Art. III. Tlie Trichina Spiralis. By Edward R. 



Hun, M. D. 



[Read before the Albany Institute, January 5, 1869.] 



The Trichina Spiralis is a round worm belonging to the 

 class of Nematoidea, and is found as a parasite affecting 

 man and certain animals. 



It was first found in human muscles by Mr. Hilton in 

 1832, and three years later was described by Professor 

 Owen, who gave to it the name of Trichina Spiralis, from 

 its slender form and habit of coiling itself up in a spiral 

 shape. From this time, until 1860, the Trichina was fre- 

 quently observed in the muscles of subjects in the dissect- 

 ing room, but no account was given, and no theory formed 

 as to how it got there. In all these cases the worm was 

 found enclosed in a calcareous cyst. 



Zenker of Dresden, in 1860, first called public attention 

 to the fact that these little parasites, hitherto considered 

 harmless, might be, and often were, the cause of severe and 

 fatal diseases. A farmer, his wife and several other per- 

 sons were attacked with a severe illness after eating of the 

 flesh of a pig raised and slaughtered on their farm near 

 Dresden — a servant who had eaten some of the meat died. 

 Zenker, upon examination, found Trichinae in the ham, 

 head cheese and sausages made from the pork, and the 

 muscles of the dead girl were filled with them. He sent 

 some of the muscle to Professor Virchow of Berlin, who, by 

 a series of experiments upon animals, developed the follow- 

 ing interesting facts: 



The Trichina, as found free in the muscles, is a round 

 worm about one-twenty-fifth of an inch in length, rather 

 more pointed at its cephalic then at its caudal extremity. 



