Proceedings of the Farziers' Club. 399 



stands how it happens that such ignorant, clumsy creatures in heavy 

 cow-hide boats and pea-jackets are so brave, generous and reliable in 

 the phosphoric influence the brain receives from a fish diet, on whieh 

 they are mainly fed from early childhood. Dr. Smith proceeded to 

 speak of the quality of the meats sold in our markets. This, he said, 

 is, very much of it, not of first quality. Being either too fat or too 

 lean is no evidence of its nutritious properties, although so received. 

 Very extraordinary processes for making animals marketable develops 

 disease in them, which would ultimately terminate in death, were 

 they not slaughtered before the system begins to exhibit very promi- 

 nently the vital disturbance that has commenced. The liver is 

 affected, owing to interference with the laws of digestion ; lungs are 

 ulcerated by restricted freedom ; pork is measly, particularly that fed 

 near cities. The tape-worm has frequently been traced from hogs to 

 humans. We are the greatest pork-eaters of the present age, and 

 eruptions, blotches, boils, tumid patches of inflamed skin on the face, 

 pimpled noses, scrofulous enlargements of the glands of the neck, 

 and even ulcers, to say nothing of many other internal difficulties, are 

 thought by many Learned physicians to be the direct consequence of 

 this taste. Certain it is that Jews and American Shakers have clearer 

 complexions, and are freer from those annoyances than any other 

 people who have come under our medical observation. Neither of 

 them raise swine or touch pork, which is held by tbem in utter detes- 

 tation. There is an ingenious mode of making meats salable in our 

 markets, which carry directly into the human stomach materials that 

 produce various forms of sickness, which are charged to all causes but 

 the true one. It is sausage-making. Of the process of this manu- 

 facture, Dr. Smith gave this appetizing description, which may interest 

 country readers : 



Bones of the head, joints and fragments are scraped together, after 

 all the best of the flesh has been prepared in other forms, and chopped 

 and compounded with pepper, salt and garden herbs, to disguise the 

 quality of the meat, and thus death is retailed at a satisfactory profit. 

 The mixtures thus served as country sausages are abominable. Coun- 

 try sausages are presumed to have been manufactured from sound, 

 wholesome meat, with clean hands and clean vessels. But, alas, the 

 imposition is so skillfully managed, that tons upon tons of country- 

 made sausages are really made in New York — the scrapings 

 of bones that should be given to starving dogs instead of being 

 sold for human food. A building belonging to me some years 

 since was interviewed one day, with a curiosity to ascertain what 



