HEALTH AND DISEASE 319 



of pork for trichinae is practiced in some European countries. Such in- 

 spection, however, is inherently imperfect, many infected carcasses, espe- 

 cially those moderately or hghtly infected, being overlooked. Knowledge 

 of the existence of a microscopic inspection of work would tend to create 

 a false sense of security in the minds of persons who are fond of raw pork, 

 and this would tend to promote rather than discourage the unhygienic 

 custom of eating pork in a raw or semi-cooked state. In the United States, 

 microscopic inspection for trichinae of pork intended for home consump- 

 tion has never been undertaken. Consequently, pork that is passed under 

 federal and other meat inspection as being fit for human food may be in- 

 fested with trichinae, and for this reason pork should always be cooked. 

 If infested pork is eaten raw or insufficiently cooked, serious consequences 

 are apt to follow and sometimes do. 



During the year 1937 three serious outbreaks of trichinosis were reported 

 in the press. Through official correspondence, the Bureau of Animal In- 

 dustry ascertained the facts in each outbreak from the health officer of 

 the community concerned or from the physician who treated the patients. 

 These three outbreaks illustrate how trichinosis may be contracted and 

 afford information on the seriousness of this disease. 



Early in December of last year, a farmer, Mr. X, living in Flathead 

 County, Montana, a Russian by birth, and the father of eighteen children, 

 prepared a lot of smoked sausage which contained venison mixed with 

 pork obtained from hogs slaughtered on his own premises.^ These sausages 

 were eaten by X and his immediate family. Some of these home-made 

 sausages were distributed by the kindly father to his married sons and 

 daughters, and they in turn, partook of these home-made products and, 

 with characteristic western hospitality, distributed the surplus products 

 to their friends and neighbors. The available evidence indicates that the 

 immediate family of X, and some members of the families of his sons and 

 daughters and those of some of their friends ate these products without 

 cooking or only after slight cooking or warming. As a consequence thirty- 

 eight persons became ill, Mr. X and members of his immediate family being 

 the first ones to show symptoms of illness. 



The first symptoms shown by the members of the stricken family were 

 a general tired feehng and headache, these being followed by nausea, vomit- 

 ing and sharp gastro-intestinal pains. These early symptoms were followed 

 later by pains in the eyes and a marked swelling of the lower eyelids; at the 

 same time marked swellings were noted in the muscles of the lower por- 

 tion of the abdomen and in the flexor muscles of the limbs. The symptoms 

 mentioned, especially the early symptoms, were, in the opinion of the at- 

 tending physician, suggestive of food poisoning, and it was suspected that 

 the venison which was one of the constituents of the sausage might have 



1 The account of this outbreak is based on information supplied by the attending 

 physician. 



