The Wellington enterprise. [volume] (Wellington, Ohio) 1867-188?, 1883-11-14
Tichinm Sniralis.

Trichine Spiralis.
A commission is about to be appointed
by the authorities at Washington to
learn what it can about the hog parasite
known as trichine spiralis. Whatever
this commission may find out, it must
not be supposed that its report will have
the least effect to induce those European
Governments that are excluding Ameri-
can hog products to relax their exclu-
sive policy. 1t is, indeed, more likely
to produce the contrary effect We
must not forget that when the French
and German Governments first fulmi-.
mated their edicts against the American
hog, this subject was pretty thoroughly
investigated, both officially and unoffi-
cially. 1t was pretty conclusively de-
monstrated at that time that American
pork was no more affected by the para
site than German pork, and that, as
matter of fact, very few American hogs
were affected, and that the danger from
eating the products shipped abroad was
almost infnitesimal. This conclusion
was officially stated, in substance, and
in sufficiently strong terms, by our Secre-
tary of State. The British authorities
seemed on the point of initiating the ex-
ample of their continental neighbors,
but their consular agents here made
thorough Investigations, and upon their
favorable reports the home authorities
dismissed the thought of exclusion, and
ever sipce our hog products have been
freely admitted into Great Britain. Re-
opening the subject at this time will
give an impression that our officials
doubt the correctness of the conclusions
reached by their predecessors, and cast
more or less suspicion upon their own
truthfulness. So far, therefore, as for
eign markets are concerned, the investi-
cation now about to be made is likely
TO be worse than useless.
There is no longer any room for doubt
that our hog products are shut out Of
France and Germany not-at all for sani-
tary reasons, but for exactly the same
reasons that actuate us in laying all but
prohibitory duties on French and Ger
man fabrics. Their object is to protect
their farmers against American compe-
tition. That is absolutely all that their
policy means, and If we were to demon
strate to an absolute certainty that there
was not trace of trichine spiralis in
American pork they would not be ut all
shaken in their purpose. The German
Government wants the support of the
landowners aud agriculturists. The
French Government experiences n simi-
lar want. They are going to have what
they want if they can get it by shutting
out American competition, be the conse-
quences what they may to the consumers
of pork in their own country, and the
producers of pork in ours.
This has long been perfectly well un-
derstood in both France and Germany,
.t...1I heC "a
by experts, though in the latter country
these classes of people have been less
bold in saying what they know to be
true. Within the past six months the
French Chambers of Commerce have
strongly memorialized the Government
on the subject, praying that only the
barred out. The fact that they have re-
ceived no favorable response plainly
discloses the motive by which the Gov
ernment authorities are actuated in the
matter. The Agricultural Bureau has in
its possession work by M. Joannes
Chatter, who was appointed by the
French Minister of Agriculture to take
charge of the investigation of this matter
ut Havre. In the course of four months
this expert and his assistants inspected
upward of million pieces of American
pork, and found that about two pei
cent. contained trichine. He concludes
that Frenchmen run no more rish in
eating American pork than eating
German pork. How small this risk Il
will appear from the following state.
ment by Professor Bollinger, who ha.
devoted much attention to thi.
subject He says: Prom numerou,
examinations of American hams, the
trichine has been found uniformly dead
Paris alone imported in 1880 thirty mine
kilogrammes without single case o.
Infection The German examiner
make the percentage Of pieces infected
the same as the French examiners, anC
they, too, find the parasite dead, ant
therefore innocuous, in hams.
In view of all this, the futility of in
stituting an investigation with view o
securing more favorable action from thu
French and German Governments il
sufficiently apparent. No proof tina
we can adduce of the wholesomeness O
our hog products will move them in th,
least. Until they become convinced
| that it is bad policy to make food dea
for the benefit of the land-owning ant
swine-breeding classes, we shall not b,
able to induce them to let in American
/ pork, no matter how wholesome and ex
cellent in quality it NAV be.
But the statement comes from Wash
ington that the object of the investiga
ton is not so much to find facts witt
which TO ply the French and German
Governments as to discover in what 10
calities swine are affected by the para
site, and to learn how the disease ma,
be kept in check and ultimately eradi
Gated. With this end in view. SOM
preliminary investigations have alread,
been made in Chicogo. Prof. Detmer
has been examining specimens of no;
products and endeavoring to locate tn
infected districts. The Commissioner
of Agriculture will, it is stated, instruc
the commission to proceed to thos
districts and endeavor to dis
cover the causes of the disease. Th
inference is that Prof. Detmers ha
found that the disease is confined NOR
or less distinctly to localities. II this
the case, and If the infected district
can be fairly well defined, il win be b
no means impossible to extirpate it.
will be quito within the power of buyer
and packers to afford the public a fai
degree of protection, and they may fin
it to their own interest to do so.-Ch
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