38 



thick joints of meat. Putting science on one side, ordinary 

 cooking seems practically a very effectual preventive, as the 

 disease is extremely rare in countries where raw, or nearly raw 

 food is not eaten. This is seen to be the case in our own country, 

 and in Southern Germany, according to Niemeyer, where the 

 people dislike raw flesh, and even pickled and smoked ham, 

 and sausages, not a single case of acute Trichina poisoning has 

 been reported. In the great epidemic at Kiam, the persons who 

 partook of portions of the lody of the Boar were largely affected, 

 while those who ate of the head, which was better cooked, entirely 

 escaped. 



"With regard to salting, various observations have been made 

 and various opinions expressed. Professor Gerlach pointed out, 

 that only the direct action of salt on the raw pork kills the 

 worms, and that at a depth of one or two inches in pickled meat, 

 they do not die for several weeks. Dr. Belfield says, that the 

 addition of a little sulphurous acid to the brine, kills all the 

 Trichinae without damaging the pork. 



M. Colin thinks, that salting always finally destroys the 

 Trichinae, but it is impossible to determine the lapse of time 

 necessaiy. M. Chatin, on the other hand, maintains that salting 

 does not necessarily kill the worm. Infected meat was preserved 

 in salt and given to guinea pigs, and in several of the animals 

 Trichinee were found. Colin would doubtless answer that it had 

 not been salted long enough. 



As to the effect of heat, it seems quite certain that a tem- 

 perature of ISC'* to 140° F. (the coagulating point of albumen) is 

 fatal to them. M. Vacher recently made some experiments, to 

 ascertain how far this temperature was attained in ordinary 

 cooking. He took a leg of pork of moderate size and boiled it 

 thoroughly. A Thermometer placed within it, at a depth of 

 2^ inches, registered after half-an-hours' boiling, 86" F. ; after an 

 hour, 118° ; after one and-a-half-hours, 149°, and after two and- 

 a-half-hours, 165°. He does not, however, tell us anything of 

 the temperature of the more central parts of the joint. It is 

 tolerably certain that portions of the joint which still remain red, 

 cannot be eaten without risk. 



With these facts before him, Mr. Mundella has, I think, 

 wisely refused to interfere with the importation of pork, until it 

 can be shown that evil consequences have actually resulted. 



