Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1882-08-29
Dog Fat for Consumption

The attention Of Il reporter was attracted
yesterday afternoon while at the duY pound
by two boys who were carefully skinning
and dressing dog that had just been drow-
ned according to law for vagrancy.
''What are YOU doing that for" WAS as
kcd.
Fer consumption replied one of the
boys. Fer two-dollar bill: said the
other
1t was finally explained that many resi-
den,s of the east side of the city firmly be-
lieve that dog fat is an infaliblc cure for con-
sump. Oh.
The boys told you the TRUTH" said DR..
Enncver, the veterinary stat oncd at the
pound, who was next quest;o cd. "A great
many people believe that dog fat and even
the flesh OF dogs is q sure cure for consump-
ton, and OH an average one dog q week is
taken from here and reduced to medicine"
WHO come after the n?''
ssGenerally WON /, either Germans or
Jew. Trey come up he C, and after care
fully examining all the dogs select one that
seems to be healthy and fat. They then
point, out their selection to an attendant,
W 10 ties string round its neck or marks
the animal in some way 50 as to identify
it. The woman is told on what day th"t
particular beast will he drowned: she re-
turns at the time specified, gets the body
and turns it over to some of the hoodlums
round here, who for Il dollar or two skin it
and take off the fat. Ifshe wishes the car
cass they drcsss it for her Just us butcher
would Il lamb or calf yellow dogs have no
value in this way;a black dog is ALWAYS
chosen in preference to any other color if
he is,fat and healthy"
'sHow do they take the medicine as [ sup
pose they call it?''
TN different ways Some reduce it to oil
others dry it ont and tfcn after it gets cold
spread it on bread as YOU would butter and
eat it So"
''Do they cat the meat, too?"
''fes; and, rs q matter of fact, it's not bad
ea lg. I've tried it myself. though | was
/ OF aware of it at the time. 1t looks like
young veal"
Have You any regular customcrs?"
I'VE had one. a Mrs. Farley, who used to
live ut the cornc" Of Avenue A and Six
tccnth street. She was pretty far gone
with consump ion. but she used to come
cN cry Ott cr week for five or six months and
get a Il ce fat dog. / he &c not seen her for
some time, but ] don't think she's dead.
Some one tod nc she WAS living over ON
Ninth avenue. But as Il general thing we
don't know our Custo ners' names This
superstition is so general OH the east side
that many of the drug stores keep dog fat
or oil in stock. Tree arc any number of
these household reno dies for different dis.
eases. Through Vermont and New Hamp-
shire the fat Of skr1ks is used as Il cure for
Group and rheumatism. Then ut the South
negroes usc dogs flesh asa cure for rheulna-
tism. The dog must be iet-black or the me-
dicinc is without efficacy. When the ami:
nal is chosen it is fed on nothing but the
lungs ard livcrs of raccoons until it is so fat
it can hardly walk, Wnen it is killed and
eaten. After that if the patients is not cured
he is e"fectly assured that his. pains and
aches are attributable TO some other cause"
During the last six years over $4,000 dogs
have been drowned ut the pound. So far
this year 3O07 have been received, 2674
drowned, IS redeem ed, 3 returned by order
of the authorities and 232 arc now awaiting
death.-N \. World.