The theocrat. [volume] (Zion City [i.e. Zion], Ill.) 1914-1949, 1918-05-25

Edward, years old, are in the same hospital
and doctors are striving to destroy the worms
and save their lives.
! "sThe symptoms of the disease are much
the same as those of rheumatism, said War
den Smith. The muscles swell and in some
instances become so sore that they cannot
even be touched.
Causes Many Deaths
One out of every ten persons who die at
the county hospital is shown by post-mor-
tenn examinations to have the worms in their
muscles. Many have them, but do not know
it, and believe much of the soreness and pain
attributed to rheumatism are caused by this
disease. Scientific Investigations have estab-
lished that the disease is caused by eating
raw or only partly cooked pork. These same
Investigations show that it is safe to eat
pork if it is thoroughly cooked
CDR. H. B. Raffensperger, a government
veterinary inspector who has laboratory in
the stockyards, said he has been Investigating
the disease for the government for more than
year.
Seeks to End Disease
The object of my investigation for the
government is to find ways and means of
eliminating the disease from pork and render
it safe to be eaten he said. There are GER
tain products of pork which the government
O. KS as being absolutely safe, but the gov
|ernment, you know, will not put such an
10. K on pork itself.
"'It will take me more than year to fin
ish my investigation.
"'There is only one way in which human
being can be infected with the disease, and
that is by eating raw or partly cooked pork.
The worms find their way into the intestines
and in seven or eight days are reproduced.
Then they get into the circulation of blood
and work their way into the muscles.
The worms are about the size of head
of pin and, under microscope, are in the
shape of the figure 6. It is known that they
mass in the diaphragm and prevent proper
respiration"
The article, which follows appeared in the
WGukegG1a Sun of January %, 1916. 1t sums
up the situation by admitting that lions
position in condemnation of pork as food is
"hard to talk very strongly against"
THIS SEEMS QUEER
1.-TWO members of the same family lately
died at the Cook County Hospital of trichi-
nosis, very painful disease contracted by
eating pork infected with parasite More
over, it is stated that pOst-mOrtem examna-
lions show that one-tenth of the persons dy-
ing there have suffered from that disease.
'The situation looks queer in view of the
agitation over trichinosis about twenty-five
years ago. Federal inspection of meat pro-
ducts was largely the outcome of that agita-
ton. While thorough cooking usually kills
the trichina, it was deemed safer to have no
pork SO infected used for food and the inspec-
ton was supposed to have stopped it's sale
and to assure safety to those who prefer their
pork underdone
"In view of the statements from the Coun-
ty Hospital and of the recent trichinosis
cases treated there, serious questions seem to
be raised as to the efficiency of the federal
inspection as now conducted and whether it
gives the protection it has been widely as
sumed to give. The general public impress
sion has been that trichinosis had become a
very rare disease and chiefly of historic
interest. It now seems that it hasn't.
"This news item from Chicago paper is
especially interesting to Waukegan because
of it's proximity to Zion City where pork, no
matter whether well cooked or otherwise is
tabooed as great evil and it is considered a
sin to eat it, One out of every ten persons
who die at the County Hospital is found on
post-mortem examination to have been suffer-
ing from trichinosis, the disease that fills the
muscles with worms and is caused by eating
raw or only partly cooked pork according to
the statement of Clayton T. Smith, warden of
the institution. 1t was this disease that
brought about the deaths of Paul Stankevich
and his II year old daughter, Rose, in the
County Hospital. Aleck Stankevich, years
old, and another son, Edward, 3 years old, are
in the same hospital, and doctors are striving
to save their lives. The symptoms of the
disease are much the same as those of rheu-
matism' said Warden Smith The muscles