Human Physiology. 



whole body of a measly hog is filled with cysticerci, or unde- 

 veloped tape-worms, as various animals are filled with trichinae. 

 These parasites may, indeed, be destroyed by thorough cooking, 

 but animal flesh filled with parasites must be diseased, and 

 cannot be nice or healthy eating. It must be noticed, also, 

 that dead flesh of diseased men, and of equally diseased animals, 

 developes in itself most virulent poisons. How many surgeons 

 have been poisoned severely, and often fatally, by the mere 

 prick of a scalpel, when engaged in a dissection or postmortem 

 examination ! And we must not forget the vast quantities of 

 meat and fish seized every year in the markets in London 

 flesh of diseased animals, or too far gone in putrefaction to be 

 fit for human food. Is it probable that a tenth is seized that 

 ought to be ? If it were, such food would cease to be offered. 

 And what is the probable condition of the great quantities of 

 animal carcasses made up into meat pies, head cheese, collared 

 beef, potted meats, and sausages? There can be no doubt that 

 the consumption of unwholesome flesh, the flesh of diseased 

 animals, or the flesh of healthy animals undergoing putrefac- 

 tion, is a very fertile source of disease. Unripe, bad-condi- 

 tioned and decaying grains, fruits, and vegetables, are not 

 healthy ; but they have no such virulence of disease, and no 

 such abominatio'ns of nastiness, as belong to the masses of 

 flesh exposed for sale, and eagerly bought by the poorer classes 

 of our population. 



Men die of famine. We know it too well, when at some 

 seasons there are coroners' inquests every day in the metropolis 

 with the verdict, " Died of starvation." But where one dies of 

 such actual and immediate want, many slowly sink of disease 

 brought on by insufficient and improper nutrition. The com- 

 mon food of the very poor in England is bread the dry, 

 alumy, adulterated bread of the bakers for the poorer classes, 

 who make large loaves by over raising, destroying the nutritive 

 properties of the flour. The bran, which is the richest part of 



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