The Sun.
London, England, 1862-10-30 00:00:00

OF WHAT SAUSAGES ARE MADE.

On Tuesday, at a meeting of the commissioners
of sewers, held at Guildhall, Mr. De Jersey pre-
siding, Dr. Letheby, the medical officer of helith,
called their special attention to an abominable and
disgusting use to which diseased meat seized in a
public market had been put, and which he had rea-
son to apprehend was not an uncommon case. He
reported that the market inspectors had informed
him that much of the diseased meat of Newgate-
market finds its way to the sausage-makers of Cow-
cross. Last week an inspector seized the carcasses
of a diseased sheep and pig which were being car-
ried to a sausage-maker in that locolity. The sheep
had died Prom the roc, and the pig was covered with
small abscesses like boils, many of which had
burst through the skin, and the rest were still full
of matter. Both of the animals were in a shock-
ingly diseased state, and but for the interference of
the inspector would have been converted into sau-
sages. He had also to state that the slaughter-
houses of Cow-cross, which are just outside the City,
are a source of great anxiety to the inspectors, from
the circumstance that diseased animals are con-
stantly slaughtered there and brought into she City
markets. Last week there were two such instances.
Two diseased bullocks had been killed in the slaugh-
ter-house of a Mr. Cross, and then carried to New-
gate-market,
Were seized. In like man-
ner a common practice with
m
who are outside the City
a oa t e
e a -
tm
o Whitechapel
r kt e
hte,
butchers where
is
boundary to traffic in diseased meat ; and City
butchers and salesmen complain that they have not
the same chences for the disposal of inferior meat
which their neighbours have. Only last week the
carcasses of about a dozen bullocks that had died on
ship-board were sold in Whitechapel. Meat of this
description was disposed of to the poor at night,
when it passed for wholesome meat, and it realised
from a penny to five farthings a pound. He sub-
mitted this matter to the commissioners, in order
that the local authorities of Whitechapel and Hol-
born might be informed of it, so that there might
be uniformity of action among the officers of the
several districts in question. He added that the
markets and slaughter-houses had been duly in-
spected, and the officers had seized 4,5251b5. of meat
and 73 head of game and poultry as unfit for human
food. It consisted of 16 sheep, 10 pigs, 32 quarters
of beef, and about 50 joints of meat. Three-fourths
of it were from diseased animals, and he recom-
mended that in two cases the matter be submitted
to the solicitor for further investigation.
Dr. ABRAHAM said the subject to which the medi-
cal officer had called their attention deserved some-
thing more than a passing notice from them, because
it concerned the public health, not only as regarded
the City, but the whole metropolis. He submitted
that copies of the report ought to be sent to the
local authorities in the neighbourhoods of the City,
so that they might understand the condition of
things which it described, and that the medical
officers in those neighbourhoods might co-operate
with the officers of their commission in putting an
end to such abominable practices.
Deputy LOTT proposed that the City solicitor
for the time should be instructed to take the neces-
sary legal proceedings against the persons referred
to in the medical officer's report.

Mr. ISRAEL said that he understood that much
of the deceased meat found its way into the market
after the Inspectors had seized it. He thought that
highly reprehensible, and asked whether the con-
demned meat could not be sprinkled with creosote
directly it was sold in the shop of a salesman.
One of the inspectors replied that the diseased
meat was so sprinkled after being seized, on being
put into the cart to be seat to the boilers.
Eventually the commissioners resolved to print
the report, and send it to every one of the vestries
iu the metropolis, with a request that they would
co-operate with the officers of the commission in
preventing the sale of diseased meat in the metro-
polis generally, as it was impossible for the officers
of the City to extend their supervision beyond its
boundaries. They also resolved to instruct the
solicitor to institute iegal proceedings against five
persons named in the medical officer's returns.
Touching the sanitary condition of the City, Dr.
Letheby reported that the mortality returns for
the week were a little above the average. There
ware 58 deaths, compared with 46, the number for
the corresponding period of the last 7 years; 26 of
the deaths were among children of less than five
years of age, and 13 were among persons of 60 and
upwards; only 9 of the deaths were from zymotie
disease. He also reported that 184 houses had
been inspected during the week, and he submitted
I a list of 64 places for sanitary improvement, and