Chicago eagle. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1889-19??, 1906-07-28

Health Commissioner Whalen finds
the 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-
frgerated 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.
DIR. 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.
ton; 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" DIR. 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-.
OF all cities and the presidents and
boards OF trustees OF all villages and
to the health officials In all parts OF
the State the enactment and enforce.
nent 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 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-
tanning the entrails and other viscer:l
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 pOlsOns OF
the highest degree Of toxlclty. The In
testlnes and other digestive organs con
tain ut all times materials which have
undergone putrefactlve changes. i
this material be permitted to remail
In the body after death the pOlson'
generated may infltrate the entir'
flesh, making 1t dangerous to the per
son who eats It. The body, in which
the viscera are permitted to remain
nndergoes decomposition much NOR
RAPIDLY than when such viscera 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. whe
the prices are lowest, and to keep
In cold storage until winter or unit
tho prices are highest. Such fowls ar
killed without bleeding, often plucke
before death, and placed In cold stOi
age without removing the entralls an
other v.scera. Frequently they are no
offered for sale until several month
after killing.
The process OF decomposition an
putrefactlon begins at once. Cold stol
age and freezing may limit the rottin
process, but do not stop it. Whe
poultry or animals are taken from col
storage and thawed out for exhibltlO
and sale the decomposition continue
with renewed energy, lmpresnatlns II
flesh with polsons. Flesh In which Il
blood has been permitted to remain
particularly susceptible TO such decon
position, AMI this susceptibility Is II
creased By the long period of freezln
and thawing.
Even with poultry that Is fresh
killed there Is frequently period {
several days between the time {
slaughterins and sale. Not only Is
dangerous, but 1t Is repugnant to o,
sense OF decency that the flesh we al
TO eat shall lie for several days IN clO'
contact with purifying animal matte
Undoubtedly undrawn poultry, fies
and game has caused many cases
poisoning which have wrongfully beC
attributed 10 other causes. The polso
Ing resulting often resembled tn
caused By other polsons administers
by persons or taken with suicidal /
tent
~
Physicians seemed inclined 10 dl
agree with the cold storage people
TO the possibility OF storing food pro