A PERSISTENT PARASITE 339 



vigor; new sections grow, and the frightful length 

 of the creature is maintained. Were it to lose al- 

 most its entire length, that would in no wise trouble 

 it ; let only the head remain, firmly held in place by 

 its hooks, and new joints will form until the worm 

 is as long as ever. Until the head is got rid of there 

 is no hope of Deliverance. I could not describe to 

 you, my children, the atrocious sufferings of a per- 

 son afflicted with this formidable parasite so difficult 

 to dislodge. " 



"You give us goose-flesh, " said Emile, "with that 

 five-meters-long worm that keeps growing again, 

 each time stronger than before, provided its head 

 is left/' 



"It must need very serious precaution," Louis re- 

 marked, "not to be attacked by the creature. " 



"The precaution is very simple. Since the tape- 

 worm has its origin in the diseased pig, let us beware 

 of all pork thus infected. This infection, as I told 

 you, is recognizable in the white granules abounding 

 in the flesh, each granule being the abode of a little 

 worm, the first form of the taenia. Raw meats, such 

 as ham and sausage, are the only ones to fear, be- 

 cause salting and drying leave, if not all, at least 

 some of these worms alive. But meat perfectly 

 cooked, either boiled or baked, is absolutely without 

 any danger even if infested with a multitude of these 

 little granules, because heat of a sufficient intensity 

 kills whatever worms they contain. 



"The rule to follow, therefore, is plain: if a pig 

 is diseased, it need not be summarily thrown away; 



