158 THE DISEASES OF DOMESTIC AXIMALS. 



when all this is completed is the official permission to slaughter 

 given. It is self-evident that onlj' horses suitable for slaughter 

 are brought forward for inspection, and not such as are hastily 

 brought in. If, in a given animal, any suspicious phenomena are 

 observed, which under other circumstances would scarcely be taken 

 into consideration, a definite opinion as to its suitableness for food 

 is withheld until the animal is slaughtered and dressed, which is 

 done under the supervision of the inspector. 



If a horse is found suitable for the purpose, it is at once slaugh- 

 tered, otherwise its slaughter is peremptorily forbidden. The latter 

 takes place in all infectious or feverish diseases, in emaciation, in 

 all cachectic conditions, and in all animals having suppurating 

 wounds. Animals not suffering from infectious diseases al*e al- 

 lowed to be killed for knackers' purposes, a special certificate being 

 filled out for this purpose. Horses, in which symptoms are observed 

 suspicious of glanders, are either consigned to the quarantine sta- 

 tion until a telegram is sent to the knacker, or are given back to 

 the seller (of the horses), when due notice, by telegraph, is at once 

 given to the i^roper veterinary police authorities. 



To the honor of the horse-butchers, it should be mentioned that 

 this seldom occurs ; on the contrary, good horses are generally 

 bought for this purpose, the butchers often making journeys of one 

 hundred to one hundred and fifty miles to procure them, often buy- 

 ing from breeders young horses which from deformities or other 

 reasons are not considered suitable for rearing. They often pay 

 thirty or forty dollars for such horses, which makes evident the 

 value of the business of horse-slaughtering to the community ; for 

 not only is a cheaper article of food, of good quality, offered to the 

 people, but in case of a broken leg, or other misfortune, rendering 

 a horse unsuitable for the work required of it, the owner frequently 

 receives money enough to supply him with an animal suitable to his 

 purposes ; at least he does not suffer a dead loss, as is at present the 

 case in this country, and frequently lame animals are thus relieved 

 from torture, to the material benefit of the owner. In Yienna, sim- 

 ilar conditions to those in Germany prevail, and the inspection and 

 regulation of the traffic are carried on with the greatest circumspec- 

 tion. 



The inspection which is exacted at the horse-slaughtering estab- 

 lishments should be extended to those where other animals are 

 slaughtered. 



Aside from the great benefit which the poorer classes of the 

 community derive from having a cheaper meat than beef for food. 



