The Opelousas courier., 1904-08-27
Drink BLOOD or STEERS.

DRINK BLOOD or STEERS.
Many People Flock to Slaughter Houses
Seeking Health.
Every year at this season the slaugh
ter houses in West Philadelphia are be
sieged by people who want to drink the
blood of the steers Immediately after
they have been slaughtered. This Gus
tom has become very prevalent lately,
land the slaughter houses that are on
Thirtieth street, between Chestnut and
| Race streets, have made especial pro-
vision for the invalids who call with
| the hope of being restored to health.
It is during the spring months that
| the crowds who go for this purpose are
greatest. The long, narrow thorough
fare of Thirtieth street, which is
crossed by the overhead bridges and
| which is covered on the surface with
locomotive tracks, makes a most un-
pleasant walk during the cold and
stormy months, but when the warm
weather dries up the ground rhere are
enough people who go to the slaughter
houses to make the custom worthy Of
notice.
Any of the proprietors Of these estab.
lishments is glad to accommodate peo-
pie who wish to drink blood. One has
only to make arrangements with one Of
them and the rest lies with the invalid.
There are certain days on which the
killing is done. It is best to select one
Of these, for it is claimed that the eff
fe%ctiveness Of the blood is lost unless
it is drunk while warm.
Not long ago a pale young girl wan
dered along Thirtieth street and tim
idly asked one of the guards of the
railroad crossing to direct her to a
place in the neighborhood where she
could drink some of the warm blood.
The man pointed out a nearby slaugh-
ter house and the young girl went in.
Day after day she came to drink the
blood. AS time went on quis8a change
came about in her appearance, and
there was every evideEes Of returning
health. She eonfided6So one Of the men
about the place tbsathe idea had come
to her after she Cad heard her family
physician tell her mother that she
would ultimately die of consumption.
She was obliged to resort to some diplo-
matte and evasive answe as to her
daily walk, but she succeeded in get
ting to the slaughter house every day,
agd despite the gloomy predictions of
she doctor, she soon became a healthy
woman.
People drink the fresh blood for a
number of ailments. A beautiful young
matron Of this city, who had, unfor-
tunately, become engaved to opium
and was struggling II free herself of
the habit, was taken there by a des-
pairing husband sind persuaded to
drink every morning a glass of the
warm fluid. The terrible ravages that
had taken place in her system had de-
pleted her blood supply and the steer
blood was thought to be a good SUBJ
stitute. The change in her whole sys-
tenn was remarkable at once, and she
grew stouter and roster every day.
Some anemic Aople find warm blood
from cattle juf slaughtered more help.
full than any md Of medicine.
On the da 9 when the animals are
slaughtered1 lie men, women and chill
dren who ssh to drink blood stand
of5he slaughter house-it re-
quires a v " strong-minded person to
stand in DE slaughter house itself
and, withL1mblers in their hands, they
wait for e attendant to come to them
with theysolood. The novice hesitates
long time before drinking the fluid,
but the lyjld stager gulps it down as one
would fake a glass of lemonade. It is
for those who can to tip the
butchers, and ten cents seems to be
the sum that most people pay the em.
for their trouble.
There are doctors who encourage con.
sumntives to drink the warm blood Sc
cured at the slaughter houses. The
IDEAL state Of affairs, which many cele. |
brated physicians predict will come to
pass. however, will come when it shall
be possible to give suffering mortals
the blood of animals by a method
known rs transfusion-that fs, by in.
a connecting tube between the
animal and the person and allowing
blood OF the animal to be drained
INTO the veins.-Philadelphia Record.