138 



at pleasure. Eacli worm in twenty-four hours makes a tliousand more. This 

 Dr. Kiefer cut out small pieces from her chest and gave to each of the other 

 doctors. If you look through a microscope glass you can see these worms dis- 

 tinctly. They are not visible to the naked eye. Her sister and mother both 

 died the same way." 



Since writing the foregoing, we have received the following letter from Dr, 

 Kiefer, the attending physician in this case : 



"Detroit, MarcJi 13, 1866. 



"Dear Sir: Assistant Postmaster Smith sent me your letter, written by you 

 to Mr. Howard, with the request to answer it in the absence of Mr. Howard. 

 As the attending physician of the case of Trichiniasis referred to, I have to 

 state, that the talk about eating ' Bologna sausage ' is without foundation. 

 The woman who died with this sickness had lived here for about four months, 

 having left Germany in the end of June last. The sickness exists in that part 

 of Germany; still no cases were known in the same place where she came from. 

 In about a month we will have information if any cases happened in her family 

 in the old country. Besides, it is not probable at all that she should have 

 brought her sickness with her, as the time she lived here before taken sick is 

 too long to justify such an opinion. The lady in the house where she lived 

 here is sick with the same symptoms, but not so severe ; she was not in Ger- 

 many, and has eaten no imported 'Bologna sausages.' 



"Other cases have been reported from Buffalo and St. Louis, and there is no 

 doubt, in my opinion, that trichina spiralis exists, and existed always where 

 hogs exist. For particulars about the case under my treatment I refer you to 

 the Detroit Medical Review, a journal to appear this month, when Mr. Howard 

 will send you a copy. 



" Ver^ respectfully, yours, 



" HEEMAM KIEFER, M. D." 



We thank Mr. Kiefer for his prompt reply to our inc[uiries. And, whilst our 

 present knowledge of this case seems to point to an American origin, it is by 

 no means clear that it is not German. We, as yet, know too little of the disease 

 to determine how long trichina may continue propagating in the human system 

 before a fatal sickness is developed ; nor can we tell but that the case of the 

 woman mentioned by him may have originated from the trichina of the Ger- 

 man girl. We know that the human family derive the tape- worm of the dog 

 {tcenia echinococcus,) from that animal, and that from other animals other 

 entozoa find a lodgement in the human body. Most strange are the modes of 

 this transfer, and until we know more of the trichina, we cannot determine the 

 precise origin of any case, without it is found in the food consumed by the dis- 

 eased person. This has not been done in the Detroit cases. But, admitting 

 their American origin, we agree with Dr. Kiefer, that the trichina has always 

 existed here, as much as it does now, and we are certain that pork can be eaten 

 as safely now as it could at any previous period. The microscope is showing 

 us that animals are as full of parasites as the water we drink is full of 

 animalculae. 



But our present knowledge of these worms imposes on the American farmer 

 a new duty in their destruction, and, therefore, we suggest to him a remedy 

 against- the trichina. 



