26 THE DISEASES OF DOMESTIC ANIMALS. 



These things discovered — and they must be — we can put an end 

 to porcine trichiniasis, and every other kind. 



American Hogs much more Infected than Continental. 



A comparison of the statistics here given shows beyond all ques- 

 tion that American hogs are more liable to trichiniasis than those of 

 Germany ; for we have seen that in those examined at Rostock we 

 had but 1 to every 3,543 ; at Braunschweig, 1 to 8,963 ; in Prussia, 

 1 to 2,032, as trichinous ; while of the American examinations, 

 from authentic sources, we have 28 out of 1,394, or 1 to 50; 8 

 out of 100, and 345 out of 8,773, or 1 to 25, as infected. These 

 were Western hogs, yet no one well acquainted with the circum- 

 stances would, I think, assert that the hygienic conditions under 

 which our Western swine are raised are not superior to those of the 

 famed " home-fed porkers " of the small New England farmer, raised, 

 as they only too often are, in dark, loathsome, poorly ventilated 

 pens, only too frequently under stables, with the house-vaults and 

 sink-drains emptying into them. 



I should here mention that it has seemed impossible to make 

 any valuable examinations of Massachusetts-raised hogs, there being 

 no authorities to co-operate with me in procuring specimens. It 

 will finally become necessary for each State to organize an exact 

 statistical examination of the hogs raised within its limits, as to the 

 proportion infected with trichinae. 



As to German hogs, whoever has been upon a tour of observa- 

 tion through the agricultural districts of Germany, must have been 

 most forcibly struck with the absurd non-hygienic conditions under 

 which, not only hogs, but all the domestic animals are, in general, 

 raised, in comparison with those of our own country, especially of 

 the great stock-raising West. 



In making examinations of hogs, with reference to tracing them 

 back to the raiser, an important question will be whether the great- 

 est proportion of trichiniasis is found among the hogs fed at the 

 large distilleries, or under the apparently more favorable open-air 

 feeding of the farmer ; or, again, as many farmers pasture their hogs 

 in woods, etc., before the corn is ready for fattening, is it among 

 such that we find more trichiniasis than among those kept con- 

 stantly in pens ? It would also be of interest, and perhaps of practi- 

 cal value, to know if the wild swine of our Southern forests are much 

 invaded, as well as the peccaries of Mexico and South America. 

 The following freely made translations of published remarks of an 

 eminent German, will show the opinions which are gaining ground 



