The Forest Republican. [volume] (Tionesta, Pa.) 1869-1952, 1879-03-26
TRICHINA.
The Death OF -Four Persons from Eating
Raw Ham.

Raw Ham.
The Chicago Times of a recent date
says: A short time ago an alleged case
of spasm-provoking trichina occurred in
this city, and q number of people who
thought they knew more about uncook-
ed, diseased pork than the unfortunate
deceased who ate it could not believe
that such thing as the real trichina
that killed people did exist or could ex-
ist hereabouts. To prove that it could
not, according to his own theory, a Ger.
tain physician ate piece OF meat which
was supposed to have caused the mis-.
chief, and after having duly announced
the fact he calmly awaited results. He
is yet calm as far as heard from, and has
not as is known experienced any i'll re-
suits from the piece OF meat which he
ate.
Whether the pork was diseased or not
is an open question; but it is asserted
that the doctor did not hesitate to boil
it thoroughly before he ate it. This was
a precaution which probably he did not
deem necessary to make public, but sci
entists say it makes all the difference in
the world about diseased pork from
which trichina can be developed, and
the general impression among those who
heard of the experiment is that he ate
the pork nearly raw or only par-boiled.
There has recently occurred very dis
tressing case which, if it does not set at
rest the question of the tendency Of dis
eased pork, not thoroughly cooked, to
create trichina, and in such a serious
form as to be fatal, should at least, it
would seem, call for some very thorough
and exhaustive inquiry.
Intelligence reached the city yester-
day that whole family had died from
trichina caused by eating ham, which
was presumably insufficiently cooked.
In Gridley, ILL.,, resided until few days
since very respectable German family,
consisting of man, his wife and three
sons. They were in the habit of par
taking of ham freely, and within the
past week the boys sickened and died
The mother finally succumbed to illness
and also died, and when the new
reached this city yesterday, the las
member of the family was upo1
what was believed to be his deathbed
The boys and their mother died il
the greatest agony, and DIR. Taylor,
physician of Gridley, who attended tn
family, had no doubt about the cause o
death being trichina of a malignan
form. The father also was suffering
from the same complaint, and betraye
all the symptoms of completely develop
ed trichina. DIR. Taylor dispatche
specimens of the ham eaten by this IN
fortunate family, and also piece of tn
body of one of the boys deceased, I
Mr.. Edward Mancher, the optician {
, this city, and the latter gentleman az
| piled q number of crucial microscope
tests to these subjects. The result
} fully ysubstantiated the theory Of trichin
as the cause of death, as the microscop
clearly discovered thousands of thes
- death. dealing parasites in small piece
? of the ham.
3 50 thick were they that Mr.. Manche
z said last evening that he could clearl
distinguish no less than ten perfectly
r formed and lsrge-sized trichine in
piece of the ham no bigger than a pin
: head, and that in larger pieces the
i abounded by the hundred and by tt
}. thousand. They are so abundant thi
8 life in the smaller parasites cannot
!. discerned at all, as they have to
placed between the two pieces of glas
y and the, point of the finest needle CO
o scarcely define them, and yet the
t caused the agonized death of a who
;. family. There is intense excitement
l. and around the locality where this me
y ancholy fatality occurred.