MEAT INSPECTION. 
503 
The meat of animals slaughtered at a time when death 
from disease is imminent can not be considered preferable to 
those which have died from the ailment. What possible dif¬ 
ference can it make from a sanitary standpoint if a cow with 
parturient apoplexy is slaughtered or allowed to die from the 
disease one-half hour later ? 
The neutral ground—disease—between health and death 
■ s one which the meat inspector should enter with caution, 
md so we do not hesitate to assert our belief, predicated up- 
:>n the foregoing reasons, that the meat of diseased animals 
)f this group should not under ordinary conditions be passed 
is wholesome food. 
As we suggested at the outset, however, we are equally firm 
n our belief that from the standpoint of humanity and na- 
ional economy we have no right to destroy wantonly and 
lifelessly such an enormous food supply as the unqualified de¬ 
traction of these meats would entail Since the whole dan¬ 
ger in the consumption of these meats rests upon the presence, 
> r possible presence, within the parts used as food, of living, 
ransplantable micro-organisms, it is evident that any process 
o which it can be subjected without destroying the nutritive 
alue, and yet effectually and beyond all doubt destroy the 
nicro-organisms will render the flesh sound from a strictly 
anitary standpoint. Consequently we would say that the 
pparently healthy parts of such diseased animals should be 
horoughly and effectively cooked (boiled) under official su- 
ervision and then passed as sound meat, while the evidently 
ffected parts should be destroyed. 
Such a course evidently renders these meats equally safe 
D that of the healthiest animal or perhaps even more so, for 
re cannot at all times discern what insidious disease be lurk- 
lg unseen in an apparently healthy body. 
We have refrained from dwelling on all the phases of the 
abject of meat inspection as suggested in Dr. Schartzkopffs 
xcellent paper of a year ago because time would not permit, 
ut have confined our consideration mainly to those questions 
r hich seemed to us most in dispute and which would in our 
slief lead to the most spirited and profitable discussion, 
