The Indiana State sentinel., 1874-02-17
POISONED PIGS.


The Farmer and Mechanic, published at |
Aurora, gives this week further news of the
fatal work OF the pork poison. Henry, the
second son of Mrs. Threnart, died of trichi- |
nae last Friday night, about ten o'clock. For
several days previous, it was evident that the
poisonous worms had so impregnated his
system that his vital energies had become
gradually weaker and weaker, aud he could
not recover. DIR. Sutton has given this week
an account of this case which will be inter-
esting to all readers, but more
especially to the medical profession
The letter of Doctor Sutton
addressed to the Lswrenceburgh Register is
as follows: On furnishing your paper week
before last with a notice of the cases of tri-
chinsss in our city, which arose from eating
pork fattened by Mrs. Thrensrt, I then stated
that trichinae had been found only in one
of the two hogs which had been fattened to
gether in the same pen. After a more care
ful examination have since found trichinse
in the flesh of both these hogs. This is an
important fact TO our farmers, as il shows
that the disease may be communicated from
one hog to another; and also shows the ne
cessity of keeping hogs separated from those
supposed to be affected with trinchin;e 1t
is an interesting fact also that but one
of these hogs presented evidence of disease;
This was about three months before it was
killed; it appeared unwell about a month,
but had apparently perfectly recovered, and
both animals seemed healthy when killed,
and the meat presented nothing unusual
to the naked eve. We see from these facts
that meat apparently good taken from hogs
apparently free from disease hen killed, is
capable of producing one OF the most ter
rible and obstinate diseases we have 10 con-
tend with. Now, as four of the patients
were treated some time for typhoid fever,
the symptoms of which have resem-
blance to trichinosis, and might be easily
mistaken Tor the disease, il is high
ly suggestive this disease occurs
more frequent in our country than we are
aware of. passing under the name Of typhoid
fever. The bare possibility that so loath-
some a disease can be produced by eating
meat, shows the necessity of having an ordi-
nance making it a finable offense TO sell
pork in our city unless examined and found
free from disease by properly authorized
meat Inspector. In Flint's Practice OF
Medicine" page SOL, it is stated "the affec-
tion known in the western states by the
name of hog cholera, is supposed TO
be trichinosis." AT the present time fine
opportunity is presented for inves tigating
this disease, as 1t is prevailing amongst the
hogs in Boone county, Kentucky, a few
Mr.. George Terrill, and also at the distillery
in Petersburgh. procured from that local
ity during the past week
THE FLESH OF SIX HOGS
which had just died of cholera. After a
most careful examination with the micro
scope for hours together, assisted by my
son, DIR. W. +. Sutton. I have not been ableto
detect in single instance trichn;e in any of
this flesh, while the pork from whi b Mrs.
Threnart and neighbors were made sick is
literally swarming with these parasites, the
number of which our minister, the Rev.
mathematician, estimated at over eighty
thousand to the cubic inch. 1t appears to
me to be proven, after our careful examina-
ton of the flesh of these animals that have
died of hog cholera, that this disease
can not be produced by trichnae
Several years since we made a series OF
experiments with hog cholera, the report of
which published in the May number of the
second volume of the North American
Medico Chirurgical Review. At that time
we proved that the disease was highly in.
tectious-that the latent period of infection
was from twelve to twenty days-that the
disease, like measles and smallpox, was
self-limited, and like these diseases, one at
tack exempted from a second. Subsequent
Investigations have proven the correctness
of those conclusions. We have no evidence,
however, that trichinosis in the swine
is as highly infectious as hog cholera
or that is 1t as definitely self-lim-
tied in running its course as hog cholera.
or that one attack of trichinosis ex-
empts a hog from a second. After an
attack OF trichinosis the poison still remains
IL the flesh for years. ready to re-develop
disease when this flesh is eaten or taken in
TO the stomach: but after the hogs recover
from the hog cholera they are fattened and
sold to our butchers. and the meat becomes
one of the principal articles of food in the
west, under the form of bacon, sugar-cured
hams. &c. Thousands of these hogs from our
tor market, which appears to me must have
made trichinosis much more prevalent dis
ease than it is, had hog cholera depended
upon trichin;e. 1 have daily attended the
family of Mrs. Threnart, with the attending
physician, since the first of the month, and
am keeping minutes of the symptoms and
treatment. Welnade post mortem exam
ination of the little boy that died of this
disease, and have the most conclusive evil
dence Of the corr ectness of the diagnols, as
we have seen the trichniae alive, coiling and
uncoiling in the flesh of one of these pa.
tients.
THE WORMS IN CHICAGO.
The Tribune of Feb. l3, states that DIR.
Ernest Schmidt, at 2S7, Stare street. ia now
treating two families who are desperately
sick with this terrible disease, trichinae
In these two homes are nine persons in all,
who are every one uffering the agonies of
this complaint, caused by eating sausages
made from what was believed to be pork in
prime condition. but which, unfortunately,
proved to be meat full of the parasites, that
work within the human frame such terri
bic and fatal results. The doctor
has twelve different preparations of differ
ent pieces OF pork, taken from the sau-
sages, the eating OF which caused the painful
sickness of no less than nine persons in the
present instance, and although it took long
and troublesome analysis to determine the
existence of the trichipe,s yet when the re-
quired intensity of microscopic power was
procured, millions of living parasites were
at once discernable. The particulars of the
sufferers in this case are as follows: At Am
boy, about sixty miles from this city, lives
a man named Fritz Krehl, ssloon-keeper.
Three weeks ago Mr.. krehl bought hog
weighing 400 pounds, which had all the ap.