Chicago eagle. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1889-19??, 1906-06-23
The Health Department Says that I'm.
drawn Poultry, Long Kept, Is Unfit
for Food.
Frightful Food Thrown Upon Market
from Cold Storage Plants---flealth
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 forbiddlng the sale Of
any slaughtered poultry. fish. game. or
any animal used FOR food purposes. re-
frigerated or otherwise. (which has not
beeu properly drawn and prepared by
removing the entrails at the time Of
slaughter" Storage men estimated
that 5OO.OOO pounds of meats iu Chi.
cago warehouses would come under the
bau Of this law.
DIR. whalcn's ordinance contains the
following provisions:
No fowls or other animals to be put
In storage without the entralls being
removed.
Warehouses to be In sanitary condi.
ton: regular inspections to guarantee
this.
An annual license fee 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.
~ to show the date 1t Is put In stor.
age.
Retail groccrs 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 A. Egan. has al.
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
70 the health officials In all parts Of
the State. the enactment AMI enforce.
ment Ut ordinances prohibiting the sale
OF poultry. hsh. game. or any animal
used for food that has not been prop.
erly cleaned and drawn at the time
OF the Strengthening.
1.-THE necessity for such ordinances
and their enforcement Ii plainly indi.
Gated by the rapidly growing custom
OF storing poultry, fish. and game con.
talnlns the entrails aud other viscera
aud 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 toxicIty. The In.
testlnes aud other digestive organs cOu.
tain ut all times materials which have
undergone putrefactlve changes. II
this material he permitted to remain
In the body after death the poisons
generated may lnfiltrate the entire
desh, making 1t dangerous to the per.
son who eats 1t. The body. In which
the vlscera are permitted to remain.
underSoes decomposition much more
rapidly than when such viscera have
been removed. Decomposition Ia fur.
ther hastened 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 It
In cold storage until winter or until
the prices are highest. Such fowls are
killed without bleeding. often plucked
before death. and placed In cOll stor-
age without removing the entralls ana
other yscera. Frequently they are not
offered for sale until several months
after killing.
THE process Of decomposition and
putrefaction begins at once. Cold stor-
age aud freezing may limit the rottln;
process, but do not stop II. When
poultry or animals are taken from cold
storage and thawcd out for exhibition
and sale the decomposition continues
with renewed energy, impregnating the
flesh with polsons. Flesh In which the
blood has been permitted TO remain II
particularly susceptible to such Gecom-
position, and this susceptibility Is In.
creased by the long period Of freezing
and thawing.
"Even with poultry that Is freshly
killed there Is frequently period OF
several days between the time OF
slaughter.ng and sale. Not only Is It
dangerous, but II Is repugnant to our
sense Of decency that the flesh we are
10 eat shall lie for several days M close
contact with purifying animal matter
Undoubtedly undrawn poultry, flesh
and game has caused many cases OF
polsonin" ~'h'c.i 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"
%6
Physicians seemed inclined to dis.
agree with the cold storage people az
20 the possibility of storing food prod