978 



SWINE AND THEIR DISEASES. 



chinae in a pound of human flesh, and Zenker 

 speaks of five million being found in a sim- 

 ilar quantity. The trichina produces about a 

 hundred worms at the end of a week. 



The duration of its life extends from four 

 to five weeks. The number of young in each 

 mother worm is at least from ten to fifteen 

 thousand. The new-born young soon begin 

 their wandering. They penetrate into the 

 interior of the separate muscular bundles, and 

 after fourteen days acquire their full size and 

 organization. 



The infection of man occurs through feed- 

 ing on the flesh of swine. The trichinae are 

 so capable of resistance that they are not al- 

 ways destroyed by the ordinary methods of 

 roasting, cooking, pickling, and smoking. 

 As a rule, swine obtain trichinae from rats, to 

 which latter man, as the natural bearer, con- 

 veys them. Microscopic examination of flesh 

 is the only' reliable preventive against all 

 danger. It appears that the heart, kidneys, 

 liver, brain, and fat of the pig never contain 

 the trichina. 



Pork should always be thoroughly cooked, 

 ' the temperature of the whole mass being 

 raised to not less than 167° F. In this way, 

 the parasites will be destroyed, but danger 

 lurks in all partially cooked or raw pork and 

 sausage. 



Fig. 1811.— Trichina 

 Spiralis. 



A, male ; B, fraud* ; C, 

 embryo. 



Pig. 1319.— Trichina. 



A, portion of muscle Infested with trichina; 

 B, a cyst enlarged ; C, the worm, detached, a, 

 Month ; b, Anus ; c, (Esophagus ; d, Sexual or- 

 gan; e, Tallow bodies. 



