Chicago eagle. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1889-19??, 1906-05-05
The Health Department Says that Un.
drawn Poultry, Long Kept Is Unfit
for Food.
Frightful Food Thrown Upon Market
from Cold Storage Plants---tlealth
Department Protests.

Health Commissioner whalen finds
the greatest foe of the public health
In the Beef Trust.
For seven months DIR. whalen has
been trying to get an ordinance through
the city council forbiiding 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.. whalens ordinance contains the
following provisions:
No fowls or other animals 70 be put
In storage without the entrails being
removed.
Warehouse 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.
ly to show the date IL 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 DIR. whalen said.
SO important has this subject become
that the Secretary of the State Board
OF Health, DR.. James A. Egan, has al.
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
60 the health officials In oil parts OF
IUS GtutSe ttc ChuCSuChS uhu VuAoANS'
ment Of ordinances prohibiting the sale
Of poultry, iish. game, or any animal
used for food that has not been prop
eriy cleaned and drawn at the time
Of the slaughterlng.
1.-THE necessity for such ordinances
and their enforcement is plainly indi'
Gated by the rapidly growing custom
Of storing poultry, dsh. and game con-
taining the cntraIls and other v!scera
and offering them for sale long periods
OF time after being killed. and the
danger to public health caused by thi'
custom.
1T IL known to all physicians and
psychologists that there are generated
In the body Of any animal p0!sons o.
the highest degree OF toxicity. The In
testlnes and other digestive organs con
tain ut all times materials which hav'
undergone putrefactive changes. j
this material be permitted to remal'
In the body after death the poison
generated may infltrate the entir
iiesh, making II dangerous to the per
son who eats II. The body, In whicl
the viscera are permitted to remain
undergoes decomposition much NOR
rapidly than when such vlscera hav
been removed. Decomposition 10 fu'
Their FASTENED BY leaving the blood u
the animal.
ut 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
the prices are highest. Such fowls ar
killed without bleeding, often plucke
before death, and placed In cold stol
age without removing the entrails an
other vlscera. Frequently they are nc
offered for sale until several month
after killing.
THE process of decomposition an
putrefaction 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 exhibit!o
and sale the decomposition continue
with renewed energy, impregnating tn
flesh with polsOns. Flesh In which tn
blood has been permitted to remain
particularly susceptible to such decon
position, and this susceptibility Ia II
creased by the long period OF freezin
and thawing.
Even with poultry that Is 'freshl
killed there Is frequently a period {
several days between the time
slaughterlng and sale. Not only IL
dangerous, but II Is repugnant to on
sense OF decency that the flesh We al
TO eat shall lie for several days In clos
contact with purifying animal matte
Undoubtedly undrawn poultry, fesl
and game has caused many cases
poisoning which have wrOngfully bee
attributed 20 other causes. The poisOI
ing resulting often resembled tina
caused by other poisons administers
by persons or taken with suicidal IL
tent"
~
Physicians seemed inclined 10 dis
agree with the cold storage people a
10 the possibility OF storing food prod
ucts two years or more. Dr. W. A
Kufewskl was decided In his opinion
that cold storage products were dele