The news and herald. (Winnsboro, S.C.) 1877-1900, 1881-02-22
The Terrible Trichlns.

~ taS pceu put u leW years since the
people In this country were startled by tho
appearance of what, to them, was new
and terrible dlsease-the Trchins Spiralis
Although the disease had probably existct
In some form amongst pork eating nations
from the time the devil took possession O,
the hog Oh the banks of Judean Lake, 1t il
only since the microscope has been made
lland-servant of medical science that its
true nature was discovered. No general
knowledge Of the disease was had until
about the year 1904 short time previous
to which several terrible cases had occurred.
sweeping of whole families.
But after all that has been written and
oil OF the Investigations made, nothing def
mite has been learned as to its origin and
no remedy found for its cure. Dr. Fenper.
OF Chicago, who Is said to have given the
subject about as much attention as anv
man In America, says that the hog, to
whom the lovers Of pork are indebted for
trichinn, gets the disease by eating rats
and mice, and that it is probable that the
latter getS it from eating insects, but where
the insects get it is still an open question.
Some species of fish, as the pike, have
been found impregnated with the parasite.
Fowls and sheep are found to be perfectly
free from the taint, so far as any investiga-
tion has been made. DR.. Fenger declares
that after the trichinse has once forced its
way into the muscles, no method of de-
stroying 1t has been discovered, but that
something can be done by way of counter
acting the effect by the use Of qunine and
VINE or beer. The disease ls not necessa.
rily fatal as ls generally supposed. If the
patient can stand tho siege after the trich-
lne has found its way into the muscles, ho
is all right in short timo. Enetics or
physlc arc alike useless and injurious, as it
is only in the stomach that breeding takes
place and as each female only produces
about 10000 or 10000 at birth, and as
this little family at once set out on their
peregrlnations through the system and die
natural death in short time, man may
possibly survive al attack of trlchinp spir-
alls il he has not made hog of himself by
eating too much diseased raw pork. The
breeding in the stomach is what causes the
pain In that locality, and while the little
ones are wandering through tho muscles,
the patients limbs are filed with anguish,
but after they have reached their destlna
tlon, they quickly perish, and the patient
recovers II he is not dead before the
trichn@.
Dr. fenger thlnks That all pork ought to
be inspected microscopically before allowed
to be sold, and this will ultimately have to
be done. AS an illustration of the havoc
one diseased porker may make, case is
cited as occurring in small European
town where 800 people were brought to
the verge of the grave-110 of whom died
from partaking of the meat of one sick
pig
The Doctor makes the further startling
assertion that If the flesh of every dis.
cased person was subjected to view un-
der the microscope 1t would be found that
aDout one OUT VI ovciy't" oersooo oro
affected more or less with trichinw. This
Is an evidence of the fact that what Is gen
orally called rheumatism is often only
slight attack of trichina