Rensselaer Republican, Volume 21, Number 53, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 5 September 1889 — DEATH FROM TRICHINOSIS. [ARTICLE]

DEATH FROM TRICHINOSIS.

A Victim of This Awful Disease In j New York. Joseph Pal mi, a laborer, died at Bellevue Hospital; Wednesday, of that fortunately rare but extremely painful disease, trichinosis. This disease may be described to the technical reader as the propagation and infinite multiplicac tion of minute living worms in the muscles of the entire system. It usually arises from the incautious use of raw or partially cooked pork. On last Saturday afternoon the police summoned an ambulance to No. 49 Mulberry street to remove a man who was supposed to be suffering from a severe attack of inflammatory rheumatism. Dr. Henderson, the ambulance surgeon, 60 reported the case on his arrival, and it was thus entered on the books, but when Dr. D. H. Williams, jr. proceeded to examine the patient in his ward, he could not find any of the customary symptoms of inflammatory rheumatism. An interpreter was summoned, when Joseph was closely examined as to his experiences. He stated that the acute plains of which he complained had begun about June 5 and continued to increase in intensity and extent until the ambulance came for him. As these pains had first developed in the stomach and then spread through the body, Dr. Williams decided that it must be a case of trichinosis. Palmi at first denied that he had been eating pork, but finally admitted that about a week before the pains appeared he had purchased Some pigs’ feet of a butcher in Mulberry street near his residence. His wife and children had eaten the food with him. The man suffered terribly, and the physician was compelled to administer opiates, both internally and hypodermically, to ease the excruciating pain caused by the myriads of worms invading every muscle of his writhing body. Though the patient was able to take slight nourishment he continued to grow weaker day after day, until death finally put an end to his sufferings. ‘‘Although I nave not yet completed my diagosis,” said Dr. Williams yesterday. "I have no doubt that the case is one of trichinosis. Palmi acknowledged having eaten pig’s feet during the last week in May, but he must have eaten other kinds of piork, for pig’s feet contain vei*y little muscle, being principally composed of tendons, cartilage and gelatinous matter. According to his statement his wife had a slight attack of abdominal spasms, which are the first symptons of the disease. She, however, seems to have reoovered, though I should not be surprised if the woman was brought here in the same state as her husband was. Trichinosis consists of the breeding of minute worms in the muscles, and they go on multiplying until the entire system is filled with them. Being in the muscles of the pork, which has not been properly cooked — and it must be submitted to a heat of 255 degrees to kill the worms—they are taken into the stomach. Here they began increasing and produce the abdominal spasms which are the initial symptoms then, following the intestinal track they finally pass through the abdominal walls and so enter the lymphatic organs. From that moment the patient is doomed, anless he is so constituted that his system can resist the trichina when they become encysted and die. If they are too strong for resistance they go on living in the muscles until the latter decompose and death ensues very quickly.

‘•WSehTarmFwaiilfiret brought here I took a piece of muscle from his forearm and discovered that he had previously suffered from the disease, because - there were encysted worms visible in it After he died portions of the muscles in’ the calf and shoulder were removed, and these we intend examining under the microscope just as the portions are, and then they will be hardened and their transverse sections prepared for further, examination. But there is no doubt that our diagnosis is the correct one. One of the symptoms is an intense thirst and agonizing pain, both of which were present in this case. Usually trichinosis is developed from pork which is eaten raw, and people frequently have it who are in the habit of eating raw Westphalia harps and bologna sausage. But pork is hot the only meat which is capable of developing trichina, for they are found in the muscles of dogs and cats,' rats and mice, and even moles, all of which animals eat pork. The origin of trichinae is unknown, and they may be inherited for all we know.”—New York World.