National Republican., 1874-07-08
UNWH0LRSOME FOOD.
IMPORTANT OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES
BY THE BOARD OF HEALTH

By THE BOARD OF HEALTH.
PROPOSED APPOINTMENT OF A CHEMIST
WHO SHALL ANALZZE FOOD -REPoRTs
OF THE HEALTH OFFICER AND CoRo-
NER-TRANsACTIoN OF GENERAL BUsI-
NESS.
The Board Of Health met at their rooms last
evening; DR.. C. C. Cox in the chair.
MI. Marbwy, from the finance committee,
reported bills amounting to s2l5l5; which
were approved.
Prof. Lsngston, from the ordinance commit
tee, reported, granting Peter Murray & Co.
until Monday next to commence work under
their contract.
Dr. Verdi, from the sanitary committee, sub
1nitted q report upon the expediency and Hd-
Visibility Of institutfng chemical analysis of
teas. &C., offered for sale in the cities OF wash
ington and Georgetown, stating that Congress
In the very act creating the Board Of Health
has imposed upon it as one Of it's duties the
prevention of the sale of unwholesome food,
and that. therefore, the board has no option IN
the matter except to fulfill the duties imposed
upon It by law; that food consists In anything,
either LIQUID or solid, used and taken into the
BODY to nourish it, and thereby to sustain lie;
that unwholesome food consists m anything
which, when eaten or drank, instead OF nour-
ishing the body and sustaining life, interferes
with, interrupts or dlsharmoniZes the natural
progress OF the several organs necessary to
maintain and support the vital functions in
their integrity; that food known TO and used
in aiding, assisting, strengthening and nourish-
ing the body ceases to be such, and may
properly be classed in the category OF
unwholesome food, when adulterated or in
any way changed from the condition in which
| II is known to be wholesome, so advertised and
thus sold for; that Congress, trusting IN the
intelligence and fidelity of the Board Of Health,
prescribed no plan or system for the detection
and prevention of the sale Of unwholesome
| food. beyond q general law for the purpose,
but has left it to the Board Of Health 70 de-
wise and enforce any plan they deem necessary
| to obtain the desired result and satisfy the
spIrit of the law; that the present system,
| although adopted in accordance with the
| limited means heretofore supplied by Congress
or the Legislature, is totally inadequate to pro
tect the people of the District OF Columbia
against the sale of unwholesome food; that to
carry out the spirit and intent Of the law sys-
| tenn should be organized and adopted that will
render the sale of unwholesOme food impossible
| To attain this desirable object, the committee
| supgest that competent analytical chemist
be EMPLOYED at the rooms of the board, and
that he be supplied with all the necessary
chemical apparatus to make his tests and his
experiments. The inspectors of food should
| be under his control and his immediate direc-
tion and they should report to him all their
oDerations. The chemist or the food inspector
should, when they obtain a specimen Of any
article of food for analysis, pack, seal and
! label said article with the name Of the article
contained therein, and the name Of the person
from whom it is obtained, in his or her pres,
ence, and in that condition shall be delivered
the chemist, who shall proceed to make the
ANALYSIS and report the result to the Board oi
Health, In cases where the analysis Of meal
is necessary, the food inspector shall notify the
chemist, who shall at once go to the place ano
| examine, by microscope or otherwise, sucf
meat. and decide upon its condition. And Il
| such meat is by him declared injurious K
health, it shall be taken possession of BY thu
food inspector and disposed Of as already pro
vided.
In this manner your committee thinks tha
the law can be enforced at o compaTatiyel!
small expense, and for the great benefit Of TIL
people of the District of Columbia. 1t canno
| he denied that many articles Of food in constsn
and general use, such as bread, tea, coffee
four, milk, meats, need our immediate atten
ton.
report
importance of instituting q systematic system
of food inspections, I am Of opinion that II 4
ineTredient for the board to assume any addi
| tIonal RESPONSIBILITIES at this time which woulI
incur any considerable outlay Of money, and
therefore withhold my signature from the re
] port.
cei, ed and laid on the table, onthe ground tha
the board was not at the present time able 4
incur the expense it would necessitate.
DR.. Verdi thought the subject was cne of tn
greatest importance, and should be eonsidere
at once.
The motion Of Mr.. Langston was adopted.
The report of the coroner for the past mont
was received, showing that during that Perlo
fifteen inquests had been held.
T DR.. Bliss submitted plan for the collection
of vital statistics; which was accepted.
A synopsis of the operations Of the heslt
Office for the week ending July 4, 1874, show
the following work performed: Huisances n
norted, S1s; referred, 70; abated, S55; refeTe
10 superintendent Of streets and sewers, 81
notices issued, 2S; sswsr NOTICES issued, *
complaints Of citizens, II; dead animals n
moved, 195. Marine products-Inspectjon
AZ 600 CLANS, 235 bushels oysters; condemns
tions, 81 punches fsh, 1850 crabs. Unwhol
. | some food condemned, 90 pounds veal, 2
p hounds beef, 1893 pounds mutton, 252 pount
a bacon, $50 cucumbers, I9]1 bushels peas,
bushels string beans, 12 quarts cherries, 4
;, bushels ggeeD apples, 10 head cabbage,
0 s0uashes, IL bushels potatoes, IL bushels t
e matoes, dozen lemons, peck goosebeTne
e Animals impounded, 134; redeemed, q; kille
!. Ill: amount realized, S2S; PriVies cleaned, Vt
G Adopted.
J, A number of communications relative
It uuisauces were read and properly referred.
n Numerous applications for positions und
!, the board were received and filed. AdJourne
t