272 



FARMER'S CYCLOPEDIA OF LIVE STOCK 



bacteria in the intestines have no op- 

 portunity to penetrate into the meat. 

 The case is quite different with fowls, 

 for undrawn poultry may lie for months 

 in cold storage and then be exposed foi 

 several days at a warm temperature be- 

 fore being eaten. In the meantime, the 

 bacteria and repulsive odors from the 

 intestines have penetrated into the meat. 

 It is, in fact, a cause of some wonder thai, 

 such meat is ever eaten without caus- 

 ing trouble. 



In examining meat in cases of meat 

 poisoning various bacteria have been 

 found, such as the common coli bacillus, 

 Bacillus enteritidis, B. bovis morbificans, 

 etc. As a rule, only the outer surface of 

 the meat is infected, if the animal was 

 originally healthy. Good meat exposed 

 even for a period of 10 days should not 

 allow the penetration of bacteria to a 

 greater depth than y 2 inch. It should 

 be remembered, however, that from the 

 moment of slaughter until it is placed 

 on the table, meat may undergo a greac 

 variety of alterations. 



Meat may be contaminated by care- 

 less handling in slaughtering. After 

 slaughter it at once shows an acid fer- 

 mentation which, within bounds, im- 

 proves the flavor and makes the meal 

 more tender. Wild game decomposes 

 more slowly than the meat of domestic 

 animals. But all meat begins to decom- 

 pose as soon as the animal is dead. "We 

 soon have the condition known as high, 

 hautgout, etc. Meat readily absorbs 

 bad odors or metallic poisons, such as 

 white lead. It may be contaminated by 

 insects and all sorts of bacteria from the 

 dust of the street and unclean hands. 

 Some of these bacteria cause the forma- 

 tion of more or less virulent toxins, 

 some hasten decomposition, some pro- 

 duce color or light. Thus we have the 

 so-called gray coloration of sausage, phos- 

 phorescent meat, rancidity of fat. 



Cooking does not prevent decomposi- 

 tion. Some of the worst cases of meat 

 poisoning have occurred from eating 

 meat which had been kept too long after 

 cooking. 



Meat which has been kept in cold 

 storage decomposes rapidly after removal 

 and must be eaten at once. A high 

 blood content in the meat also favors 

 decomposition. Sausages are so often 

 prepared from partly decomposed scrap 

 meat that we need not wonder at the 

 frequency and severity of sausage poi- 

 soning. It is usually due to the presence 

 of Bacillus bohilinus in the sausage and 



is fatal in from 30 to 40 per cent of 

 cases. Poisonous effects are also occa- 

 sionally observed from eating minced 

 meat, clams, oysters, etc. The preserva- 

 tion of meat against decomposition has 

 already been discussed under Slaughter- 

 ing and Curing Meat. From the above 

 brief outline of the subject of meat in- 

 spection as it affects the farmer, it is 

 apparent that the meat inspector has an 

 important duty to perform. We may 

 now consider how he does it. 



Inspection by federal authority — Ac- 

 cording to Act of Congress of 1891, 

 amended in 1895, the proprietors of 

 slaughterhouses, canning, salting, pack- 

 ing or rendering establishments who 

 carry on interstate or foreign business, 

 must agree to abide by the inspection 

 rules of the Bureau of Animal Industry. 

 An inspector, together with assistant in- 

 spectors and microscopists, is appointed 

 to take charge of the examination and 

 inspection of animals and their products 

 in each institution of this sort. The in- 

 spector and those under his direction 

 have free access to all parts of the build- 

 ings and premises used in the slaughter 

 of animals and the conversion of their 

 carcasses into food products. 



In the inspection of live animals all 

 are rejected which show evidence of any 

 of the following diseases: Hog cholera, 

 swine plague, anthrax, rabies, malignant 

 epizootic catarrh, mange, scab, lumpy 

 jaw, pneumonia, pleurisy, enteritis, 

 peritonitis, metritis, Texas fever, tuber- 

 culosis, hemorrhagic septicaemia, and 

 black leg; moreover, animals are rejected 

 on account of pregnancy, fever, imma- 

 turity, emaciation, wounds, abscesses, 

 suppurating sores and tumors. All ani- 

 mals, whether passed or rejected in the 

 ante-mortem inspection, are again in- 

 spected after slaughter. 



The carcass and internal organs are 

 passed or condemned according to the 

 findings and according to the known 

 facts regarding the harmfulness and in- 

 fectiousness of animal diseases. All 

 cases of anthrax, rabies, pyemia, septi- 

 caemia, Texas fever, hemorrhagic septi- 

 caemia, and blackleg are condemned in 

 toto, as are also extensive or generalized 

 cases of swine plague, hog cholera, ma- 

 lignant catarrh, scab, tuberculosis, lym- 

 phadenitis, jaundice, and urticaria. 

 Moreover, condemnation takes place in 

 cases of advanced pregnancy, emacia- 

 tion, calves, pigs and lambs under four 

 weeks of age, parasitic ieterohematuria 

 of sheep, and uremia. . 



