Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1921-11-12
Health Talks by DR.. Brady
The safety OF I,ou Food.


The public wholesale produce market in a
city OF 10000 population is visited daily by
several thousands OF dealers and marketcrs
Automobile trucks and hoTse-drawn vehicles
loaded with vegetables. fruits. meats in great
variety stand in long lines at the curbs while
purchasers thronG the market square decker
ing for stock. From purely business point
Of view. It is an inspiring scene. From -,
hySlenic point of view II makes one shuddcr.
The sanitary conditions are positively hor-
riDle. Flies in swarms soar to and fro between
the accumulation about the cutters and pave
ment and the carcases. dressed and undresscd
FOWL and vegetables and fruits exposed to tho
air and dust The less clearly and intelii-
gent marketers largely n foreign element. cx-
pectorate indiscriminat about the market
place l believe there is some Joker I'm the
city ordinances dealing with the exposure OF
food unscrcened on the sidewalk before II
store, but II there is such ordinance, the
health commissioner of the town has not
hcard about IT, 80 far as the public whole
sale market is concerned. The pavemonts
and cutters about this wholesale market
place reek with dirt and debris OF all kinds
the individual stallkccpcrs generally indulge
In dry sweeping. raising Il choking cloud OF
aust that settles over every exposed food
material standing near mad the swccpnrs
arc brushed out into the street to blow about
which is one reason why the market place
Is the ATHEIST spot In city that Is certain
ly very clean In other spots
within the market are numbers of deal
ers stalls grouped In n building. Although
there lis an ample roofage. these stalls
dim and dark. and artificial lighting Is used
all day. The filthy conditions that prevail
out In the open are not quite striking here
In the semidarkncss inside. but after your
eyes have grown accustomed to the feeble
light. YOU find conditions just disgusting
here as in the open, save that there Is less
dry sweeping and little less Nth blowing
about in the form OF dust For II food market
the surrounding friEhtful. One would
scarcely enter such n dirty, disrcputablc build
ing to look over swine at country far-in-
deed. could find no such repulsive quar-
tcrs provided for the animals at fair.
Although plate glass, white enamel, marble
and nickel plate by means assure clcari-
Sanitary conditions. one does like
to the butcher who handles ones meat
wearing reasonably clean coat or apron
and having reasonably clean hands One us
ually finds the retail butcher striving to main
tain a reasonable degree Of cleanliness. Not
so in this Wholesale produce market. There
the meat handlers seem to take pride in
degree OF uncIeanlincss. which matches the
environment very we'll. \ branch Of a nation
ally known meat-packng firm has quarters
facing the market. and The dirty clothes and
hlthy way. in which the uncovered carcasscs
would turn squcamish stomach against meat
for long time to come.
The wonder is that have 80 few ia
taltics from eating uncOoRed or rare meat.
and little infection from eating raw fruits
and vegetables We much our natural
immunity, but nothing TO sanitation in the
market place.