The Washington weekly post. (Washington, D.C.) 1878-1916, 1900-02-27
LIKE A KIMBERLEY DIET
Government Experts Making
HOrse-meat Sausages.
EXPERIMENTS By PROF. WILEY
Assisted By Half s. Dozen Chemists. the
Agricultural Department Expert Has Cut
Up the Carcass of a Horse, Making IL
Into saasaxes and Steaks for the Benefit
OF Meat Inspectors, 30 that Horse Flesh
May Be Detected When Passed for Beef.

Is the epitaph OF the horse 10 be m
/ scribed on the menu OF the automobils
| century? viii equine steaks. with muSh-
/ rooms, chops Ia Maud =. roast OF mus
/ tang, and Kentucky thorough Inbred sa.i-
ssges, vary the monotony OF meats on 4
modern hotel bin Of fare? In this day OF
| horseless transportation is old DObbin 10
/ be deprived Of his prerOgative OF furnish
/ ing motive power and used only as fuel
/ for the human engine?
Experiments are being made In the Bu-
reau of Chemistry of the Agricultural De-
partment which indicate that such a state
| Of affairs is a possibility at any rate
These experiments. nauseating 10 the
man who would as soon partake Of frica-
seed humanity as to eat the flesh 81 his
four-fOOted friend but interesting TO the
scientist. were performed by Prof. ". II.
Wiley, head chemist, with a corps OF 4
half dozen assistants.
The edible and culinary fitness OF his
equine majesty was chemically and micro
scopically proven Scientific testimony
has thus robbed the Kimberley siege diet
of horse flesh OF half its terrors. The Fed
eral government has found the horse
good TO eat He tastes like lobster. His
flesh contains per cent more sugar than
either beef or pork. II Is no less nu.rI-
tious In roasts or steaks Ii presents as
palatable an appearance. Uncle Sam files
no objection to the sale Of horse meat
over the butchers block so long as Il is
labeled. II Is TO prevent a masqueraded
disposal Of 1t for culinary purposes that
government meat inspectors have thus
"a BOT afIx 20 10 h.
in the various guses OF his dismember-
ment.
Killed Live Horse.
A horse was purchased and slaughtered
by butchers. under the direction OF the
chemists, just as a butcher kills a COW or
bull. The carcass was then handled ex-
actly as a skilled butcher cuts up newly
slaughtered beef II was carved into ten
deroin, sirloin, and rump steaks. and
shoulder and flank roasts In these shapes
deceit as to its origin is impossible. The
merest tyro in anatomy whether the
knowledge be gained at the clinic of a
city hospital or the housewives dissecting
board on her kitchen table, could not be
deceived into the purchase of horse meat
for beef. The cuts show a marked differ
ence in the shapes of the bones of the
steaks. and the grain OF the meat In toto.
The sausage into which the flesh was
next transferred. was less easily distln-
guished from the legitimate mixture OF
pork. The identity of the composition.
however, was readily disclosed by miscro-
SCOPE observations.
in a second lesson the government meat
inspectors were taught 10 determine the
difference in flavor between a tenderlon
of horse and its counterpart OF beef. Com
binatiOns were also made. Ninety per
cent. OF horse meat was mixed with 10
per cent. of beef or pork, 50 per cent. OF
the former with 20 per cent Of the latter,
and so on down the scale of proportion.
Up to 80 per cent. the presence of the
horse meat is easily determined, either by
taste or microscopic observations. When
the proportion of equine flesh reaches
per cent. its detection is practically I'M
possible. but as such adulteration is com
mercially profitless the American con-
sumner may eat his hamburger steak in
peaceful security.
Much Used Abroad.
DR.. Wiley thinks, however, that horse
flesh unlabeled. figures prominently on
the bills of fare CT the cheap restaurants
of Paris. He says.
Il visited several Paris restaurants or
the cheaper kind for the purpose Of eX-
aiming their meats. AT one place was
served with soup, roast, vegetables, ana
a pint of wine. for which / was charged
only l franco cents. As this must have
been the cheapest meat they could pur-
chase, | had strong suspicion that 1
was dining off the remains OF some old
charger"
The French law requires that horse flesh
be labeled as such. but there is a con
slant violation of this law. The story Is
told of a restaurant keeper who was ar
rested on Il charge of selling horse meat
without telling his customers what IL was.
When brought into court ne insisted that
he did make known the nature Of his
goods. explaining that each package was
plainly marked M. H." which meant
'melange hippique."
There are several abattoirs in the Unit
ed States where horses are slaughtered,
as ere cows, for food. but IL - affirmed
at all these establishments that their
entire product goes TO the European coun-
tries The Agricultural Department has
an inspector at each of these places.
who sees that no horses suffering from
any disease are killed. Only sound and
healthy animals are slaughtered and
when the meat IS packed iOF Shipment,
each box and barrel is labeled horse
flesh" so that the purchasers will know
exactly what they are buying
so far as We know" says Or. Wiley.
no sale Of horse meat for food IL car
ried on in this country, and We are not
making these experiments for the p0r-
pose Of encouraging its consumption.
There has always been more or less sgs-
piciCn as 10 the origin Of certain pre-
pared meats which We import from abroad
every year. and IL IS 20 make our inspec-
tors thoroughly familiar with the appear
ance and taste Of the slaughtered equine
that these experiments are being under
taken"
Il do not imagine" concluded the chem
list, that horse meat will ever b. added
10 the list OF edbles on the American bill
OF fare Sentiment and q long-estabiished
prejudice viii prevent it. The prejudice
probably had It's origin In Bible times.
when the Jewish law forbade the eating
Of the flesh OF any animal not possessed
Of a cloyen hoof. There Is no other reason
for our not using horse flesh FOR food.
Only inherited prejudice prevents H. and
that may IN time be overcome. There have
been other instances. Old-fash!oned pal
ates refuse 10 be tempted b. frog legs. and
many a stomach has been knOwa 70 rebel
at GELS"
Passing Of an Old Custom.
From the Nes York EssEInE 0at