The Daily times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1886-1889, 1888-02-14
FOOD ADULTERATI0N.
SOME OF THE DANGEROUS WORK
DAME NATURE DOES.

Rare Beef-An Inquisitive Doctors
Suspicious Confirmed.
IL must be borne in mind, first of all, that
nature herself adulterates seriously what
ever she gives us, and much Of this adultera-
ton is far more dangerous 10 human life than
that which is artficially added by man. 1t
is but a few years since the presence of trich-
ine in pork was discovered, and to its rava-
ges traced the dreadful agonies and death
following the eating of raw slices OF ham.
This creature is so thoroughly understood,
and its presence feared by all classes, that few
persons can now be found who would, under
any influence, eat a mouthful OF raw pork.
The discovery of trichinous meat opened
new phase Of the curious and complioate reli-
'ionship of the animal and plant worlds. VI
course, this was not the first known OF the
dependence Of worms upon other animal
creatures for their development, nor of the
transitionary periods, when such parasites
are dependent on the harborings OF vegeta-
bles but il became necessary 20 trace out the
development Of these creatures, and it was
found that uncommon care must be taken In
eating lettuce and succulent low growing
vegetables, lest the eggs OF dangerous para
sites be taken into the body.
Closely following came the discovery of
the dependence Of the most prevalent and
dangerous fevers on vegetable bacteria. 1t
became clear that he that would live safe
from the attacks of both animal and vegeta
BILE life Of the inferior types must be eter
nally on his guard. Hardly an article of
food now visits our table which is not known,
under favoring circumstances, to harbor
forces that will disease, If they do not destroy
us Absolute cleanliness seems to be the first
law of health. The :losaic code was mainly
the work Of wise legislator endeayoring to
establish sanitary conditions among his PEG
pie. The second law Of health is enforced
with equal emphasis by discoveries made
that animal food can never be safely par
taken of without thorough cooking. Indeed,
it seems wonderful that filthy race of saw
ages can survive at all the denominations OF
vile habits and raw diet.
No one in this country has shown a keener
interest in hunting out what may be called
natures food authorizations than DR.. Joseph
Loidy, OF Philadelphia Among other notes
from his work take the following: He liked
herring. but never ate one without carefully
removing certain cooled worms that may he
seen cooled on the surface OF the roes. From.
a piece of black bass or shad he would ex-
tract before eating, thread like worm that
50 closely resembles a nerve that few would
distinguish the difference. He was careful
ia eating clans to look for and remove
minute parasitic leech Tape worms he care
fully studied, and declared that III all case
they could be traced 10 rare beef The com
mon opinion is that pigs have more to do
with them, but Professor Leidy examined
over 100, and in all cases proved them 20
have been received in the egg form from
beef insufIiciently cooked
At an entertainment in Charleston he wa
served with slices OF the drumfsh. His host
desired that he should specially note how
much more delicious were certain gelatinOu8
portions Carefully cutting open his fish the
doctor discovered soft mass, which to him
seemed suspicious. Tho following day he
procured "a drumtish and dissected H. The
result was that he found in tho flesh of tho
tail several egg shaped masses, three inches
long, which proved 10 be large coiled
worm This was the delicate and dainty
morsel Of the previous days feast. Eating
terrapin at a Philadelphia feast our profos
sor received a peculiar impression from
piece in his mouth that seemed 10 be an egg.
Removing il from his mouth 10 his handker
chief. be reserved IL for examination II
turned out t. be "A membraneous sac, con
tanning thirty yellowish-white maggots, the
Larvae Of some sort of ily, and resembling
those Of the botly in horses.
With such examples before us we may
4
both animal and vegetable parasites lurking
TO destroy, both infesting our food, while the
minuter bacteria assail US through our lungs,
we can neither eat nor breathe, much less
drink. in safety. An age Of science brings
with it general alarm, and, while illustrat
ing the glory Of the power Of the brain, shows
also what a warfare man must carry on TO
secure victory. Our line of defense is, how
ever, not 50 abstruse. IL is well known that
these minuter foes may DO everywhere, and
vet wait forever for conditions appropriate
for their development. But granted, for one
moment, conditions, and the development
promptly occurs. The one requisite is to
avoid such conditions as are supposed. With
food it is known to be death 10 the germs and
eggs Of the tape worm and other parasites
70 httt 10 a. ttSitt tSt itSo thhii 49, VIC
Yet one person in five in the southwestern
section of our country is afflicted, at some
time with tape worm; and the trouble is
largely on the increase in the eastern states
owing to the large amount OF western beef
that is shipped TO the eastern market.
The remedy is 80 simple that it seems not Il
difficult affair TO quickly end the spread Of
the pest Yet it is nearly impossible to reach,
by any published statements, one-tenth OF
the people. The reading of the masses is still
confined to very local journals, if, indeed,
they read at all la this cosmopolitan age,
when all things circulate with such rapidity,
information should keep pace with all ma
terial affairs. At present this is not 50.
piece Of meat never looks, to all ordinary eye,
more innocent than when it contains in its
muscles the cysts Of our torturers. My adj
vice is, put no reliance on the appearance Of
raw meat, but invariably cookit thoroughly.
M Maurice, NJ d., in Globe Democrat