HEALTH AND DISEASE 315 



was hauled by an individual who later was found to be responsible for the 

 outbreak of cysticercosis. When the owner of the cattle was informed of 

 the retention of a number of beef carcasses, as already noted, from the 

 particular lot of cattle in question, all men on the ranch that were con- 

 nected in one way or another with the feeding of these animals were exam- 

 ined by a physician, and the individual referred to was found to be infested 

 with a tapeworm. According to the information furnished "about 20 feet 

 of tapeworm" were removed from the person following the administra- 

 tion of a taeniacide. Upon being questioned, the tapeworm carrier admitted 

 that he did not hke cooked meat and, therefore, "ate all his meat raw." 



The premises to which this and other persons connected with the feed- 

 ing of the cattle had access had no toilet facilities, and the infested person 

 was seen, on numerous occasions, to defecate in the feed troughs. 



In an officially inspected establishment in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, 

 twelve out of thirty-seven cattle carcasses were retained recently because 

 of infestations with cysticerci. In tracing the origin of these cattle, it was 

 determined that they came from a farm that had no toilet facilities, the barn 

 and chicken house being used as places for defecation by a man and his 

 wife who had charge of the cattle-feeding operations. The only source of 

 water supply for the cattle was a small pond located about a hundred yards 

 from the farm house; all the drainage from the dwelling, barn and chicken 

 house ran directly into this pond. Through the assistance of the State Board 

 of Health, it was determined that the wife of the cattle feeder, who com- 

 plained of being sick, was infested with Taenia saginata. Considering the 

 primitive conditions under which this couple lived, it is not surprising that 

 one third of the cattle that were fed on this farm became infested with 

 tapeworm cysts. 



While the consumption of raw or slightly cured fish will probably strike 

 the readers of this article as a freak habit of certain northern European im- 

 migrants, the consumption of raw and rare beef is certainly a well-estab- 

 lished American custom. Steaks cooked rare are frequently raw in the 

 middle, and rare roast beef is certainly a common American dish. It is not 

 surprising, therefore, that infestation with the beef tapeworm is quite com- 

 mon in the United States. No adequate statistical information is available 

 on this point, since there is no agency in the United States for collecting 

 this sort of information. Several physicians with whom the writer of this 

 paper has discussed this point stated that cases of human tapeworm infesta- 

 tion are encountered by them, sometimes several times a year in routine 

 practice. That tapeworm infestation in man is not more common in this 

 country is due entirely to the protection that is afforded to the consumer 

 by the vigilant federal meat inspection service and competent state and 

 local meat inspection units. 



Beef tapeworm infestation in man occurs in all parts of the world where 

 beef is used for food. In Abyssinia, where beef is regularly eaten raw, prac- 



