274 CONTAGIOUS DISEASES OF DOMESTICATED ANIMALS. 



cine, went to Prussia to investigate the origin and nature of the disease 

 and learn what he coakl in regard to the healthfuluess of American 

 pork, ^ot only did he find that these particular cases of trichiniasis 

 were due to German hogs, but such eminent and well-known authori- 

 ties as Professors Yirchow and Hertwig, who have charge of the pork in- 

 spection at Berlin, asserted most ])ositively that no case of trichiniasis in 

 Germany had ever been clearly traced to American jjork, although the 

 l^eople, as is their habit, persist in eating it raw.* 



The so-called outbreak of trichiniasis on board the English reforma- 

 tory school-ship Cornwall has been much quoted as illustrating the 

 danger of American salted pork, but when closely investigated it jiroves 

 to be an illustration of jumping at conclusions without evidence, as al- 

 ways seems to have been the case where trichiniasis has been attributed 

 to our meats. This outbreak of disease occurred between September 

 "23 and October 23, 1879, and forty-three boys were attacked out of a' 

 total of two hundred and sixty-two boys and fifteen officers on the ship. 

 The idea that tbe disease was trichiniasis seems to have been an after- 

 thought, for the only examination made was of the body of one of the 

 boys two months after it had been buried. Doctors Powell and Cory 

 thought they found trichiusB in the muscles, and concluded the disease 

 must have originated from the American pork, which was used on board 

 the ship; but no examination of this pork appears to have been made, 

 and we are not at all certain that English pork was not used as well. 

 Fortunately, specimens taken from the corpse were submitted for ex- 

 amination to that well-known scientist. Dr. Charlton Bastian, and he 

 pronounced the worms not trichinae at all, but a hitherto unknown uem- 

 atoid, which he classed with the genus Pelodera, calling the species 

 Felodera setigera. Dr. Cobbold, who is one of the very best authorities 

 on this subject, asserts very positively' that the worm was the Pelodera 

 teres, and had probably invaded the body after death.! As this worm 

 has never been known to exist as a parasite in the hog, the assumption 

 that the disease was produced by eating pork is an entirely gratuitous 

 one, and the further assumption that it was due to the American pork 

 is evidently without the least foundation.| 



England has been one of the largest consumers of American bacon, 

 hams, and pork, taking even in 1880 and 1881, when this trade reached 

 its largest proportions abroad, five times as much as either France or 

 Germany. Belgium has also been a large consumer. The Gomite con- 

 sultatif d?hygiene puhlique de France said in a recent oflicial report that 

 in order to determine the danger from the use of American pork the}' 

 had recently made new inquiries in England and Belgium. In England 

 they were told that trichiniasis was so completely unknown that it was 



* P. Brouardel, L'Epiddniie de tricliiuose d'Ermesleben. Bui. de I'Acad. de M6d., Paris, 

 1883, p. 1501. 



tVeteriuarian, 1884, p. 4. 



t Power, W. H. Outbreak of Fever proved to be Tricliiuiasis on board Reformatory 

 School-ship Coruwall. Rep. Med. Off. Local Gov. Bd., 1879. Loudou, 1880. 



