CHAPTER XX. 



THE PRESERVATION OF MEAT, EGGS, VEGETABLES, AND FRUIT. 



129. Storage in Cold Chambers. 



IT has been established by the researches of MEISSNEE and ROSENBACH (I.), 

 G. HAUSEU (III.), F. ZAHN (I.), J. VON FODOR (I.), and others, that the blood 

 and flesh of healthy animals are entirely free from fungi. On the other hand, 

 the contents of the digestive organs are exceedingly rich in Schizomycetes, higher 

 fungi not being absent, though their number is quite subordinate to that of the 

 former organisms. As was shown by D. POPOFF (1.), the digestive canal of the 

 healthy new-born animal is, at the moment of birth, free from bacteria. These, 

 however, subsequently obtain access, principally in the food, and the contents 

 of the bowels become extremely rich in microbes. According to the researches 

 of NENCKI and FREY (I.), such species as decompose the carbohydrates predomi- 

 nate in the small intestine in man, whereas in the large intestine the microbes 

 productive of albuminoid putrefaction exert their sway* s . 



If, now, the carcase of a slaughtered animal be left without being disem- 

 bowelled, these saprophytes will make their way through the capillary vessels 

 of the intestinal villi into the arteries, the alkaline contents of which (rich in 

 albumen), are unusually favourable for the development of these acid-shy putre- 

 factive bacteria, so that the entire carcase quickly begins to undergo decompo- 

 sition. This can be prevented by the excision of the entire length of the 

 alimentary canal from oesophagus to rectum inclusive, and if this long-known 

 and practised precaution be adopted, then the remaining flesh, &c., will be per- 

 fectly free from fungi. If putrefaction subsequently arises, it is due to the 

 bacteria from external sources (air, supports, butchers' hands, &c.) obtaining 

 access to and settling in the flesh. Their gradual penetration by way of the 

 blood-vessels into the interior of the flesh was studied by S. TROMBETTA (I.) and 

 by Gartner. The latter found them only in the external layers in the case of 

 meat three days old, but, at the end of another seven days, they had penetrated 

 to a depth of 2 cm. below the surface. Since the sources of this bacterial 

 infection cannot be entirely shut off, though they may be considerably reduced 

 by cleanly procedure, attempts are made to prevent the increase of these parasites 

 in the flesh. 



The oldest known remedy is cojd, but in order to realise expectations, the 

 temperature must be kept several degrees below zero (0.), and this is the method 

 pursued in the large (export) abattoirs in America (Chicago in particular) and 

 Australia. Immediately a beast is killed and disembowelled, the carcase is 

 placed in a refrigerating chamber and then transported in cooled railway trucks, 

 and cold chambers on shipboard, to its destination in a frozen state. Thus, for 

 instance, there appear daily in the London market hundreds of carcases of 

 Australian sheep still frozen hard. In a similar manner Central Europe has 

 been for several years supplied with haddocks prepared for shipment in the north 

 ,'of Norway (Vardb) by being frozen at - 40 R. ( - 50 C ) directly they are caught 

 and cleaned, and being then shipped in this condition in specially built steamers. 

 ,The freezing of meat does not kill the germs present, but merely hinders their 



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