The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1903-07-30
STATE BOARD TESTS
USE OF DISEASED
ANIMALS FOR FOOD
Experiments at South ST. Paul
and Other Yards Prove Tuber-
culosis Doesn't Make All the
Meat Unfit for Consumption.

To What extent and under what con-
ditions are cattle that have been con-
demned and killed for tuberculosis
converted into beef to be sold by the
butchers of the Twin Cities?
This is question that is now agi-
tating local members of the state live
stock sanitary board and other state
and local health officials.
1t has been publicly stated by some
authorities-among them DR.. S. II.
Ward, secretary of the live stock SAM
tary board, in recent newspaper inter-
vieWs-that because an animal is al
feeted by tuberculosis, it need not
necessarily follow that the entire car
cass Of that animal is unfit for food;
or, in other words, that the unaffected
portions of the meat may be eaten
with perfect safety. On that point all
authorities are not so liberal, but all
agree that if any portions of dis
eased animal are to- be used for food
they should be carefully selected by
some person competent to exercise SCI
entific judgment and discrimination IN
the matter, and that rigid safeguards
should be established against the in
discriminate use OF meat from the car
casses of diseased animals.
When the state live stock sanitary
board organized for work this spring
under the new law creating that board
it was found that there were in the
Twin Cities 40 cattle condemned for
tuberculosis and awaiting slaughter.
1t was determined that these animals
should all be retested under the SUI
pervision of the board. and in the
months that have interviewed this has
been done. Almost invariably the new
test has verified the former one, and
the animals have then been finally
condemned. The slaughtering of stock
condemned in st. Paul has been done
at South ST. Paul Wednesday of each
week, and of these condemned in Min
neapolis at the FarnSworth slaughter
house in that city Thursday of each
week.
At the South st. Paul yards yester-
day there were twenty-SiX head of cat
tie that had been condemned for
slaughter, and the destruction of these
and lesser number to be killed at
Minneapolis today will dispose of all
Of the cattle retested under the new
board. Since the live stock sanitary
board has assumed control of the work
the number of animals killed at South
ST. Paul each week has averaged about
the same as yesterday, and at Mime
apolis probably about half that many,
but now that the retested animals
have all been disposedsof there will be
a decrease at both places.
DR.. s. H, Ward, secretary of the
state live stock sanitary board, and w.
w. P. Mcconnell, state dairy and food
commissioner, and also member Of
the state live stock sanitary board,
went to South st. Paul yesterday to
witness the slaughter and disposition
of condemned stock, and investigate
for themselves as to the enforcement
of the law. Upon his return in the
evening, Mr.. Mcconnell said to q
G 10 be:
My visit was not entirely in an Off
clay capacity, although l suppose it
might be termed of, an official nature.
You see in our dairy work we are con-
stantly coming in contact with cattle
that are affected by tuberculosis, and
my principal object was to inspect
these animals on the hoof and learn
what could of the superficial symp-
toms of the disease. In that / was
disappointed, for l got there too late;
but I saw fifteen head Of cattle killed
and had an opportunity to examine the
carcasses. OF the fifteen that were
killed while I was there eight were in
speeted and disposed of at once.
"The government has two inspectors
constantly on duty at the stockyards.
one of whom passes upon hogs and the
other upon cattle. This inspection is
required by law. OF the eight car
casses that I saw inspected four were
decorated by the inspector with the
red card which means that the meat
is totally rejected as unfit for food
purposes and must be destroyed. The
other four were passed as permissible
for use as food, and the portions of
those carcasses that are not affected
may be sold"