690 
SOCIETY MEETINGS. 
of swine, and after due consideration we decided to take the 
paper as it was written and divide it into two sections; the first 
section being allotted to myself, and the other to Dr. Heck. 
Reading the paper over carefully, we find ourselves in agree¬ 
ment on its most salient points. 
One of the essentials to an interesting discussion is that 
there be some variety of opinion amongst the participants. 
The paper is admirably written, and bears out the author’s 
reputation in this respect. It is a good account of the work as 
it is carried on in the slaughter-house. 
We are all agreed as to the wisdom and propriety of the 
meat inspection law, and we regret that the Federal government 
is unable to go further and extend it so as to cover every car¬ 
cass intended for human consumption. While we are engaged 
in the protection of the public health of the other states, we 
cannot extend the same protection to the people of the state or 
municipality in which we are located. Local authorities must 
protect themselves. The Federal government maintains the 
equilibrium between the states, but each state has control of its 
internal affairs. 
We are also agreed that in order to have a thorough system 
of inspection, great dependence must be placed in the compe¬ 
tency of the inspector. Special training is necessary. A knowl¬ 
edge of veterinary science is indispensable to an appreciation of 
diseased conditions as they are met with in the slaughterhouse. 
Further, the inspector must be of sound judgment, and able to 
maintain himself intelligently in his decisions. Unnecessary 
friction will be avoided by exercise of this estimable quality. 
The flesh of animals affected with anthrax or rabies, while 
regarding it as positively dangerous, is seldom if ever met with 
on the killing floor. The course of anthrax is too rapid to al¬ 
low of the animal reaching a public market or abattoir. To 
meet with rabies on the killing floor the disease would have to 
develop after the animal was marketed, for I fancy there would 
be great difficulty in getting such an animal to a market or 
shipping point. 
Malignant oedema, as has been stated, is not found in this 
country, and the same can be said of foot and mouth disease. 
European authorities do not consider the meat in the latter dis¬ 
ease dangerous, and are satisfied in condemning only the head 
and feet, unless of course in the most aggravated cases. Con¬ 
sumption of the milk from such animals is said to produce a 
malignant sore throat in the human subject. 
