The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1881-03-09
PORK.

Inc fresluent OF the French hepuDtlcs on the
report Of the Minister Of Agriculture and Com
merce considering the report Of the Consultative
Committee Of Public Health OF France, consider.
ing that the introduction Of salt pork meats
notoriously infected with trichina into France
presents gre@ danger 10 public health DEGREES:
Article 1. Is prohibited on all the territory OF
the French Republic the importation Of pork salt
meats coming from the United states Il America.
Art > The Minister OF Agriculture and Com
merce and the Minister OF Finances are charged.
each with what concerns him, with the execution
OF TIE present decree which will be inserted in
the journal oficiel and published in the Bulletin
des lois.
Bene at Paris. February Is ISL.
By the President OF the Republic,
JvtEs GREyy.
The Minister of Agriculture aud Commerce.
=. TIRAHp.
The Minister OF Finance,
The cause for this action is explained by
the Minister OF Agriculture and Commerce,
in a letter TO the President of France He
says American pork is diseased, that it con-
taiHs trichina; (which. when introduced
into the digestive organs Of man, communi-
Gates the disease called trichinosis, and that
the terrible effects of this disease almost in
vsriably end in death" France tried in
spection of American pork as it arrived,
bat finding this impractical shut down on
the whole business The Minister says:
An efiicecioris surveillance not appearing 20 be
possible. consider that Il Is indispensable To
prohibit without delay the importation OF salt
pork meats coming from the United states Of
America along the entire frontier line OF the Re
public. similar measures have been taken
already by several European States. Pork meats
from this quarter are no longer admitted into
Prussia, Italy. Austria, SPAIN Portugal and
Greece.
French merchants and various Boards of
Trade have sought to have the French Gov
eminent withdraw or modify it, decree, but
this is not likely TO be done until arrange
ments can he perfected for the examination
Of American pork in the hands of retail
dealers. Some idea of the commercial de-
rangements likely TO result from the French
decree may be had when il is stated that
the receipts Of pork in the port of Hayre
average about ., 800 tons per Ronth. II is
reported. in,connection with thepOrk scare in
France and England, that IL is gotten up by
speculators for selfish purposes, and il is
quite likely that the English Government
will treat the whole affair as hoax and q
swindle. and continue 10 receive American
pork he this as IL may, the time has come
when Americans will have To be little
more careful about their shipments of hog
products To Europe. II at horSe. We are
willingtO take the risk Of eating diseased
meats, @leomargarine and adulterated food
of almost every description We will
have tO learn that Europe is not
bidding for death by such means.
Here, We pay precious little attention 10
such matters The cattle become eentami-
mated with pleuro pneumonia, hogs with
cholera and plague, aud it is with the
greatest difficulty that the authorities can
be induced TO pay any attention to such
subjects. I'm Europe they at once srouse
investigation and prompt action. 1t is worse
than nonsense for Americans 10 attempt to
cry down the charges that are made about
diseased meats. ''The trichina disease"
says the New York Sun, sis by no means the
worst maIa&y from which American bogs
suffer, for it is, ON the whole, much less FREE
-auently encountered than tke swine plague.
which has OF tGte proved so destructive in
some of the Western States, aud whichis
largely chargeah1e with the expulsion of OR
staple from foreign markets. 1t appears,
from careful investigation by Dr. II. J. bet
mers i'm our pri0eipal pork-raising States.
that the germs Of the swine plague are con-
veyed from one place to another, not only in
the morbid products of the disease, such as
the tissues, fluids, and excretions OF affected
and dead animals, but also by sdhering to
and communicating ;nanimate objects, such
as the woodwork OF trough, a pen, or a
cattle ear. We are told that even severe
frost is not sufficient 60 destroy TIE infec-
tious principle, and DIR. Detmers found that
the fiesk of a plague-sSgjoken animal will
transmit the malady to healthy swine if
eaten at any time before 1t is putrefie1. Ii
has also been demonstrated that the pest is
readily communicated by means of the
water used for drinking. especially if the
same should be contaminated by the cancass
.or discharges of an infected hog. That
swine plague can be impaired to other AMI
mals beside swine has been repeatedly
proved; but the question whether il could
alsofse communicated to human beings was
for some time undecided, because the inoc-l
zllatioRs necessary to determine it can not
easily for obvious reasons, be performed. In
ISIS, however the aa1e Professor Geslach and
the faculty OF the Berlin Veterinary School
gave it IS their oPiDisn, in their OGScial re-
port, that swine plague can be transmitted
10 human beings. Gtwould seem tiast the
malady tlsas contracted must often, from
the resemblance of its symptoms, be con-
foundcdwith diphtheria'' What is wanted in
the United States is Government aid to get
rid of cattle and hog diseases, and laws
which will sena men to tIse Renitentiary who
oEer diseased meat for sale; aad it is now
patent TO the most casual observer if we do
not take the matter in hand We shall have
to abandon Europe IS a market for our sur
plus bog products.
|
To the EditorIof the 6entlGel:
SiR-You speak about Enmber Of Republican
ichneumons being sent 10 Mentor to see the great
Republican crocodile, I'm your Friday mornings