The democrat. [volume] (Weston, W. Va.) 1868-1874, 1874-02-16
Pork Poisoning.
Alarming Consequences from the Intro
duetIOn of TrIehinSu spIralis into the
Human Body.

ductlOn Of TrIehinpu splralis Into the
Human Body.
Professor William Clendenin, who
hlls the chair Of anatomy in the Miami
Cincinnati Medical College, returned
from q professional visit 10 Aurora, In
diana, twenty.six miles below, on the
Ohio river. The object OF his visit was
the investigation OF several cases Of
trichinn spiralis, OF recent occurrence
in that place. Tho first victims are
Mrs. Threnart, German widow, and
her three children, two boys, aged four.
teen aud seven years, and girl aged
ten years.
Dr.. olendeniu was interviewed by a
reporter, and furnished the facts which
follow
1t appears that Mrs. Threnart had
two hogs killed for home consumption
about four weeks ago, one OF which had
been sick, after running the streets o
month or SO before killing. The animal
had what is called the "droop." TWAS
stiff in the limbs, and lost appetite, bat
after dosing with sulphur and sweet
milk it recovered and fattened up. A
quantity OF sausage was made with the
meat, and OF this Mrs. Threnart and
her children partook freely. On Mon.
day il was prepared and cooked in the
usual way, On Tuesday the parties
took sick, complained OF whitening
pain in the bowels, OF being very tired
and sore all over the surface Of the
body. Vomiting and diArrhpa set in,
and the family physician was called.
He thought the symptoms were those Of
typhoid fever, and treated accordingly.
The illness Of the mother and her chill.
dren excited the sympathy OF her neigh.
bots, and they took II in turn To nurse
them.
Mrs. Buyter, wife Of the Methodist
minister, with her two children, the
youngest only four years old, was the
tirst nurse, and devoted herself exclu.
siyely TO the Christian duty. She took
up her abode in the sick house, and,
when meal time came, prepared and
abe some Of the sausage, together with
the youngest child. Tho other child
would not touch 1t. .s. .r.
On the next day, Thursday, Mrs.
Buyter and her child were seized in the
same manner as the victims she came
to nurse, and still mo suspicion was
aroused as TO tho cause.
The same evening Miss Davis, aged
nineteen, and Miss Mollenhoff, aged
twenty, two charming young women,
came to nurse the sick, and ut supper
pattook OF the sausage and some OF the
fried meat. They were seized with
pains in the stomach and bowels in m
hour and were deathly sick. An old
woman prescribed hot whisky punch
aud made them drink freely, which in.
creased the vomiting, and they are now
conyalescing.
A lad named Krieger, who brought
ki1dling wood 10 Mrs. Threnart's
house, had supper and Is also down
with the same sickness.
Finally Mrs. Ross came and ate oil
the meat and soon after took sick in the
same manner as all the others but she
at once suspected the meat as the cause
and said SO TO the physician.
Ife called in DR.. Sutton, OF the
Health Department, and n scientific
analysis OF the sausage, cooked and
raw, was made, upon which the start.
ling fact was revealed that the meal
was literally alive with the trichina
spirnlis.
SO tenacious is this little thing OF life
that It was seen to survive the picking
process and the cooking OF the meat,
The entire carcass Of the hog that hat
been sick is infected not even The
bones being free from the invasion o.
tho entozoon. Under the microscope
II looks like knots and coils OF the com
mon earth worm, with very sharp o,
pointed extremities, and while this il
being written speck OF the flesh, MOI
larger than the head Of q small pin, il
on view, and contains millions Of the
maggots wriggling and twisting about
although totally invisible to the naked
eye.
the patients, except the two young
ladies', were still lying very i'll. The
symptoms were alike in all. A peculiar
paleness Of the skin, with livid puff,
ness around the eyes, and the lower ex'
tremities pulled and swollen. They lie
crouched up in bed, with the shoulder.
drawn forward and the knees drawn ur
to the chin. There is painful weak.
ness in the limbs. It is painful to pro.
trude the furred and thickened tongue.
Tie voice is husky aud changed in
tone. There is diarrhea, with q ten.
dency to dysentery, thirst, complete
loss OF appetite, and fever which in
creases towards night.
The Oldest boy and the girl OF Mrs.
Threnart, and Mrs. Buyter, the minis
ter's wife, who is a fine, healthy woman,
will undoubtedly die /; but some hopes
are entertained that all the other VIC
tins will survive.
The affair has created the greatest
alarm and CONSERVATION in the com.
munity OF Aurora, where there Is q
large German population, which lives
on pork and other meat OF the hog
kind. A crowd OF them invaded DR..
Fulton's room Of the hotel with pieces
OF pork, sausage and ham to have them
examined for fear Of trichine, and pub.
lie confidence has been 80 much shaken
in pork, as an article OF food, that the
commodity is tabooed and II Is now a
drug in the Aurora market.