Eureka daily sentinel. [volume] (Eureka, Nev.) 1871-1887, 1884-02-15


The SENTINEL is indebted to the San
Francisco Bulletin for the following COM
pilation of facts, which goes to show that
while trichinosis is rare and comparative
lv harmless in America, it is a disease
that has been quite fatal in Europe in
many instances during the course of the
last 60 or 70 years; which 60 to show,
also, that the seeds of the frightful NAL
ady are to be found in foreign as well
as American hog flesh
Early in the century there was a wide.
spread belief in Germany that there was
a poison in ham and in suasages, and
chemistry was sought to discover what
these dangerous substances were. Sick
ness and death had been caused by such
viands, but what the poison was science
could not discover until Owen, in 1888,
found the trichin@ spiralis. Yet IN 1881
so many people in Hamburg fell ill from
eating German ham that the matter was
mt into the hands of the police for In
v~estigation. The poor dealer who had
sold the ham was run to earth by the
jealous officials, who expected to I'M in
him a poisoner. But some time after 1T
was proved that the epidemic was due to
trichina, found in German pork and not
imported from America. Ten years later
seven persons who had eaten ham at an
inn in Jersen were taken i'll, and four OF
them died. The inkeeper was arrested
ON suspicion of having poisoned them,
and the viands were analysed for poison.
No proof could be found against him,
however; yet such was the suspicion ex-
cited that he found it convenient to
i~mmigrate to America. Some time after
wards it was proved beyond a doubt that
trichinae had caused the sickness and the
deaths. Yet at that time American pork
was not charged with being the cause OF
SO much sickness and death. German
products were clearly those IN which the
blame must rest.
An inspection of German hogs shows
that the trichinae is to be found in them
as we'll as American pork. In 1879 IN
Posen the proportion OF diseased nogs
was from l in 1873 to in III. In other
parts of Germany an investigation
showed that a considerable proportion
of domestic hogs were diseased. 1t can
hardly be claimed, therefore, that the
local epidemics Of disease, caused
by trichinae spiralis, which have
alarmed Germany and France. are due
wholly to American pork. Trichinae
exist in the domestic products OF Ger
many and France as well as in the pork
that is imported. We hear very little
concerning disease produced in this
country by trichinae. Nearly all the
sickness and deaths occur in Europe.
And there is a reason for this which
has recently been pointed out by Henri
de Parville, but which was first no.
ticed about twenty years ago on the
occasion of an epidemic of disease in
Germany. It was then learned that In
every case in which investigation on
this point was made, the pork, ham or
sausages eaten had been only. partially
cooked. SIN every country" says Nj.
de Parville, "where pork is eaten raw.
or nearly so, we can easily understand
the ravages which trichinae produce.
In Germany and even in England
trichinosis has made many victims"
This is q fact that is of Importance to
us as well as to Germany, which IS too
prone to be satisfied with imperfectly
cooked viands. 1t is to the habit OF
more thoroughly cooking our meats that
America has had no epidemics of trich-
inosis, and has not felt the least alarm
at the reports coming across the Allan
tic that so many thousands Of parasites
have been found in a cubic inch OF
American pork. Once in a while an
isolated case OF trichinosis will occur
here, but it is found to be due prin.
cipally to a relish for partially raw
meat. NJ. de Parville closes a long
article ON this subject by thus refer
ring to the necessity of thorough cook
ing: "Let us give to pork twenty
minutes (cooking) by the watch. A ham
of twelve pounds in weight, which has
been boiled four hours, will become alb
solutely inofensive, even if it inclose
many trichinae.. Since it is a simple
question of cooking, the consumer car
guarantee himself against Infection"