Nov. 15, 1925 
Feeding Animals With Trichinous Meat 
947 
ing dates: January 2, 4, 7, and 9, 1925. No ill effects were observed 
in these animals during the period of several weeks in which they 
were under observation. 
DISCUSSION 
On the basis of experiments described in this paper, in which 
relatively large quantities of meat containing nonviable trichinae 
were fed to animals with consistently negative results, it may be 
concluded that neither the dead trichinae themselves nor the muscles 
in which they were are encysted are injurious when ingested by 
animals susceptible to trichinosis, namely, rats, dogs, and cats. 
There is no reason to doubt the view that susceptible animals other 
than those used in these experiments, including human beings, would 
likewise be unaffected as a result of the ingestion of cooked trichinous 
meat or of trichinous meat refrigerated sufficiently to destroy the 
vitality of trichinae. If toxic substances are present in encapsuled 
trichinae and in the muscles in which they are lodged, these substances 
are either destroyed in the process of cooking and refrigeration or 
are broken down or neutralized in the course of digestion before 
they can exert deleterious effects on test animals. 
The experiments described in this paper are in agreement with the 
commonly accepted view that after trichinous meat has been cooked 
sufficiently, refrigerated sufficiently, or treated by some other method 
known to destroy the vitality of trichinae, it is no longer capable of 
producing the symptoms characteristic of trichinosis. These experi¬ 
ments are useful in supplying an experimental verification of a view 
that has been commonly accepted on the basis of belief rather than 
on the basis of experimental proof. 
SUMMARY 
Rats, dogs, and cats were found to be tolerant of heavy doses of 
meat containing nonviable trichinae, exhibiting no ill effects as a 
result of repeated ingestion of such meat. These observations are 
in harmony with the generally accepted view that pork in which 
trichinae have been destroyed by cooking or by some other method 
known to devitalize trichinae will not produce any of the symptoms 
characteristic of trichinosis or other harmful effects. 
