A Pig From Jersey Summary and Analysis

Herman Sauer was an average fellow with an uneventful life as a dishwasher. In April, 1942, he experienced symptoms of a high fever and itching and proceeded to a New York hospital for treatment. Because his vital signs all appeared normal, the attending physician was not alarmed, but took a sample of his blood for testing. The test revealed trichinosis. Trichinosis is caused by a parasitic worm that lodges in muscle fibers, and, in man, the infection is difficult to treat. The method of human infection is most often through pork which is not thoroughly cooked. It now fell to the New York Health Department to determine the source, in order to both identify other cases and to prevent further outbreaks. Herman Sauer was not fully conscious but did manage to utter one term - Schlachtfest...