TRICHINOSIS IN PRUSSIA. 
195 
the objections that has been urged against the proposed 
measure is the cost of providing animal lymph. But Mr. 
Sclater-Booth is reported to have said that the expense would 
not be great, and that the lymph referred to could easily be 
provided if the public demanded it. The main question that 
remains seems, therefore, to be whether the public do or do 
not demand it. If they do, there could be no great objection 
to making the change suggested.— Globe, Feb. 10th. 
TRICHINOSIS IN PRUSSIA. 
An official return recently published states that during the 
year 1877 the number of pigs in Prussia discovered on exam¬ 
ination to be trichinous was 162,800, as against 172,000 in the 
previous year. In the Stettin district ninety-eight cases of 
trichinosis in man came under observation, of which fifty-four 
were in the city of Stettin alone. In this district microscopic 
examination of pork exposed for sale is undertaken in certain 
isolated localities only. 
In the Merseburg district three epidemics of this nature were 
recorded in certain villages where, as a rule, pork is eaten 
raw, or only very partially cooked. At Hoxter fifty-two cases 
of the disease were recorded within the year. 
The question as to the origin of these outbreaks is greatly 
complicated by the fact that many of the salt sides of bacon 
so largely imported from America are often trichinous, the 
proportion thus affected being returned by some authorities 
as \ per cent.; while others have found it in their experience 
to be not less than 4 per cent, of the total numbers examined. 
To prevent the country being literally invaded by the disease, 
Government has been forced to have recourse to extremely 
strong measures. No pork may now be offered for sale as 
food for human consumption except such as has been per¬ 
sonally inspected by experts specially approved to make mi¬ 
croscopic examinations of it, and declared by them to be free 
from disease. The value of this precaution of course depends 
in great measure upon the zeal and ability of the officials thus 
employed, but, unfortunately, many of them are from some 
reason or other unsuited for the duties entrusted to them. 
Among the inspectors are medical men, veterinary sur¬ 
geons, and butchers. The butchers, as a rule, are lamentably 
ignorant of the use of the instruments supplied to them, and 
only continue to spoil them. They generally report the meat 
submitted to them to be sound, and apparently they must 
have done their best to detect trichinae, for in the W eissenfels 
district alone 46 out of 125 instruments issued have been re¬ 
turned as (( worn out ” or “ spoiled.” 
