The Fort Worth gazette. (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1891-189?, 1891-04-02
AN UNPLEASANT POULTRY TALK.

AN UNPLEASANT POULTRY TALK,
With much interest have been reading
in The GAZETTE your talks on disease
germs supposed to be communicated to man
by the lower animals. have strong faith
in that germ theory as relating to diseases,
and think it highly probable that we are
now entering the dawn Of the most remark
able era yet passed by man--one in which
we shall know all about every manner Of
disease. Medical science is a great science,
but as vet there have been some things in
it not entirely plain to its devotees.
In the course OF my reflections over this
disease germ matter it has occurred to me
that might suggest to you theme for an
article, which theme would be not only en-
tirely new. but also one of great importance
to the people everywhere. 1t is with refer
ence 10 our chickens. Without further pre-
liminary | will proceed to state that the
natural disposition of the chicken is to feed
upon filthy substances. and science has
shown that it IS susceptible of retaining the
character of those substances in its flesh.
These facts in my opinion, render il neceS-
sary that the eyes of the people should be
opened to the matter, to make them more
guarded relative to what they are permit
ting their fowls to eat 1t is more than
merely probable that contagious human
diseases might be communicated by using
the flesh of chickens under certain condi-
tons. There is nothing unreasonable in the
supposition that fowl fairly exposed
to some disease, through its feeding,
might develop that disease to slight de-
gree, at least. And even other than regu-
lar contagious diseases, so considered,
might be developed in the fowl on such eX-
posture. 1 have in mind a pretty strong
case in point. One of my neighbors was
| seriously affected with chronic nasal
catalTh ard the discharges were recklessly
thrown about the yard where his chickens
ranged l kept an eye on those chickens for
some time, and the result eventually con-
WINGED ne that saw well-developed symp-
toms OF catarrh among the gentleman
fowls. This discovery completely cut NE
| off from some of my best living, for pre-
vious TO that time no man had relished u
broiler more than had your humble SER
want but now no more chicken in mine IN
less | know exactly whence came the
chicken, and the circumstances of its pre-
viOuS condition are entirely to my Satisfac-
ton. My friends were surprised at this
sudden let up or chicken fxir 5, - on my
part. and not wishing 10 dabar any Of them
from enjoying what / could 10 longer en-
Joy, kept my own secret. 1t is but reason
( aole TO suppose that many will be found
ready to laugh this idea OF mine to scorn.
| nevertheless l cannot help feeling that l
FFwas entirely jusIifable in my peculiar alb
stinence from chicken fXin's, under such
circumstances as already referred to. What
say you2 a PHYSICIAN.
Fort Worth, Tex.
1t must be admitted that this is rather an
unpleasant subject to handle, yet we must
agree with our well-informed and scientific
correspondent that it is one of special i'm
portauce to the people Upon this line of
reasoning we wade in.
OF all living creatures whose flesh is used
af food by man, not one is more filthy in its
food habits than the domestic chicken, if
left to its own choosing; and, as 4 rule,
none are more unreservedly so left. And it
may be added that in none other of the
filth-feeders commonly used does the food
WELD more marked influence upon the
flesh Such is the verdict of science. The
hog is filthy enough, in all conscience, as to
diet, yet with the hog the case is quite
different. Nature made the hog to fill the
Office Of scavenger in the animal world,
consequently it was so constituted as to
throw of most effects of bad food. In the
laboratory of its organization, as we might
say, certain principles conducive to the
sustenance of animal life are sought out
and assimilated, while most else is
promptly rejected, thing clearly es-
tablished in the fact that you cannot poison
hog. 1t discards without effect, every
poisonous clement taken with its food, no
matter what that element may be-even the
most deadly poisons, as arsenic and
strychnine, for instance, are to the hog no
more than powdered chalk But not so
with the chicken, which was never
created for duty as a mere
scavenger-few creatures are more easily
affected by poisons than the chicken, show
ing that every element taken by it goes di-
rectly to the circulation. You have this
last we'll established in the not uncommon
usage of feeding chickens on nux vomica
to kill hawks. Nux vomica will not kill
chicken, but will kill hawk. When the
chicken has been dosed a little with nux
vomica the unfortunate hawk happening to
partake of its flesh promptly pegs out.
Than this there could be no stronger
proof of popularity in the chicken which
causes its flesh to Invariably absorb and
hold the principles contained in its food.
You might feed hog on nux vomica
through all the days of a long life, and
neither hawk or anything else partaking
Of the flesh would be affected in the least.
Notwithstanding all there is in favor of
tina hog as q flth-feeder with comparatively
clean flesh, the ancient Jews, who were
wise people, observing its food habits saw
proper to taboo it as an unclean beast,
wholly unfit for mans food. Had the
chicken, which was then only wild bird in
the iungles of India, have been domestic
fowl under their observation as we have it
to-day, when those laws were made, there
is little room for doubling that their un-