35 



men competent to decide tbafc some of these calves bad come into the world only a 

 day or two before and others had been born dead. The effect of such meat upon 

 the health of those unfortunate enough to eat it can readily be surmised ; and here let 

 me say that in my judgment no inspection of meat can be of much value unless it 

 occurs at the slaughter-house and before the vicera has been removed. Many cases 

 of tuberculosis and of contagions pleuro-pneumonia have been detected by the in- 

 spectors, who were able to interrogate the lungs before they were removed from the 

 animal, which would have passed a most rigid inspection had an examination of the 

 carcass alone been relied upon. 



Messrs. May & McElroy, meat inspectors for Brooklyn, in their report, 

 say : 



We have endeavored to check the sale of meats unfit for human food to such an ex- 

 tent, that we can freely say and \vithout any hesitation that there is less bad meat 

 sold in Brooklyn than any other city of the Union, and for this we are in a large 

 measure indebted to the assistance we have received from our police magistrates in 

 severely punishing offenders, also to the press for publishing the proceedings concern- 

 ing the same. 



INSPECTION AT TIME OF SLAUGHTER NECESSARY. 



2To inspection of carcasses subsequent to time of slaughter is adequate 

 to insure the safety of the public. Among the various diseases to which 

 animals are liable and which render the meat unfit for human consump- 

 tion, there are some only to be detected by examination of the internal 

 organs, absolutely necessitating, therefore, an inspection at the time of 

 slaughter of each animal by a competent inspector. This is well ap- 

 preciated in Europe, and especially in Berlin, where there exist u muni- 

 cipal slaughter and investigation houses," established in 1883. 



The following is a record of diseased meat discovered and rejected 

 in these houses ; 64 cattle, 2,932 organs, 2 calves, 297 hogs, 3,410 organs, 

 all affected with tuberculosis, 247 hogs with erysipelas, 39 other ani- 

 mals with jaundice, 30 with dropsy, 60 meat in unhealthy condition, 

 nature of disease not stated; in 1,407 cases the microscope detected the 

 presence of tape- worm ; * 9,000 unborn calves were seized, which would 

 doubtless have found their way into the market as veal, had the ani- 

 mals been slaughtered without the careful supervision secured by the 

 centralizing of the slaughter business. Finally no less than 199 ani- 

 mals were infested with trichina, and destroyed. 



Dr. Strawbridge, at a recent meeting of the Philadelphia County 

 Medical Society, in offering a resolution urging State legislation in form 

 of inspection, said : 



Anybody can dump any kind of food in Philadelphia and we must take it, but if 

 we refuse to eat it, we are told that we are not good citizens. Meat ought to be in- 

 spected when alive and also during the process of slaughtering. Unless you can in- 

 spect the animal alive and also when the internal parts can be viewed, the inspec- 



* The African negroes who are rich enough to feed on beef, which they eat raw, are 

 largely alFeeted with tape-worm. This is doubtless transmitted from the animal 

 direct into the human system. It may not be amiss to observe that the practice or 

 oat ing underdone meats is one calling for careful attention from the scientist. 



