Ashtabula telegraph. (Ashtabula, Ohio) 1874-1880, 1876-07-07
TRICHINIASIS.

About q month ago the residents OF Sa-
vona, N. Y, were greatly alarmed at the
appearance of Triehiniasis. Several per-
sons who had been eating ofuneooked ham
were simultaneously attacked. Some Of
these cases terminated fatally, while others
recovered after suffering greatly.
The medical gentlemen in charge Of the
patients, on the first appearance Of the dis
eas denied the presence of Trichinae, but
subsequently, specimens of the ham were
examined by competent mieroseopists, all
of whom detected the presence Of TriehinR
in large numbers. m
The following note fromOne Of our towns
men we clip from the Wayland on. YD
Press, believing the matter to be wen
worth attention.
l have been much interested in the
reports of several cases of trichini-
asis which have been discussed in
the columns Of the"PREss.n - Through
the kindness of DR.. G. E. Blackham
l lately received a small piece Of the
Savona ham which 1 am informed
was furnished by Mr.. Freeman and
therefore must be authentic.
This little piece Of ham was scarce
ly larger than small pea, and when
it reached me was very hard and dry,
nevertheless, / had no difficulty in
getting under the microscope, field
after field well studded with trichi-
nae. Of the first six sides prepared
and examined, four displayed the
worm.
The trichina were plainly seen
with my one inch objective and two
inchseye piece, which give on my
stand a power of 40 diameters.
Some Of the specimens were, how
ever, examined subsequently, with a
Spencer quarter inch, giving an
ampli6eation of about 200 diameters.
The bit of ham sert Te happened to
be portion of voluntary muscle ad-
jacent to a fatty tissue. 1t was
probably owing to this that the one
inch glass did not bring out the
striation of the muscle. The one
fourth inch, however, sheW the stria
very plainly, but in scattered patch
es. If you can procure for me an
other SAMPLE of the ham / shall be
glad to get it.
It is indeed curious that any OBJ
server, even those using microscopes
of ordinary excellence, should have
failed in the examination of this
thoroughly infected meat, and most
likely the cause lay in the imperfect
preparation of the specimens used.
We are a pork-eating nation
doubtless many of US have suffered
from trichiniasis, in one form or
another, and it is well that attention
should be called-not only to the
disease and the remedy-but to the
prevention thereof. The correspond
ent- of the Bath AdUocats quotes a
German law regulating the sale Of
swine's flesh, and he seems to think
that legislative enactment would be
of some avail with us. My own
opinion is that such enactment
would be of little benefit. My reasons
are-frst: We are opposed as peo-
pie to sanitary ensctments OF any
kind whatever and such laws are
generally more hOnored in breach
than in the observation. Second =
until the habits of the triehin@
shall become by force of study
thoroughly known and their ahabi-
tat" precisely determined none 9TH
er than an exhaustive, and therefore
impraetible, examination with the
microscope would be any sure pro
lection. Prof. Frey, in his work OF
/, the microscope says, "all transverslJ
81, 'ated muscles, with the exception
az thu heart, serve as q location fol
tbese an. all parasites, whose number
NAV NOT unfrequently become ex.
traordinarlv 9rge, in consequence Of
repeated immi0 .ations, nevertheless
the muscles Of the jaws and necl
and the diaphFam ar distinguishes
as faVorlte l0callt4es, LIZ -
extremity of the muscles S-ooVlopI
because there is here . mecl4. aolcA
impediment to further emig- =
tion-usually shows the gEestesI
abundance of the dangerous guests p
Page s2g.
It has occurred to the writer that
the electrical OF galVanic battery
might be employed IN the destruction
of these little pests. In the case of
the slaughtered porcine there would
be no impedIment to employing q
current strong enough to ensure
death to the trichinR. Jndiciously
applied it might afford relief to at
fiicted humanity. The idea is ]
believe, novel, and perhaps practica.
bic. J. e. SIXTH.
AShtabula, o., June 10th, 1879.
a pay Is eetsysburg.
After restinr over night at Hanover, and