Chicago eagle. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1889-19??, 1906-08-11
The Health Department Says that In.
drawn Poultry, Long Kept, Is Unfit
for Food.
Frightful Food Thrown Upon Market
from Cold Storage Plants---l1ealth
Department Protests.

Health Commissioner whalen finds
che greatest foe Of the public health
In the Beef Trust.
For seven months DR.. whalen has
been trying to get an ordinance through
the city council forbidding the sale Of
any slaughtered poultry, fish. game, or
any animal used for food purposes, re.
frigerated or otherwise. (which has not
been properly drawn and prepared By
removing the entrails at the time of
slaughter" Storage men estimated
that 100000 pounds of meats in Chi.
cago warehouses would come under the
ban OF this law.
DR.. whalen's ordinance contains the
following provisions:
No fowls or other animals to be put
In storage without the entrails being
removed.
Warehouses to be In sanitary ccndi.
ton; regular inspections to guarantee
this.
An annual license fee Of $500. per.
mits to be issued to warehouses only
after they had complied with the sanl.
tary provisions.
Every article to be tagged permanent.
y to show the date 1t 10 put In stor.
age.
Retail grocers to exhibit storage
meats in original packages from the
warehouses. to show the age Of the
food. and Its history.
"Our inspectors have found meats
two and three years old In the ware.
houses" DR.. whalen said.
So important has this subject become
that the Secretary Of the State Board
OF Health, DR.. James A. Egan, has ad.
dressed the following communication
20 the mayor Of every city In Illinois:
.'The Illinois State Board Of Health,
acting In the interest Of the lives and
health OF the people, urgently recon.
mends to the mayors and city councils
Of all cities and the presidents and
boards Of trustees Of oil villages and
to the health officials In all parts OF
the state. the enactment and enforce.
ment Of ordinances prohibiting the sale
OF poultry, fish. game, or any animal
used for food that has not been prop.
erly cleaned and drawn at the time
Of the slaughter!ng.
1.-THE necessity for such ordinances
and their enforcement Is plainly indi.
Gated by the rapidly growing custom
OF storing poultry, fish, and game con.
talnlng the entraIls and other vlscera
and offering them for sale long periods
OF time after being killed, and the
danger to public health caused by this
custom.
1T Is known to all physicians and
psychologists that there are generated
In the body OF any animal po!s0ns OF
the highest degree Of toXiclty. The In
testines and other digestive organs con
tain at all times materials which have
undergone putrefactlve changes. II
this material be permitted to remain
In the body after death the pOlson'
generated may infltrate the entire
flesh, making Il dangerous to the per
son who eats II. The body, In which
the v!scera are permitted to remain
undergoes decomposition much NOR
rapidly than when such v!scera hav'
been removed. Decomposition Is fur
ther fastened by leaving the blood II
the animal.
1T has become the custom OF whole
sale poulterers and packers to purchas
poultry during the early summer, wheI
the prices are lowest, and to keep
Ia cold storage until winter or unit
tie prices are highest. Such fowls ar
killed without bleeding, often plucke
before death, and placed In cold stoI
age without removing the entra!ls an
other v!scera. Frequently they are nc
offered for sale until several month
after killing.
The process OF decomposition an
Butrefact!on begins at once. Cold sto
age and freezing may limit the rottin
process, but do not stop II. Whe
poultry or animals are taken from col
storage and thawed out for exhlbitio
and sale the decomposition continue
with renewed energy, !mpregnatlng II
flesh with polsons. Flesh In which Il
blood has been permitted 10 remain
particularly susceptible TO such decon
position, and this susceptibility Is II
creased by the long period OF freez!n
and thawlng.
Even with poultry that Is 'freshl
Killed there is frequently a period
several days between the time
Strengthening and sale. Not only Is
dangerous, but II Is repugnant to OF
sense OF decency that the flesh we al
20 eat shall lie for several days IN clo'
contact with purifying animal matte
Undoubtedly undrawn poultry, fes
and game has caused many cases {
poisoning which have wroDgfully bee
attributed 10 other causes. The po!sOI
ing resulting often resembled thf
caused by other po!sons administers
by persons or taken with suicidal II
tent"
~
Physicians seemed inclined 10 dl
agree with the cold storage people a
10 the possibility OF storing food proc
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