The daily gazette., 1882-06-20
HEALTH MATTERS.
Some Further Excellent Suggestions from
Registrar Frazer.


To THE EDITOR oE THE GAZETTE Il
have before me the report of Health officers
for the District of Columbia for the year
1852, in which find many matters of inter
est to the people of our city. The inspection
of food is subject that concerns us all. A
well known German authority, in speaking
of the subject, says: "The necessity can
no longer be disputed. This arises, first,
from the possibility of the infection Of meat
used for human food and, secondly, the
butchers have not the neeessaryknowledge,
and much less the good will, to consider the
health of the people against possible in
crease of profits. Butchers, as a rule, do
not believe in the danger from diseased
meat, and therefore cannot be convinced of
what is so clear to us. The compulsory
slaughtering in public abattoirs offers other
advantages, which In themselves are sufii-
cient to make it desirable: First, it will
put an end to the driving Of cattle through
the streets of our larger cities. This incon-
venience is overcome in Berlin, where ac-
cording to the street regulations, cattle
moved in the day time must be transported
in close wagons. Second. Prevention of
cruelty in butchering.
1t is not necessary to prove how much
cruelty may be praeticed In the slaughter OF
animals. In private slaughter houses it is
not seldom in consequence of insufficient
room, deficient arrangements for holding
the victim firmly, and especially in conse-
quence of lack of firmness in handling the
instrument of death, which can alter the
best methods of killing animals to a system
of torture. In the large abattoirs the work
is divided; every man attains the greatest
possible dexterity in his particular work,
and thus only can the greatest possible
certainty of rapid death be Sc
cured. The International Congress for
the prevention of cruelty to animals,
held in Zurich in 1869, saw correctly in the
erection of abattoirs, an effective expedient
to prevent unnecessary pain to animals.
Third-Greater cleanliness ON account of
the more judicious arrangements and
cleansing with water. Fourth-With clos
ing of private slaughter-houses in cities
abundant sources of air-poisoning are re-
moved. Those living in the vicinity of
slaughter-houses know best how often in
summer the air becomes foul, particularly
near open water courses. The question here
not only concerns the foulness and un-
pleasantness of the air, but from the putre-
| faction of blood very often arise
peculiarly dangerous substances, which are
directly infectious, and therefore in densely
populated cities the greatest care should bt
| taken to prevent such decomposition" The
| writer says that in the most cultivated cite.
in Europe the necessity of compulsory us,
of public abattoirs has become apparent
| but it seems inexplicable that such measures
have not succeeded in North Germany
where the consumption of meat is greatest
and where pork and beef are often eaten in
a raw or half-cooked condition, and where
| therefore, the danger of infection is mucl
greater than in other countries. The above
is the German model recommended fol
slaughtering animals,
Unwholesome food condemned during the
year ending June 80, 1881, in the District o
| Columbia Beef, pounds, 1878 ; mutton
| 2,90S veal, 4,07l; pork bacon and sausage
| 3,406 game, 1872 poultry, :, 400 butter
3,000, all in the month of February water
melons, 22,313 vegetables, 1000 punches
Marine products condemned Oysters
1856 bushels; fish, 1900 bushels; herring
245, 400; crabs, 99,7 clans, "a, ,525
HOLSTERS, PAL terrapin, %.
The salary of the Health Board of Wash
ington amounts to $26, 900 per annum, Will,
| in this city the total is but 81 800
In addition to the $4,000 an appropriation
is made to our department of 81 200. i
will be seen that although Washington il
| but four times larger in population thar
Wilmington it spends ten times as much fol
| the health department.. This can only bt
explained by our mode of living. 1t appears
we cat everything that is offered for sale re
| gardless of quality, and condemn nothing
| The appropriations to the department Of
Washington is not stated, but it is not less
| than $4,000. We can congratulate our
| selves by knowing that we are not extraVa-
giant, except often in high death rate.
| f. r. FRAZER