Daily press. [volume] (Newport News, Va.) 1896-current, 1905-03-05
NECESSITY FOR
FOOD INSPECTION
Only Way to Protect People from
Wholesale Poisoning Says
an Authority.
COLD STORAGE DANGEROUS
Toxicosis or Ptomaine Poisoning Due
to Methods Now in Vogue for the
Unnatural Preservation of Food Pro-
ducts, According to Or. cavana, Of
New York.

Apropos OF the discussion OF the ne
cessity Of the establishment and main
tenancc OF 4 market house for this
city. attention is called to a most seri-
Gus condition OF the food supply fur
nlshcd the uninfOrmcd and unsuSpect-
ing public by the irresponsible dealers
OF every community in county, which,
like ours, is unproviled with compe-
tent and efficient food Inspector The
only va to protect the people from
Wholesale poisoning. such as is briefly
described below. is the establishment
Of properly conducted market, under
rigid ordinances. and provided With a
competent an wide-awakc food inspect,
Or; for Il market house will neccssilate
NIL the dealers i'll tho city. for their
own pr0tectiO to sell in public at one
place, where their wares can be con-
ttnualiy under the eye Of the food in
spector. This subject is attracting the
attention OF observers i'll other States.
Snd a very able review of the subject
1aS hcrn published by DR.. Canava. OF
New York. under the caption Of ''Toxi-
COSTS or Ptomaine Poisoning from Cold
Storage Methods"
DR.. Canava's article has been epito-
,nized as follows:
ToNlcosiS or ptomaine poisoning
rem cold storage methods has at last
been recognized by the medical pro-
Fcssion OF our country Why it has
not been heretofore more fully vcnti-
lated AMI written about is mystery
It is true that now and then spasmodic
attempts have been made by Congress
20 have pure food laws passed, but if
passed. they soon become dead letters.
y. now and then discuss this subject.
but III the end it has not been followed
by any benefit to the people
we are glad to note that there is
one man who has been true to his CON
victions. and will. in the future wage
warfare against this terrible evil. and
will not rest until he sees that laws
are passed 10 protect the people from
Its dangers.
1T will be asked what is toXicosis
or ptomainc poisoning found in poul-
try which had been subjectde to cold
storage, and the causes. 1t is due. ac-
cording to the opinion Of DR.. Cavana,
Of Oneita county, N. V. principally to
the filthy and abominable practice OF
cold storage companies Of storing poul-
try tor months. and even years, in its
NndraWn or undreSsed state In every
medical journal We read OF the sudden
and very violent attack Of severe i'll
hess from food ptomaine poison. We
have passed laws to control Asiatic
cholera. bubonic plague, variaola, and
other like diseases, but nothing has
been done by either our legislatures or
medical profession to remedy this Won
'lerfully growing evil. This form Of
toxicosis. many years ago, was not
noticed or was unknown. but today it
Is one Of the most frequently recog-
nized toSinfections. Or. Cavana also
says that so per cent. Of cXogenic toXi-
COSTS results from poultry food alone in
New York State. An agent of the
writer CDR. Cavana) visited cold
storage plant in New York city. and
vas shown tons OF poultry in storage.
including a large stock OF turkey car
casseS which the foreman. with pride,
said had been in storage over six
months. From a laboTer in another
plant we learned that some Of his poul-
try stock had been III storage. undress-
ed, for over two years From this
same source We also learned that an.
other iernicous practice is that Of I'M
merSing the poultry stock in fresh
water 10 degree OF such saturation as
results in Pumping them 10 their orig
iEal fullrcss. thus rendering the distri-
bntlon OF the ptomane throughout the
specimen complete and thorough.
1T is well established truth that
decomposition Of organic matter com
mGnccs instantly at death. The more
advanced decomposition the more act
l't. the qualities of such poisons, and
'r'&ziug does not suspend the dccom-
nausea. headache, cholera lnorbl,s and
attacks OF diarrhoea anil dyscntcry are
rnccablc to this; cause. In some in
~ to paralyZr the nerve governing the
digestive track, and death is the result
An example of fatal ptomaine poi
SruinE is the case Of Lewis b. Cheese
borough Ut New York. proprietor Of
the st. Charles Hotel. Sylvan Beach,
\. y. On the 10th OF August he ate
heartily Of chicken in tho afternoon,
Md also at late evening lunch OF the
same day. On the following morning
severe trXicosls manifested itself anu
G..ath resulted in one week. II was DC.
vn'opcL afterwards that the food taken
had been recently received from a cold
storage room in New York city. An
other prominent victim Of this same
poisoning was the late Mr.. Borden
head Of the celebrated mill company.
lHr. .BorLen ate heartily OF chicken
while on visit in California, and died
vithin five days.
Poisoned by Chicken.
Sioux City Ia. Sept 19-ptomaine
poisoning in chicken has resulted in
tho death Of Walter Osborn. of Seney
. Iowa. His sister. Mary and Willie
Reeves will die. Several arc in seri
osIS condition.
Z Several instances Of ptomaine pois.
oalng even in our own city were re
ported at the last meeting Of our mcdi
cll society 3.-