TREATMENT OF CHOLERA 203 



waterway, as in this case, and allow the offal to be thrown into 

 the stream without any precautions being taken to render it 

 harmless to animals drinking from the stream lower down in its 

 course. 



Another point illustrated in this case is the need for some well- 

 regulated system of local meat inspection. There can be no ques- 

 tion but what in this case one or more hog-cholera carcasses were 

 slaughtered, and were taken into the city and sold as food to 

 patrons of the market. This is taking place every day in the 

 smaller cities of our country, and is taking place not only in respect 

 to cholera, but also with respect to tuberculosis and other diseases 

 which are directly transmissible to man. 



Almost conclusive proof of this fact was later given in this 

 particular locality, when a farmer located at a considerable dis- 

 tance from the stream mentioned, but who was feeding his hogs 

 with swill collected from a local restaurant owned by his son, had 

 an outbreak of cholera occur on his farm. This restaurant was 

 supplied with meat from the butcher owning the slaughtering 

 establishment in question, and there was little question but what 

 the disease was conveyed to this farm through infected meat 

 trimmings collected with the garbage from this restaurant. Of 

 course, the infection may have reached the farm in some other 

 manner, but the circumstances in this outbreak were such as to 

 point almost conclusively to the meat trimmings as the source of 

 infection. 



Every city of 10,000 or more should have one central slaugh- 

 tering establishment, which should either be owned by the city 

 or co-operatively by the men engaged in the meat trade in the 

 city. This plant should be under the close supervision of the 

 health department of the city, and should have a quaUfied inspec- 

 tor located at the plant at all times when any slaughtering is being 

 done. 



This plant should be sanitary in every respect, and should not 

 be an old tumble-down shack located back in some hollow along 

 the course of a creek, sufficiently far removed from the roadway to 

 prevent the smell of its reeking contamination being detected by 

 passers by. Did you ever notice that a slaughter-house is usually 

 located back a half-mile or more from any public road? Did you 



