TRICniXIASIS OF MAX AND ANIMALS. 07 



in Germany -with regard to our pork, and also how well i)osted 

 even specialists are with reference to the true conditions in this 

 conntry. 



Bollinger* (pathologist of the Veterinary School at Munich), 

 writing on the " Triehinic in American rork," in a review of an 

 article by Iloepcr on the same subject, says : " The author of the 

 paper ' Die Trichinen der americanischen Schinken ' has made 

 numerous examinations in order to contradict the opinion held in 

 America " (by whom ?) " that the trichinae of American ])ork are 

 an entirely ditferent species from those found in the swine of Ger- 

 many, and are harmless. Also to contradict the opinion that the 

 peculiar process which 'American sugar-cured liams' are passed 

 through, is sutHcient to render the parasites harndess." 



lie fonnd both these assertions without foundation. The cm-ing 

 process does not in all cases kill the trichina? in the deeper seated 

 parts of the ham. 



The following absolutely erroneous explanation is given for the 

 greater proportion of trichiniasis in our hogs in comparison with 

 those of Germany : 



"The swine that arc BROuonx to the lxug-e Attiericcui slaughter- 

 houses are allowed to feed upon the refuse from slaughtered swine, 

 and in this way have tbie and opportunity to infect thejnselves. 

 Such infected sicine are themselves slaughtered, and again give cause 

 to infection of those that remain, which may have arrived loiter. 

 Accordingly, this evil must go on constantly extending, and all j)er- 

 sons must earnedly he warned against the consu)njjtio?i of raw 

 Ainerican pork J'' 



This German author certainly betrays ignorance of the true 

 conditions at any large American packing-house. The refuse from 

 the slaughtered sicine is never fed to other swine that may be at 

 such places, at any large packing-house in this country. It is sold 

 for fertilizing purposes, or prepared for that jnirpose, and that 

 only. 



According to the best German authorities, it takes from five to 

 seven days for the newly introduced trichina^ to bring forth young. 

 No large American packing-house keeps a lot of swine on hand for 

 from five to seven days, for they are killed as soon after arrival ns 

 possible. It would be impossible for them to kill from one to three 

 thousand a day and do otherwise. AVliile these iu«isertions are abso- 

 lutely false with reference to the large ])a('king-houscs, they are as 

 strictly true, not only of many smaller establishments, where hogs 

 * " Deutsche Zeitschrift f. Thiemicdicin," vol. i, p. 220. 



