The Express.
London, England, 1863-09-04 00:00:00

UNWHOLESOME FOOD.

Mr. Simon's annual report to the Privy _ -
aa its medioal o on matters relating to he pu
health, has just been fficer,
rayed. and ammo; the subjects wiblicth
which it deals is that of the coosnneptios at fink of
lanais slaughtered while in a state of disease. Mr.
Garages, Principal and Professor of the Edinburgh new
Veterinary College, was requested /eat year to investigate
this subject. He reports that disease prevails very ex-
tensively in the United Kingdom among cattle, sheep, and
swine ; that in very many instances the diseased state
of as suirnal lads the owner to have it immediately
slaughtered for consumption as human food, and that, in
fact, as much as a Oh of the meat of the country 00Mia
from animals considerably dimmed. As regards meat in-
fested with passages, our animal food is for the most part,
says Mr. Biwa, exposed to so high a temperature before it
is eaten that any parasites which had their home in it are
killed ; but it is probable they may outlive the promises by
which meat is commonly cured, and may thus get sera/lowed
alive by peruses who me unhooked massage barn, or beam,
and we know that meat infested with parasites may become
a Bruce of hums disease. Or, by means of dogs and other
animals sating the raw offal of alaughtoussa, the
eggs of the tapeworm may, and must often find their
way into sources of drinks; water, or on to various low
growing vegetables or Iroise, w hick. ere consumed in an
uncooked state by man ; sod being jowallowed, the egg is
hatched, and the animal burrows es• tb•
stomach or Weider, migrates to Some ether put el the
body, and there grows to it. development as • cystic eats
goon. In losland • filth part of the human mortality is
ascribed to hydatid disease. Mr. Gansgee is confident that
there am between 40,000 and 60,000 measly PP in
most of which some to Greed &dais for ocanumptiriaant
hie impression is that for every measly pig in the kingdom
there is at least one human being cab tapeworms. Them
parasites may not directly kill, bus may favour the develop-
ment of fatal disease. It has also base discovered quite
meetly that • miermoopical threadwoon, the trichina
apiralia, brims the musoular flash of swine into a Mate in
which a mall quantity of it eaten raw will suffice to destroy
life. As regards the possible ill effects from consuming
in • well cooked state the flesh of animals afflicted
with anthrax or carbuncular fever, evidence is still
imperfect, but it seem clear that human life may be en-
dangered by it. But in repeat to this, and oleo the effect'
of consuming the flesh of animals which have been suffering
from infectious fever, until public atteetion is drama to the
subject it moat be difficult to trace to their true causes any
ill effects thus °warmed, especially those of • &Topic
character which may perhaps result from febrile meat
being • considerable element in diet. Au opinion is some-
' times expressed that boils and perhaps other like affections
are caused is the human subject by the consumption of such
meat. Kr. Gauges says that at • convict establishment
where diseased cattle m• eaten in large quantities and
especially cattle afflicted with lung disease, as many as 40
and 60 caste • month of boils and carbuncles occur among
1,100 convicts. In some canes also meat may be injurious in
consequence of the animal having been excessively droned
during life, as, for anthers, with &resole or strychais ;
but generally it might be expected that no drugging of an
animal in doses not sufficient to poison it could remise
its Bah capable of acting as a poison on man. Some
notice is takes Ia these papers of the esfeM of the '
milk of diseased animals. In this country the mat'
important questios is as to the wholesomeness of milk
from minter afflicted with aphthous eruption, • malady
which weer was more prevalent than in the year
1862. On some occasions when aphtha has been prevailing
among cattle, the human population in the same place has
suffered from the same or some similar disorder; and it
seems certain that under some circumstances the human
affection may be caused by the consumption of milk drawn
free, a diseased animal. Mr. Gamgee avows kis belief that
• very large proportion of the disease now habitually pre-
vailing among live stock, and which he cathodes as proving
fatal to them to the immense pecuniary amount of more
than 6,000,0001. • year, might by proper premieres be pre-
vented. The epidemic drama are duo entirely to con-
Melon, probably foreign, against the introduction and
spread of which sufficient precautioue are, in his opinion,
riot taken; and the moat distractive endemic diseases
are due partly to dietetic mismanagement of stock and
partly to local malaria, which improved lazed drainage
would dispel. His estimate is that of animals in the United
Kingdom there die annually of disease about 375,000 cattle
—nearly 5 per cent of the whole number, and of the
mosey value of above 4,000,0004 ; of our (supposed)
40.000,000 sheep not leas than 4 per cent., of the value of
1,608,0004 ; and of our 4,800.000 pigs nes lees than 3 per
cent., of the value of 1,200,0001. He considers that if en•
zoom disorders, which depend on peculiarities of soil, cli-
mate, and system of culture, were prevented, as they might
be, thousends of acres would be worth much more than they
are, and that attention to this subject would for many
years to come add more to the resources of the kingdom
thee the reclamation of land does.