pliance ot tile medicai art nact been tried, and the disease had been observed with. such extreme care that its various features can hereafter be recognized without difficulty. The violence of an attaek seems to depend consider ably on the number of parasites introduced into the patient's intestinal canal; something also depends, probably, on the length of thne the parent parasites live, or the number of broods they produce. The previous constitution and strength of the lifferer also modify this as they do other disorders. Cases which have occurred in the United States have closelyresembled those recorded in Germany, of which that of the ser vant girl above mentioned may be taken as a. type. The disease makes its appearance a few days after the introduction of infested food, with abdominal pain and tenderness, nausea or vomit ing, a feeling of lassitude, loss of appetite and high fever. This condition of things is due to the development of the larvm in the intestinal canal, and to the irritation produced by their penetration of its walls .and contiguous mem branes. Later in the disease, and as the travel ing parasites reach their destination in the mus cles, occur vague but severe pains, with marked stiffness. The muscles swell, become tense and hard, and are exceedingly painful on movement. As the case proceeds, from the third to the fifth week, there is frequently great difficulty in breathing, probably dependent on the invasion of the respiratory muscles by the parasite. Paralysis from the degeneration of the affected muscular tissues is found in some severe cases, and some times continues in a more or less degree for some time after the other symptoms have disappeared. Death is generally preceded by extensive inflam mation of the lungs, and sometimes by delirium. Convalescence, in cases terminating favorably, is slow. The duration of an attack may be stated to be from four to eight weeks; that of recovery as much longer. In this country, so far, the disease has been almost exclusively developed in our citizens of German birth. American cookery is much more thorough, at least in the case of meats, than is that of 'Europe, especially in the West, where most of the epidemics of trichinosis have occurred among our adopted citizens, and it is perhaps fortunate that an amount of cooking which makes beef ahnost totally indigestible, is necessary to render pork fit for human consump tion, even when unaffected by parasitic disease. The treatment of trichinosis in the human sub ject has so far been unsatisfactory In its results.
In order to clear away any mature parasites which may be in the intestinal canal, the use of cathartics, such as castor oil, is recommended. Mozler and Niemeyer unite in advising that ben zine, in doses of one or two fluid drachms, in gel atine capsules, should be given for its supposed efficacy against the intestinal Trichinse. The pain may be modified by long-continued hot baths. Quinine, in small doses, for the fever, stimulants for the prostration, and iron, in some form, for the anmmia during convalescence, are obvious resources. But far more good is to be accomplished by prevention than by treatment. Pork in every form, should be thoroughly cooked before being eaten. If all meats presented for sale iu markets could be examined microscopi cally before being sold, it would be the most efficacious means of preventing future epidemics. In many parts of Germany, but more particularly in Prussia, legal means of prevention have been attempted with con,,iderable success. Either the butcher is compelled to own and use a micro scope for the examination of the meat of the animals slaughtered by him, or to submit such rneat to the inspection • of a government official provided with proper instruments of investiga tion. Microscopes for the especial purpose of detecting Trichmse are now manufactured and for sale throughout Germany, accompanied by such directions and descriptions as will enable any one. of ordinary intelligence to detect the parasite in any of its forms. Of course severe penalties enforce the examination of meat ex posed for sale, and several butchers have been punished for neglect or violation of the laws in this respect. Late investigations have not shown anything essentially different from the foregoing. Investigations made by the editor some years ago, on pork fed on grass and corn, exclusively, failed to show the presence of triehinse. The flesh of a hog fed on slaughter-house refuse, allowed many trichinm, ad also did the flesh of a hog kept in"st close pen and fed on city garbage, principally hotel waste. The conclusion was that in both cases the triehinse came largely from rats and other verminous animals consumed. So the late investigations made in Europe, have failed to show that American corn-fed pork is rwxious. In fact, the parasites, in a majority of instances, have been traced directly to home-fed pork.