

35 -FOUL FISH AND FILTH FEVERS. 



BY J. LAWRENCE-HAMILTON, 



Member Royal College of Surgeons, London ; Licentiate Royal College of Physicians, Edinburgh. 



DEFINITIONS. 



(1) For practical purposes and for those of this paper " fish " includes aquatic 

 and amphibian animals generally, as well as their products used or capable of being 

 used for food. 



(2) Except where specially stated or implied, I here use the term " fish" to repre- 

 sent food derived from dead aquatic and amphibian animals. 



(3) Except where specially stated or implied, I here use the term " fisherfolk " to 

 include fish catchers, curers. salters, preservers, and fish vendors generally. 



BIBLICAL. 



Accepting the accredited views of the ancient Egyptians, among whom as a quasi 

 poyal prince he spent his early life, Moses considered certain kinds of "fish "and 

 other foods as the producers of "leprosy." The biblical leprosy evidently included 

 almost every kind of skin disease and skin rashes generally. Hence Moses forbade 

 the Jews to eat " fish " without fins and scales — oysters, shellfish, turtle, tortoise, etc. 



Like the ancient Egyptians, Moses also believed that neither "fish" — aquatic 

 and amphibian animals — nor insects and reptiles possessed any blood. Indeed these 

 erroneous views seem to have not alone been indorsed by the rabbis who composed 

 the Talmud, but even now by too many Jewish clergy at home and abroad, who are 

 still alive. 



Whilst Moses forbade the Jews eating hares, rabbits, pigs, and all creeping ani- 

 mals without wings, probably because these foods were then supposed to produce 

 "leprosy" or other diseases in man, nevertheless he allowed his peculiar people to eat 

 flying, creeping things, including such dirty insects as beetles, locusts, scorpions, 

 grasshoppers, etc. Indeed the mere touching or carrying of the carcass of any animal 

 considered unclean made the man and his clothes unclean until the evening, and until 

 after he had thoroughly washed himself and his clothes. The Jews were also forbidden 

 to eat the blood of beast or fowl. (See Leviticus, vii, xi, xiii, xiv.) 



HISTORICAL. 



The subject of fish inspection early engaged the attention of our forefathers. By 



a statute of Edward I, dated 1272, no fishmonger was allowed to water his fish more 



than once. No fresh fish was to be kept in London beyond the second day from its 



capture ; nor was any bad fish to be sold. 



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