The San Francisco call., 1896-07-27
TUBERCULAR COWS
SOLD FOR FOOD
The Board of Health Will
Stop the Nefarious
Traffic.
A MENACE TO HEALTH.
To-Day the First Effort to Pre-
vent the Sale Will Be
Made.
VIGOROUS ACTION PROMISED
A Band of Sick Cows Driven Into
San Msteo County to Avoid
Inspection.
VIGOROUS ACTION PROMISED.

The Board OF Health viii begin an in
vestigation to-day into the disposition of
cows suffering from tuberculosis. # has
been brought to the attention Of the board
that some unserupulous persons have
taken diseased cows from dairy ranches in
the County OF San Francisco and sold the
animals TO butchers for slaughter. This
was done TO avoid the loss of the COWS,
which appeared inevitable in case OF an
examination OF their condition by the
Board of Health Inspectors.
The owners OF these infected cattle knew
very well that the official inspectors would
instantly kill all cows afflicted with tuber-
culosis and so they sold the sick animals
By thus taking time BY the fore!oek the
owners, so IL is stated, have got fair prices
for cows the tate OF which was already
sealed This startling news set the men,
bers of the Board OF Health thinking very
hard for a day or two, and they have ali
come TO the same conclusion-that imme-
diate steps must be taken TO stop this dan
gerous trzIhc In consumptIEe COWS, ana
also TO institute legal proceedings against
all parties caught at It
Dr.. Henry H Hart of the Board of
Health was indignant yesterday when he
discussed the question He branded the
traffic IN tuberculous cattle as murder-the
1nesnest. most contem plibIe kind OF muir
-
from physician who knew what be was
saying.
"If these cows are being slaughtered
and sold for meat 1t is g terrible thing,
he said. alt Is monstrcus. l intended 10
consult with some members OF the board
this morning about it, but was prevented
by an urgent call. shall, however, bring
the matter before The board tomorrow,
and more than likely some action will be
taken TO put an end 70 this disgrsceful
work.
Suppose e dairyman is informed that
his cows are suffering from tuberculosis,
there Is where g crime Is Matched st Cnce
Il the dsirvman should sell them. It's
crime when sny one viii sell cattle for food
knowing IL 10 De diseased, the foulest kind
OF & crime done in a secret way. For the
sake OF a few dollars he makes, thousands
OF people are exposed to the dangers Of
eating meat full of the germs OF consum D
ton. OF course, some people are constltu-
tionauy strong enough to Withstand 1t
It's true the disease germs are killed by
heat, but the heat OF cooking meat is not
enough 10 kill the germs While the
germs are most likely killed in the we'll
done parts. they are alive in the rare por-
tiOns. You may get them IN the red,
Juicy part of your steak.
a-One tubercular cow in 9 band in time
will communicate the disease 70 the whole
band Drinking az the same trough or
stream, eating with other cows quickly
spreads the disease.
If all boards OF health throughout the
United States are as energetic as we ]
think this thing of Germany refusing TO
take American meat for fear OF disease
viii soon be thing of the past Disease
is being stamped out thoroughly and
effectively, and there is as good beef here
as anywhere IN the world. We are stamp
ing out disease as fast as we can, and il
won't be very long before everything viii
be in complete working order wiSh pure
food stations for the examination of food.
at may seem rather hard 70 destroy
twenty or thirty, or more cows that suI1el
from tuberculosis. hard on the dairyman
but what is that compared to thousands
OF human lives sacrificed BY selling dis
eased meat or mllk2 In my opinion "a
per cent, If not more OF the babies, have
died in large cities, and particularly in
infant asyiums from the milk of diseased
animals.
ssThe people themselves ought to get ur
IN arms against any person or persons
known to sell meat that has been con-
demned as diseased In fact, the
people should patronize butchers thai
they know would not do q thing oi
that kind. II is deliberate murder. There
is no crime as great ss that where muir
der Is committed in this secret way. Il
you meet your assailant openly you can
defend yourself, but in this case you can't
You are simply eating your own poison IN
the meat given you
II am under the impression that there
Is from 40 70 % per cent OF the dairy COWS
diseased I think that the daiHymen are
perfectly honest and do not know that
their COWS are diseased until q test is
made. All dairymen have perfect night
70 have veterinary surgeon present dur
ing sn examination by the Board oi
Health. The board is only doing its duty
70 1a IA nd rs rcrc II r,ltr
carrying out their oath of Office"
DR.. J. ". Williamson will advocate
prompt and decisive action by the board
IN regard 20 the sale of eonsumptiye cows.
''In my opinion" ne said yesterday,
s'this matter should be dealt with rigor-
ousIy. II Is strongly possible that If cattle
Of that stamp are sold for human food the
germs OF consumption viii reach the peo-
Die, and II the one who eats this meat il
In a right condition for the deposition o
the germs in his system be is liable to bt
afflicted with consumption
Il think that any dairy man caught sell.
ing diseased, Eubercuious cattle to any
butcher who buys that meat and expose:
IL for sale ought 10 be dealt with crimf
nally Meat inspectors now saturate con
demned meat with coal oil so that 1t can
not be used for food. It IS well known
that condemned meat has been followed
TO the fertilizing works and taken back to
Chinatown 70 be sold for food So It Is az
parent that an efficient force OF inspector.
is necessary 10 watcn the food prepared
for consum ption in the City
with an extremely limited force OF in
spectoFs this thing of selling tuberculoui
meat NAV be done for quite long time
before being detected. IL argues strongly
in favor of al increased appropriation
which we have asked for to better protec
the health OF The City.
81 have been informed that band o
sixty cattle N San Francisco were pr
vateIv irsn nected for tuberculosis and driver
over the line into San Mateo County. Ant
the milk from that consumptive band /
now coming into San Francisco Tor sale
1 conld not ascertain to what dairy th1
band belongs. We can't watch the count.
line, of course, but with regard 10 kiihni
sick cows and selling them for food "
shall do what Ee can to put an end TO II
TWO SAKES uRCIDEO.