Chicago eagle. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1889-19??, 1906-05-12
The Health Department Says that Un.
drawn Poultry, Long Kept, Is Unfit
for Food.
Frightful Food Thrown Upon Market
from Cold Storage Plants---Health
Department Protests.

the greatest Zoe oil the pubic neultn
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.
frigcrated or otherwise. (which has not
been properly drawn and prepared by
removing the cntrais 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.
Or. whalen's ordinance contains the
followin: provisions:
No fowls or other animals TO be put
In storage without the cntrails being
removed.
Warehouses to he In sanitary cOndi.
ton: regular inspections to guarantee
this.
An annual license Zee 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-
agc.
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 aud 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. DIR. James \. 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 II, lyors and city councils
Of all cities a. the presidents and
boards OF trusts OF all villages and
to the health o.clals In all parts OF
the State. the = .actmcnt aud enforce.
nent of Ordlnai: - prohibiting the sale
OF poultry. fisl game. or any animal
used for food lat has not been prop.
erly cleaned AID drawn ut the time
Of the Strengthening.
'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 entralls and other viscera
aud Offering them for sale long periods
OF time after being killed, and the
danger to public health caused by this
custom.
"It Is known to all physicians and
Psychologists that there are generated
In the body of any animal pOisons OF
the highest degree of toxic!ty. The In.
tes,lnes and other digestive organs con.
tain ut all times materials which have
undergone putrefactlve changes. II
this material be permitted to remain
In the body after death the po!son'
generated may infiltrate the entire
iiesh. making II dangerous 10 the per
son who eats II. The body, In which
the vscera are permitted to remain
under.oes decomposition much more
rapidly than when such ylscera have
been removed. Decomposition Is fur
Their FASTENED by leaving the blood In
the animal.
lit has become the custom OF whole
sale poulterers and packers to purchase
poultry during the early summer. whei
the prices are lowest, and to keep I
In cold storage until winter or until
the prices are highest. Such fowls arr
killed without bleeding, often plucket
before death, and placed In cold stor
age without removing the entrails ant
other vlsccra. Frequently they are no
offered for sale until several months
after killing.
1.-THE process OF decomposition AM
putrcfactlon begins nc once. Cold stor
age and freezing may limit the rottin'
process, but do not stop IT, Whel
poultry or animals are taken from COLI
storage and thawed out for exhibition
and sale the decomposition continue
with renewed energy, !mpregnatins tn
flesh with polsons. Flesh Ia which IN
blood has been permitted 10 remain J
particularly susceptible TO such decom
position, and this susceptibility Is In
ased by the long period OF freezin
and thawlng.
Even with poultry that Is 'fresh
killed there Is frequently a period o
several days between the time o
slaughterlng and sale. Not only Is
dangerous, but II Is repugnant to on
sense Of decency that the flesh we ar
20 eat shall lie for several days In clos
contact with purifying animal mattel
Undoubtedly undrawn poultry, flesl
and game has caused many cases O
poisoning which have wrongfully bee
attributed TO other causes. The poison
ing resulting often resembled tina
caused by other pOlsons administers
by persons or taken with suicidal In
tent"
~
Physicians seemed Inclined 10 dis
agree with the cold storage people a
70 the possibility OF storing food prod