The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1886-05-06
NwnviNe, s. C.
THE NEGRO AND THE HOG.

1OWNCGttS, Os Ns
THE NEGRO AND THE HOG.
Tho Hon. d. Wyatt Aiken Hits the Nail
Squarely on the Head.
CoKEsBURY, S. g., April 26, 1886.
Editor Press and Banner:
The following extract speaks for itself:
Willis Price, colored, of Lebanon, aged
10 years, died last Sunday, after ten months
of sickness. He was afflicted in peculiar
way. He had sore on the instep of his
foot about ten months ago. The sore was
poulticed. The outer skin peeled off, and
it is alleged that an innumerable numb T
of worms shot their heads out at the sur
face. Abrasions of the skin were after
wards made in other places when the
worms appeared as before. His flesh
seemed to be full of very small worms. AS
far as we are informed, he made no effort to
get medical aid until the day before he
died. A physician was to go to see him on
the day of his death. 1t is reported that
the disease was the parasite which is i'm
parted to the human system by eating
diseased raw bacon, but the doctors do not
believe this, though they did not see the
patient.-Abbeuille Press and Banner.
I wish to say few words upon this SUBJ
ject which possibly may be profitable
lesson to your readers, and our people
generally.
Five years ago few French and Ger.
man laborers lost their lives by eating
diseased meat. At once an investigation
was ordered which resulted in report,
that this meat was imported from Amer
lea, that it was infected with trichinae,
and that it was fatal to the consumer
whether man or beast; and therefore q
prohibitory tariff was Immediately lev
led by the French and German govern
ments upon all salt meats imported from
America.
This branch of our commerce amounts
to no little proportion of our entire ex'
portations, for we ship annually millions
of dollars worth of bacon and hams to the
large cities of Europe.
I have known of orders coming from
European houses to shippers in this coun-
try at one time for a million pounds of
hams, and a million pounds of D. G. R.
S. sides. So you can we'll understand
that this French and German embargo
excited the "powers that be" in this
country.
Mr.. Arthur through his Secretary Of
State ordered an investigation of this
matter through our Foreign Consuls, but
I never saw reported result of the in.
vestigation. Subsequently the Treasury
Department ordered our custom officers
to examine all the meats that were ship.
ped abroad, and report whether or not
any of it was infected. This also proved
to be futile because impracticable. Again
the Secretary of the Treasury ordered an
investigation through his statistical bu-
reau, which resulted merely in the publi'
cation of report previously issued by
the agricultural department. That de.
partment had appointed committee of
experts to look into this matter and re.
port upon it.
Vigilant as Americans usually are this
committee determined to see whether or
not these German laborers, who lost their
lives from eating diseased meat, had eat
en- American or German meat. Their
report showed that by analysis trichinae
were found in German and French bacon
as we'll as in American meats. The
report put sort Of quietus upon the SUBJ
ject of shipping American meats to Eu-
ropean ports. 1t proved nevertheless
that occasional shipments of American
meats were discovered badly infected
with trichinas.
Now the queation arises, what is, or
what are tricbinae? To state it plainly,
they are small animalcules invisible to
the naked eye, and frequently found by
the myriads in the flesh Of hogs. They
are indestructible by cold or salt, but
will be destroyed by heat brought to the
boiling point of water. If consumed by
man in piece of meat, which has not
been heated sufficiently to destroy them,
they perforate the consumers stomach,
infuse themselves into his flesh, place
him beyond the control of medicine, and
very certainly destroy his life.
Now it is very easy to imagine the
negro, or almost any laboring man, in his
careless method of preparing his food,
frying or even boiling piece of this in
fectcd meat and eating it before the cen
tre of the meat had been subjected to boil.
ing heat, and therefore becoming victim
of this terrible death. I dare say, that
nine.tenths of your readers will before
Saturday night breakfast or dine on
north western bacon or hams. Are they
sure that there are no trichinae in any ol
this meat? Let them beware, for there
is scarcely q week that the papers do not
announce the death of one or more mem.
bers of family in our northwestern
States from eating this infected meat.
The moral I would draw from this
would be that our people should grow
their own hog meat, for beyond doub
this infected meat showed itself in a dis
eased live hog. A three months old
essex pig Can be grown with less labor
care and expense than brood Of chick
ems, and contains twice the amount o
wholesome, delicious food.
Very respectfully,
D. WYATT AIKEN.
People who cry out against ducllint
because of the fatality attending tina
genial pnstime willbe encouraged to learl