Common Parasites 29 



twelfth inch long. The larval form is about one twenty-fifth inch 

 long. The mature form infests the intestines and the larvae the 

 muscles. The larvae may be found in the muscles of infested ani- 

 mals in small cysts lodged between the muscles. The muscles of 

 the jaw, tongue, diaphragm and inner face of the ham are favorite 

 seats of lodgment. The worms may be found by the aid of a low 

 power microscope. 



Symptoms. During intestinal infestation loss of appetite, 

 diarrhoea and loss of condition may result. During the period of 

 migration of larvae through the muscles symptoms of muscular 

 rheumatism may be observed in both man and hog. There is pain, 

 fever, restlessness and in some cases a fatal termination. 



Treatment. Prevention of infestation consists in the proper dis- 

 posal of human excrement, preventing hogs and rats from eating 

 uncooked pork offal or carcasses, and the use of worm destroying 

 remedies as previously recommended for intestinal worms. 



Prevention in man consists entirely in thorough cooking of all 

 pork used for human food, whether fresh or salted. Investigations 

 have proven that the ordinary methods of curing pork are not suf- 

 ficient to destroy all larvae of trichina in muscular tissue. 



Tape Worm Cysts. Pork Measles, Measly Pork (Cysticercus cellu- 

 losae), (Larvae of Tenia solium). 



No mature form of tape worm has been found in the hog but 

 this species of animal is the intermediate host of the Tenia solium, 

 the large armed tapeworm of man. Only the larval stage of devel- 

 opment is passed in the hog. The parasites are found in cysts, 

 varying in size from that of a rice grain to that of a bean, situated 

 between the muscle fibres in certain favorite locations. The mus- 

 cles of the tongue, heart and loin are the most common seats of in- 

 festation. Upon examination under a low power microscope the 

 cysts are found to contain the head and two segments of a tape- 

 worm. The eating of pork infested in this manner is the means by 

 which people become infested with this species of tapeworm. This 

 is an additional reason for the thorough cooking of all pork. 



As no symptoms of infestation are manifested by infested hogs 

 we are interested in it mainly from the standpoint of health. In- 

 festation of hogs may be avoided by means of proper disposal of 

 human excrement. The mature parasite being an inhabitant of the 

 human intestines where its eggs are produced, it may readily be 

 seen that proper sanitary precautions are as necessary on the farm 

 as in town as preventive measures. 



On too many farms are to be found grossly unsanitary conditions 

 which would not be tolerated at all in a well governed town or city. 

 There is no reason why these conditions should exist, as arrange- 

 ments for proper sanitation can be made with very little expense 

 and labor. 



