Chicago eagle. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1889-19??, 1906-07-14

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 forbidding the sale OF
any slaughtered poultry, fish, game, OF
any animal used for food purposes. re-
frigerated or otherwise. (which has no,
been properly drawn and prepared by
removing the entrails Mt 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 condi.
tion; regular inspections to guarantee
this.
An annual license tee Of $500, per.
mlts to be issued to warehouses only
after they had complied with the SAM.
tary provisions.
Every article to be tagged permanent.
y 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 It's 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 I'D.
dressed the following communication
to the mayor Of every city In Illinois:
''rhe 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, fish, game, or any animal
used for food that has not been prop.
erly cleaned and drawn at the time
Of the Strengthening.
"rhe 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 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 poisons OF
the highest degree of toXlcIty. The In.
testines and other digestive organs con.
tain at all times materials which have
undergone putrefactive changes. II
this material be permitted to remain
In the body after death the poIsons
generated may infiltrate the entire
tiesh, making 1t dangerous to the per.
son who eats 1t. The body, In which
the vlscera are permitted to remain,
nndergoes decomposition much more
rapidly than when such viscera have
been removed. Decomposition Is fur.
Their fastened by leaving the blood In
the animal.
1T 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 1t
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 vlscera. Frequently they are not
offered for sale until several months
after killing.
THE process OF decomposition AMI
Putrefactlon begins at once. Cold stor.
age and freezing may limit the rotting
process, but do not stop It, When
poultry or animals are taken from cold
storage and thawed out for exhibition
and sale the decomposition continues
with renewed energy, lmpregnating the
flesh with polsons. Flesh In which the
blood has been permitted to remain Ia
particularly susceptible to such decom.
position, and this susceptibility is In.
creased by the long period of freezing
and thaw!ng.
Even with poultry that Is freshly
killed there Is frequently a period OF
several days between the time OF
slaughter!ng and sale. Not only Is 1t
dangerous, but II Is repugnant to our
sense OF decency that the flesh we are
10 eat shall lie for several days IN close
contact with purifying animal matter.
Undoubtedly undrawn poultry, flesh,
and game has caused many cases Of
poisoning which have wrongfully been
attributed 10 other causes. The poison.
Ing resulting often resembled that
caused by other poisons administered
by persons or taken with suicidal In
tent"
~
Physicians seemed inclined 10 dis.
agree with the cold storage people as