The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1897-07-07
TO INSPECT FOOD SUPPLIES.
DIR. LEHARDY's REFORM MEASURES
GENERALLY APPROVED.

The Sanitary Board VIII Elect
Public Food Inspector at Its Next
MeetinE-Ments Better Cared for
Since the Health Officers Inspcc-
ton of the Market-The Dangers of
Using Poor Meats.
The election Of a public food Inspector,
the office recently provided for by council.
will take place at the meeting of the san
itary board next Tuesday afternoon.
The food Inspector will be a great help
to the health officer In the work that he
has undertaken Of seeing that the people
of Savannah are not imposed upon with
food decayed and otherwise unfit to eat.
The salary is only $500 a year, but as
several applications have been received. it
is believed that good man can be Sc
cured.
DR.. LeHardy has not relaxed his efforts
to improve the quality of meat served to
the people, In spite of the difficulties with
which he has been confronted. A census of
the green grocers of the city made last
week by the sanitary inspectors, showed
that Of the 50 green grocers in the city, 43
storage, while only kept their meat d.
rectly on the ice. AS many Of the hooks
were evidently new it was plain that the
improvement had resulted from the health
officers efforts in this direction.
DR.. LeHardy has not given up his pur-
pose of securing improvement in the keep
ing OF meats In the market. He wants
the city to fit up cold storage room
there, where meat can be properly kept,
and electric fans put in over every stall
in the market in order to keep away the
flies and keep the meats cool
In a general discussion of this subject
yesterday, DIR. LeHardy said:
THE clerk of the market informed me
that after market hours it is the custom
for butchers to put all the unsold meats
in their boxes, where 1t remains until
next morning at o'clock, when the bad
meat is thrown out and the rest is put up
for sale.
While such a thing may be done without
much danger during the winter months,
during our hot summer months 1t is dan
gerous and ought not to be tolerated. The
contact of these meats causes an imme-
date interchange of their fluids (osmosis)
and brings about a Preventative action,
the formation Of animal polsons (pto-
maines) When used for food it produces,
at times. an acid condition of the blood,
with attendant pains in the small or even
in the large joints of the body, neuralgia,
or disturbances in the digestive tract,
sometimes of very serious nature, as, for
instance, cholera morbus.
Such changes should be made In the
methods In vogue here as will absolutely
prevent the sale of poisonous meats to our
people. This can be readily done, and at
no great cost to the city, by fitting up a
cold storage room in the market, where
butchers could be required to keep their
meats in a sanitary manner. Electric fans
should be supplied at every stall in the
market to keep away the flies and to cool
the meats. The butchers and other renters
of stalls could be required to pay a small
additional rental to defray the expense of
these improvements. The green grocers
should not be allowed to put their meat
directly upon ice.
Each piece of meat should hang sepa-
rately and boxes or closets should be
cleaned and disinfected daily during the
entire heated season. Much sickness
might be prevented If immediate action
could be taken in these matters. Every
precaution should be taken at this time of
year Meats placed in unventilated boxes,
no matter how clean, soon become unfit
for food. The keeping of meats in such re-
ceptacles should be put stop to and so
should the bringing of meats from the
slaughter houses in open wagons, allow
ing dust and flies to collect upon the
meat"