Chicago eagle. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1889-19??, 1906-08-04
The Health Department Says that Un.
drawn Poultry, Long Kept, Is Unfit
for Food.
Frightful Food Thrown Upon Market
from Cold Storage Plants---fiealth
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 ut the time Of
slaughter" Storage men estimated
that 100000 pounds Of meats In Chi.
cago warehouses would come under the
Can 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 condi.
tion; regular inspections to guarantee
this.
An annual license tee Of $500. per.
mits to be issued to warehouses only
after they had complied with the SAM.
tary provisions.
Every article to be tagged permanent.
" to show the date 1t Is 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
to 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 all villages and
to the health officials In oil parts Of
the State. the enactment and enforce.
ment Of ordinances prohibiting the sale
OF poultry, Dish, game, or any animal
used for food that has not been prop.
erly cleaned and drawn ut the time
Of the slaughtering.
"The necessity for such ordinances
and their enforcement Is plainly lndi.
Gated by the rapidly growing custom
OF storing poultry, fish, and game con.
tanning the entrails and other viscera
and Offering them for sale long periods
OF time after being killed, and the
danger to public health caused by this
custom.
ut Is known to all physicians and
psychologists that there are generated
In the body Of any animal poisons Of
the highest degree Of toxIcity. The In.
testlnes and other digestive organs con.
tain ut all times materials which have
undergone putrefactive changes. II
Shis material be permitted to remain
In the body after death the p0isons
generated may infiltrate the entire
aesh. making It dangerous to the per.
son who eats II. The body, In which
the viscera are permitted to remain,
andergoes decomposition much more
rapidly than when such vlscera have
been removed. Decomposition Is fur.
ther FASTENED by leaving the blood in
the animal.
ut has become the custom Of whole
sale poulterers and packers to purchase
poultry during the early summer, when
the prices are lowest, and to keep II
In cold storage until winter or until
the prices are highest. Such fowls are
killed without bleeding, often plucked
before death, and placed In cold stor'
age without removing the entrails and
other vIscera. Frequently they are no,
offered for sale until several months
after killing.
THE process OF decomposition and
putrefaction begins at once. Cold stor
age and freezing may limit the rottini
process, but do not stop 1t. WheI
poultry or animals are taken from colo
storage and thawed out for exhibition
and sale the decomposition continue.
with renewed energy, impregnating thu
flesh with p0lsons. Flesh In which TIN
blood has been permitted to remain !!
particularly susceptible to such decom
position, and this susceptibility Is In
creased by the long period OF freezing
and thawlng.
"Even with poultry that Is 'freshl!
killed there Is frequently a period o
several days between the time o
Strengthening and sale. Not only Is I
dangerous, but II Is repugnant to ou
sense OF decency that the flesh We ar
to eat shall lie for several days IN clos,
contact with purifying animal matter
Undoubtedly undrawn poultry, flesh
and game has caused many cases o
poisoning which have wrOngfully beef
attributed 10 other causes. The poison
Ing resulting often resembled tina
caused by other polsons administered
BY persons or taken with suicidal In
tent"
~
Physicians seemed inclined to dis
agree with the cold storage people al
20 the possibility OF storing food prod
nets two years or more. DR.. W. A
Kufewskl was decided In his opinions