1889.] PUBLIC DOCUMENT— No. 34. 133 



out of 351, or 42.4 per cent.) of all the raisei-s whose hogs 

 have been examined have had hogs containing trichinie. 

 Even this statement does not give an adecjuate idea of the 

 prevalence of the infection, because, in the majority of the 

 cases Avhere no parasites were found, the number of hogs 

 examined was very small (e. (/,, in 166 out of the 202 non- 

 trichinous cases, fewer than 6 hogs were examined). Per- 

 haps a more adequate idea of the prevalence of the parasite 

 is to be had from the list of 56 already cited (see Table III., 

 page 120), which embraces all the raisers who have furnished 

 15 or more hogs for the examinations here reported. Out 

 of these 56 only 5 have furnished hogs destitute of trichina?, 

 and the number of hogs examined from each of these five 

 raisers was respectively 17, 15, 18, 16, 16. It is, therefore, 

 evident that no person whose hogs have been examined to 

 the number of 19 raised pork destitute of the parasite. It 

 is at least a striking coincidence, that, out of so many raisers 

 whose hogs are badly infected with trichinae, such a propor- 

 tion have fed city offal. 



What can be done further towards settling the question of 

 the sources of infection ? It appears to me desirable : ( 1 ) 

 To ascertain if there are any raisers who feed brewery swill, 

 or any other food containing no meat, to the exclusion of 

 all kitchen offal. If there are such, to secure the examina- 

 tion of all the hogs they slaughter, ascertaining at the 

 same time whether trichinous rats are to be found about 

 their premises. (2) To make arrangements, by subsidies 

 if necessary, with certain raisers who are known to have fed 

 city offal and to have furnished badly infected hogs, to the 

 end that some other feed, containing neither meat nor 

 kitchen offal, shall be substituted for that at present used. 

 This change of feed must, of course, extend over the 

 whole lifetime of every pig upon which examinations ai^e 

 made for the purpose of ascertaining the effect of the absence 

 of city offal. (3) To continue the examinations for trichinio 

 in pigs slaughtered at the State institution where the reform 

 as regards the feeding of viscera has been effected, and where 

 uncooked meat is now excluded from the feed, in order to 

 ascertain what effect these changes produce. (4) To secure a 

 more complete co-operation on the part of other State institu- 



