The Kenosha telegraph. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1860-1888, 1878-12-26
TRICHINOUS PORK.

An Exhaustive Scientific Document on the
Subject of Trichina-The Danger rom
These Parasites, How to Detect Them, and
What Precautions Should Be Observed.
from the Chicago T1ibune1
Commissioner De Wolf, of the City
Health Department, some time ago sent
a communication to III. F. Atwood, Vice
President of the State Microscopical
Society. and DIR. Belfeld, Demonstration
of Physiology at Rush Medical College,
concerning the existence of trichina in
pork and receivedt he annexed interest
ing report:
made series of careful examinations of pork
with reference to trichin@ and have the honor
to submit the following report:
The samples have been brought to us each
day Specimens of pork have been procured
from each of the packing and slaughtering es-
adjustments in the city and at the Stock Yards.
In accordance with our instructions we took
from each hog two pieces, one from the tender
loinI (psOas muscle), the other from the ham
We have examined each evening samples from
two and sometimes three animals; from the
100 hogs we examined ], 1927 sections, or nearly
twenty from each hog.
Eight of the 100 hogs were infected the
ninth, twenty fifth, ffty-third, fifty-fourth,
sixty third, seventy-sixth and ninetieth hogs
containing trichina Some were badly in
fected, while in others comparatively few para
sites were found In all cases the hams were
apparently free from trichina, chose we found
being always contained in the psoas muscle.
In the twenty-ninth hog we found the smallest
number, there being not more than thirty-five
to the cubic inch, while the specimen from the
ninetieth hog contained, by careful estimate,
not less than Ii, GOO in the same bulk.
In reply to your question as to whether
trichinous hogs are generally out of health, we
would say that nothing in our observation or
study would prompt us to answer in the affirma-
| tive 1t is the normal condition an animal
| to harbor one or more variet of parasites.
Mr.. Van Beueden states in his work on "Ani-
NAL Parasites and Messmates," speaking of
| parasites in general: "They are not more
| abundant in delicate individuals than in those
who enjoy the most robust health On the
contrary, all wild animals harbor their parasite
cal worms, and the greater part of them have
not lived long in captivity before nematode and
cestode worms completely disappear" More
| over, to satisfy ourselves and to demonstrate
! other facts, we commenced at an early stage in
our work to feed trichinous pork to white rat,
then three weeks old He received liberal
supply of this pabulum from every sample
that we found infected. The animal grew
rapidly and always enjoyed the best of health,
his excellent condition being a subject of re-
mark by visitors at the laboratory On Nov. II
we killed the animal, whose muscles were
found to be literally alive with trichine, from
ten to thirteen appearing in every field Every
muscle was infected, from the tip of his nose to
the end of his tail This, we think, answers
| your question in the negative.
You ask, " Are there any practical means by
which our meat inspectors can detect the para
site in carcass Of meat?" We would reply
that the microscope is the only infallible means
To the unaided eye the infected meat presents
no peculiar appearances, unless the parasites be
! present in excessive numbers. The German
| Government has, for some years, made a mi
| crOscopic examination of pork q necessary pre-
liminary to it's exposure for sale. The parasite
isnotdestroyed by thorough sailing and smoking,
as is shown by the fact that most of thecases of
trichinosis in the Western country are traceable
| to raw smoked hams. To ascertain whether or
not an infected ham could be rendered harm
less, we Instituted series of experiments in
the physiological laboratory of Rush Medical
College. AS result of these we found that in
| sulphurous acid we have an agent which not
only kills the worms, but readily permeates the
entire ham, and is as readily expelled. Owing
to the cheapness of this article, the addition of
a sufficient quantity of it to the pickle would
add but trifie to the expense of curing.
In view of the results of our Investigations,
several important questions suggest themselves.
First, why is the percentage of infected hogs so
much greater than it was eight years ago? At
that time committee of the Chicago Academy
of Sciences examined large number of hogs,
and found but 2 per cent infected. We are un-
able, at present, to offer any satisfactory solu
ton of this question. Second, why is the per
centage of infected hogs so much greater here
than in Germany? Engelbrecht states that of
618, 236 hogs examined between October, 1866,
and April, 1873, but seventy were found to con-
tain trichina. These examinations were made
by Government officials in the Duchy of Bruins
wick. We are unable to explain the greater
prevalence of the pasasite in America, but are
at present conducting experiments which we
hope may lead to solution of this problem.
The third and practically most important
query is this: Since per cent of our hogs are
trichinoss, why are cases of trichinosis SO rare?
We would advance these propositions: First,
that in most instances the meat is previously
subjected to thorough cooking, whereby the
worms are killed Second, thatin consequence
of the close resemblance of the symptoms of
trichinous to those induced by other causes,
notably typhoid fever, is it not improbable that
insome instances it has been mistaken for other
complaints? Third, that the ingestion of a GER
tain number of living trichln8 is followed by
no unpleasant effects. In proof of this we ad-
duce the case of the white rat above described,
whose carcass, weighing when dressed one
ounce, contained not less than 100, 900 worms.
Moreover in cases where an entire family has
partaken of trichinous pork, while some mem
bers have experienced serious, perhaps even
fatal illness, others have escaped with little or
no indisposition.
So firm was our confidence in the harmless
ness of few trchinse that one of us CDR. Bel
field ate, on Nov. 20, a portion of the rat re-
ferred to, which was demonstrated under the
microscope to contain twelve living trichin@.
At this date no unusual symptoms have re-
suited from his Oriental diet.
That the prevalence of trichine in the human
family is more extensive than is generally sup
posed, is proven by the researches of Turner,
Wagner, Virchow and others, as stated by
Ziemssen These observers found that from 2
to per cent of bodies in which there was no
suspicion of the presence of the parasites con-