat quite
as numerously as in the lean meat, though
! the contrary has commonly been supposed.
The case has been presented by DR.. Adams
to the medical college with which he is con.
| nected as one OF the most remarkable OF It's
! class.