Trichina Spiralis by Editor

The Seventh-day Adventist Publishing Association · Battle Creek, Mich. · Oct 18, 1864

Trichina Spiralis.

By Editor

IN No. 2, present volume, we presented an article, giving instances of a new disease, to which this name has been applied, but which according to that article had appeared chiefly in Germany. It appears from the following which a correspondent sends us, taken from the Boston Post, that the disease has made its appearance in this country. One of the main objections, we believe, against the use of animal food at the present time, is the fact that it is becoming so rapidly and extensively diseased. Such facts call upon us imperatively to use the utmost care in these matters. The Post says:—

Cases of infestation of the human body by that singular entozoon, the Trichina Spiralis, are reported in a number of localities in this country. The existence of this little worm as a denizen of the muscular system of man and other animals has been known for some time, but the recognition of a special disease due to it alone is a recent discovery of the German physiologists.

Anatomists in all countries have occasionally had their attention called to a peculiar spotted appearance presented by human muscle, and portions of tissue thus marked have revealed, under the microscope, a minute coiled worm, surrounded with a calcareous envelope, reposing quietly in its singular position. As all cases of this kind that could be traced were presumed to have died of well-recognized diseases, and as no symptoms which could be referred to the presence of these worms were recorded, the worms were regarded as harmless, and described merely as objects of scientific curiosity.

But within a few years the medical profession of Germany has had its attention called to certain anomalous cases of disease, first suspected to be cases of acute poisoning. Chemical investigation nullifying this suspicion, further investigations revealed in all of the subjects examined the presence of Trichina in large numbers. As the Trichinas were known to exist also in the flesh of swine, and as previous investigation had shown the possibility of the transference of entozoa from animals to man, suspicions were awakened, experiments tried, and it was finally demonstrated that these worms were not killed by a heat of 140°, and thus in imperfectly cooked meat containing them might be transferred alive to the digestive organs. Careful investigation revealed also that each one of these animals, thus released from imprisonment in a few days gave birth to hundreds of others, which immediately commenced to perforate their way through the intestines and surrounding parts, making a straight path to the muscles of all portions of the body, especially those of the limbs.

This perforation of parts by millions of microscopic worms was attended with symptoms more or less violent, depending upon their numbers, and the strength and health of the victim. While passing the coats of the bowels violent purging often arose, simulating arsenical poisoning, and many persons had been unjustly suspected of this crime, when persons eating food prepared by them had been thus alarmingly seized. As the worms made their way into the muscle, pains like those of rheumatism, cramps, weakness or entire loss of power resembling paralysis, ensued, and when the numbers of Trichina were large, wasting, exhaustion, and death followed. Persons escaping with few of these disagreeable tenants suffered in a smaller degree from similar symptoms, but gradually recovered, and a small portion of their muscles, removed and magnified, revealed the Trichinæ arrived at their destination and undergoing the various stages of calcareous encystment.

No effectual remedy for this disease has yet been discovered. Attempts have been made to remove them from the intestines by emetics and purging, but unless resorted to early, before any symptoms have appeared, this is ineffectual. Parasiticide medicines have not been found to afford relief, and all that science has been able to do for public protection as yet is to point out the source of danger. Swine and cats are the animals chiefly inhabited by the parasite. The former only is supposed to be used for food, but cases are said to have been traced to ragouts, ostensibly of hare or rabbit, sold in the Parisian restaurants, and which were shrewdly suspected to be cases of dishonest substitution. Sausages from swine's flesh, smoked but uncooked, are favorite articles of diet among the Germans, and in these Trichinæ are often found. Under-done pork may contain them living, but if the entire substance of the meat be raised to the temperature of boiling water, the vitality of the worms is destroyed.

The appearance of the disease in this country makes the above facts of value to the public. We annex the description of a case recently occurring in New-York (erroneously stated to be the first in this country) taken from The Buffalo Courier: The June number of the Buffalo Medical Journal contains a long editorial detailing the facts concerning a newly discovered disease which has appeared in Cheektowaga, Erie County, New York. The discovery was recently noted in Germany, but the cases described in The Journal are the first which have been positively identified in this country.

The disease is caused by the presence in the muscles of a worm or parasite, known as the trichina spiralis, and in the cases recorded, the victims have become infected from eating the flesh of swine, in which the worm chanced to abound. The credit of discovering the disease is due to Dr. Krombein of Buffalo, who in connection with Dr. Duylor of Lancaster, in the middle of May last, attended two patients, a man and his wife, in Cheektowaga. Both of these died. Another family of seven members, at Merrilla, in that county, was attacked in the same way. The parents died, but the children are reported alive, though in a dangerous condition. Dr. Lathrop writes the result of a microscopic examination of the case. He says:

"The specimen of human muscle taken from a person after death, and also the sausage he had eaten, which you gave me, supposing them to contain the trichina spiralis, I carefully examined under the microscope, both alone and with Dr. Hadley. The parasite was found in both, in great abundance, but in different states. In the muscle taken from the human body the worm was free, while in the sausage it was encysted. In the first I failed to find the worms inclosed in a cyst. They were often more or less coiled, two or three turns of an elliptical form; but often the shape was not regular, though seldom straight. The irregular form in which the worm was found was probably caused by tearing and scraping the muscle, to render it thin enough to become transparent under the microscope, the normal shape being more or less coiled. Under the microscope the worm could be readily seen with a low power, and presented uniformly a pointed head, a body increasing in size to the tail, which had somewhat of a truncated appearance, with a slight fissure. There was an appearance of an intestinal canal running the whole length of the body, somewhat undulating, and filled with granular matter.

In the portion of the sausage examined, the worms were inclosed in an ovoid cyst, and here were found free. Even scraping the muscle did not rupture the cyst. They were much smaller than the free worm, were always coiled, occupying the centers of the cyst, and in most cases single. One cyst only was observed in which were two worms, separate from each other, each occupying an extremity of the cyst. The cysts were closed by the muscular fibers, which had the appearance of having been pushed aside, and at either end, the space where the muscular fibers separated was filled fat globules. I did not find a cyst without a worm. The appearance was as here represented, magnified over 200 diameters. The worm occupied about one third of the cyst space. In one small piece of the muscular tissue of the sausage, I should rather say small collections of scrapings, nearly 30 cysts containing worms were counted."