June] EDWARDS — ON TRICHINA SPIRALIS. 179 



consequence of eating pork already containing them. Since 

 this time, thousands of deaths have been traced to this cause, 

 which would previously have been attributed to typhoid, gastric, 

 or rheumatic fever, paralysis, poisoning, or atrophy. Further 

 researches by Virchow of Berlin and Leuckart of Giessen, added 

 greatly to our knowledge of the natural history of the species, and 

 Prof. Dalton has elaborately studied cases of the disease in New 

 York. 



Trichiniasis is now fully established as one of the " ills which 

 flesh is heir to." In several hospital examinations of human 

 bodies after death from various causes, from 2 to 3 per cent, of 

 adults are found to contain old encrusted capsules containing 

 these worms, thus bearing evidence of the existence of this disease 

 at some former period. In the Chicago market a medical com- 

 mission found in the pork offered for sale 2 per cent, of flesh thus 

 infected. 



From these facts it may be inferred that the disease occurs 

 much more frequently than has heretofore been supposed, but 

 that it is only under peculiar circumstnuces that the worm breeds 

 with such excessive rapidity as to cause fatal or even serious 

 results. 



The cases of the disease which have recently occurred on this 

 Continent have caused still further investigations to be made as 

 to its character, the probability of its detection, and the means of 

 cure. Of these cases, those which occurred in the west were fatal, 

 but those in Montreal, being of a slight nature and speedily 

 diagnosed, were treated successfully. The whole literature of the 

 question has been searched for an explanation of the facts which 

 presented themselves in the Montreal cases, and whilst they are 

 found to be in general accordance with cases on record, in some 

 respects they may be considered unique. The history of the 

 Montreal cases may be concisely stated thus : 



On Wednesday, the 24th of March, a family in a boarding- 

 house partook of some hastily-fried ham. Within an hour 

 afterwards two of the adults felt nauseated and had some pain in 

 the stomach. One took a large dose of brandy, and vomited his 

 dinner ; the other felt only abdominal pain, spasms, and faint- 

 ness. He returned from his work and went to bed. During the 

 night his wife and wife's mother felt ill, and suffered from pains 

 in the bowels, together with great feverishness and thirst. During 

 the following day, five other persons, who had partaken of the same 



