The Maryville times. (Maryville, Tenn.) 1884-1944, 1886-09-01
PORK AS FOOD.
The Two Parasitic Evils Developed In the
Tissues of Hogs.


Tissues of Hogs.
The prejudice against the flesh OF
swine as human food is as old as his
tory. If it has any foundation in nat
ure besides the filthy manner in which
the hog is generally kept, it is because
the hog is more subject to disease, or
at least to certain class of diseases,
than other domestic animals. Its ON
niverous appetite makes it liable to
certain diseases from which the exclu-
sively vegetable-eating animals are
comparatively, if not entirely, exempt.
The two evils most complained Of
are tape-worm and trichina-both par
asitic. Both of these are developed in
the animal tissues, and it is very
doubtful if they ever atflict animals
that do not eat animal food, or in some
way get animal products into their
stomachs and intestinal canals.
The tape-worm, when encysted in
the tissues of the hog, has the name Of
measles-though wholly unlike measles
in the human species--the pork con-
tanning these encysted worms is known
as "measly pork" When taken into
the human stomach, they are liable
10 develop there in the form of the
loathsome creature known as tape
worm. This is not necessarily fatal,
bat very annoying. In modern times,
it is successfully removed by the skill
full physician without pain or injury to
the patient.
Trichina is parasite much more to
be dreaded even than the tape-wOrm.
1t is liable to infect the human system
in such numbers as not only to be very
painful, but fatal, and we believe there
is no known remedy. 1t is encysted in
the flesh of the animal, in a dormant
state, like the tape-worm. When the
trichina enters the human stomach, it
attaches itself to the mucous men,
brane and there awakens to all the
activity of breeding thousands, if not
millions, of its kind. These young
trichina at once start out to find
place in which to encyst themselves for
. dormant rest and await resurrec-
ton by having the flesh in which they
are imbedded eaten by some animal,
brute or human, when they will repeat
the role of their progenitors.
1t is when passing from the stomach
and intestines to the muscles that the
trichina give such pain, and frequently
cause death. Pushing their way
through the tissues, they cause great
irritation and Inflammation, resulting
in death when the effects become unen-
durable. While in this active state of
migration, seeking home, they are as
liable to be found in one class of tissues
as in another. Hence, lard that has
not been exposed to a heat of at least
2l2 degrees Fahrenheit, is just as likely
to contain them, if the animal was
killed when the trichina were in state
of activity, as in any other part or
product of the hog.
The only way to avoid the evil and
suffering from tape-worms and trichina
is to either wholly abstain from eating
pork, or to be sure that it is thoroughly
cooked, so as to destroy the vitality Of
the encysted parasite. The muscle Of
the hog makes exceedingly palatable
food, and many enjoy eating the fat.
In spite of all the terrors and draw
backs, pork is common and popular
article of food. So long as animal
flesh continues to be eaten by man, we
presume pork will be eaten. As there
is no cure for one OF the diseases inn
parted by it. the safety of the public
health demands that hogs be kept in a
claauly mannar fad only vpUatahlo
food and such animal products as be-
long to the dairy, and that the meat
of all kinds, as for that matter-shall
be sufficiently cooked to destroy all an
, imal life. Nothing less than subject
ing every particle of it to heat of at
least 2l2 degrees will do it-Nationa!
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