TRICHINAE 



185 



food laboratory. Even if the meat is found to contain trichinae 

 it does not warrant condemnation procedures, because these organ- 

 isms are harmless provided the meat is properly cooked be- 

 fore eating ; however, it cannot be denied that no consumer could 

 be persuaded to use meat thus infected. The examination of 

 pork for the presence of encysted trichinae was at one time a 

 regular routine in the larger slaughtering houses of America be- 

 cause of the European (largely German) boycott against Ameri- 



FIG. 62. Actinomyces boms from broth culture (X 1000). (Williams.) 



can pork. In recent years the routine examination for trichinae 

 has been very generally abandoned. 



Trichinae are not uniformly distributed in the muscular 

 tissue of the animal. They are most abundant in the diaphragm, 

 next in the base of the tongue, in the laryngeal, lumbar, mas- 

 ticatory, and abdominal muscles and nearest the tendinous 

 insertions of the bones. They are never found in adipose tis- 

 sue. They may occur in wild hogs, in dogs and in bears and of 

 course also in man. To examine meat for trichinae, cut bits 



