Improvements in the Method of Preserving the Bodies of Slaughtered Animals by Injection, and in Apparatus employed therein.
Year: 1898

page_text: Improvements in the Method of Preserving the Bodies of Slaughtered
Animals by Injection, and in Apparatus employed therein.
I, AUGUST FJELSTRUP, of 3, Dronningensgade, Odense, Denmark, Zoologist,
do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
This invention relates to an improved method of salting animals by injection.
and to apparatus used for this purpose.
The invention comprises a method of injecting sterile water through the left-
hand ventricle of the heart after the animal has been killed by a shot in the brain
or in some similar manner, thereby driving out all the blood from the veins and
afterwards injecting under pressure a sterile brine the same way, until the brine
fills the entire vessel-system.
The salting is effected in the following manner :-
After the animal has been killed it is placed on a trough-shaped table provided
with a suitable outlet opening for the blood, so that this may be easily collected.
In the case of swine the scalding and scraping are effected before the above
mentioned operation takes place.
The chest of the animal is then opened by cutting through the soft parts along
the middle-line and sawing through the breast-bone, thus making the heart as
well as the main-arteries easy to approach.
After this the right-hand ventricle of the heart as well as the left-hand one
are opened and a suitable faucet is introduced through the left-hand ventricle
into the aorta, the end of the said faucet, that is provided with two projecting
rings, being held firm just above the heart by means of a pair of tongs. These
tongs are provided with curved arms that may grip round, the two main-arteries
and from the outside press the walls of the aorta firmly round the faucet and
into a groove formed between the two projecting rings. The handle of the said
tongs can be provided with a locking device for holding the two arms of the
handle firmly together.
The other end of the faucet is forked, each branch being provided with a cock
and connected by means of an india rubber tube to a tank placed about 10 feet
above the corpse of the animal. One of these tanks contains sterile water and the
other a suitable sterile brine.
By opening one of the cocks of the faucet sterile water is admitted and the in-
jection is carried on until all the blood has been driven out through the right-hand
auricle. When this operation is finished this cock is closed and the other opened
whereby sterile brine is admitted through the faucet and until the entire vessel-
system is filled. The salting is then finished and the faucet removed. Instead
of the above-mentioned tanks, pumps may be used. A strong solution of salt-
petre is commonly used but when the meat has to be transported as
"fresh
meat" a weaker brine is employed.
As regards swine the singeing and brushing is done after the salting and before

page_text: the quartering which is done in the ordinary way, the same as oxen, sheep and
horses.
The above mentioned method has the advantage of great simplicity and does
not necessitate the use of complicated, apparatus. The salting can be effected
quickly and uniformly throughout. Together with the brine a disinfecting agent
may easily be injected whereby other advantages are obtained.
.
The butchering itself may moreover, in this case be made free from pain to the
animal, as the evacuation of the blood is a process that is independent of the
butchering. It must furthermore. be pointed out that a more complete evacuation
of the blood is obtained by the above-described method than by other methods
used hitherto, and no blood practically remains behind to cause putrefaction.
Another advantage is that by this method it is not necessary to keep the salted
animals in stock for some considerable time as is otherwise the case.
Dated this 15th day of March 1898.
F. WISE HOWORTH,
46, Lincoln's Inn Fields, London, W.C., Agent for the Applicant.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in the Method of Preserving the Bodies of Slaughtered
Animals by Injection, and in Apparatus employed therein.
i.
I, AUGUST FJELSTRUP, of 3, Dronningensgade, Odense, Denmark, Zoologist,
do hereby declare the nature of this invention and in what manner the same is
to be performed to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the follow-
ing statement:'
T
This invention relates to an improved method of treating the bodies of
slaughtered animals by means of injection of liquids for the purpose of preserving
the meat and to apparatus used in connection therewith.
○
For this purpose according thereto sterilized water is, as quickly as possible
after the animal. has been killed by a shot in the brains or in, other suitable
manner, that is to say in a manner such that the vessel-system is not torn asunder,
injected through the left-hand ventricle, this injection being effected under a
pressure corresponding exactly to the pressure of the blood in. the vessel-system;
and after all the blood has been thus driven out of the body of the animal a
sterilized preserving liquid, such as for example a solution of common salt and
saltpetre or the like, is injected in the same way until such liquid fills the entire
vessel-system.
.F
ر
"In carrying out my invention I proceed as follows:-
After the animal has been killed in the manner mentioned above it is (after
having, in the case of swine, been scalded and scraped) placed on a trough-shaped
table provided with a suitable outlet opening for the blood, so that this may be
easily collected.
ri
I
The, chest of the animal is then opened by cutting, through the soft parts along
the middle-line and sawing through the breast-bone,, thus making the heart as
well as the main-arteries accessible.
After this, the right-hand and left-hand ventricles of the heart are opened and
a suitable faucet k, shown separately in Figure 1.of the accompanying drawing,
is, introduced through the left-hand ventricle into the aorta, the end of, the said
faucet, which is provided, with two projecting rings or collars 7, being held firmly
just above the heart by means of a pair of tongs a. shown in Fig. 2. These tongs g
are, provided with curved arms. h.to grip round the two main-arteries
and f,

page_text: 4
Fig. 3 and from the outside press the walls of the aorta firmly round the faucet k
and into' the groove formed between the two projecting rings l. The said tongs
may be provided with a locking device o for holding the two arms of the handle
firmly together.
I
The other end of the faucet is forked, each branch being provided with a cock,'m
and n respectively, and connected by means of an india rubber tube to a tank
placed at a suitable, height above the carcase of the animal. One of these tanks
contains sterilized water and the other a suitable sterilized preserving liquid such
as, brine or the like. The height at which the two tanks are placed above, the
carcase of the animal is regulated in such a manner, that the liquid is injected
into the body of the animal at a pressure that corresponds exactly to the pressure
of the blood in the vessel-system.
In Figure 3 is shown the manner in which the faucet is introduced into the
heart of the animal. a is the right-hand and the left-hand auricle of the
.heart, whilst the right and left-hand ventricles are marked respectively cand d.
e is the main artery to the body and the main artery to the lungs..
By opening one of the cocks, say m, of the faucet, sterilized water is admitted
and the injection is carried on until all the blood has been driven out through
the right-hand auricle. When this operation is finished the cock m is closed
and n opened, whereby sterilized preserving liquid is admitted through the faucet
until the entire vessel-system is. filled.
1
When this operation is finished the faucet is removed and the injection process
is now terminated. Instead of the above-mentioned tanks, pumps may be used,
care being taken that the liquid is injected at the pressure indicated above.
In methods used hitherto the bleeding has been effected without any aid from
outside with the result that only part of the blood has been removed, whilst the
rest remained in the vessel-system and became coagulated.. This coagulated, blood
in the vessels has obstructed the free running through of the liquid and necessitated
the injection being made under a high pressure. This however has frequently
caused the fine vessels to burst, thus admitting the preserving liquid to the sur-
rounding cells, the result being that the meat has become spongy.
In the case of swine the singeing and brushing are done after the process of
preservation and before the quartering, which is done in the way usual with
oxen, sheep and horses.
The above mentioned method has the advantage of great simplicity and does
not necessitate the use of complicated apparatus. The process of preservation
can be effected quickly and uniformly throughout as well with a number of
animals as with the various parts of a single body. Together with the preserving
liquid a. disinfecting agent may easily be injected whereby other advantages.
are obtained.
'
The butchering itself may moreover be made free from pain to the animal, as
the evacuation of the blood is a process that is independent of the butchering.
It may furthermore be pointed out that a more complete evacuation of the blood
is obtained by the above-described method than by other methods used hitherto
practically no blood remaining behind to cause putrefaction. Another and great
advantage is that by this method the slaughtered animals become so quickly
and so thoroughly filled with the brine or preserving liquid, that there is no
necessity for keeping them hanging or stocked together for some time, as has
been the case hitherto in fact they may be transported almost immediately after
the process is finished.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of this said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what
I claim is:-
1. A method of preserving the bodies of slaughtered animals wherein im-
mediately after the animal has been killed sterilized water is injected under suit-
able pressure through the aorta of the slaughtered animal until all the blood has

page_text: been driven out of the veins after which sterilized preserving liquid is injected
through the aorta until it fills the entire vessel-system, substantially as described.
2. A method of preserving the bodies of slaughtered animals by means of in-
jection consisting of introducing, immediately after the animal has been killed
and its chest opened along the middle-line, into the aorta and through the left-
hand ventricle a faucet, the walls of the aorta being pressed firmly round the
faucet, and injecting sterilized water at a suitable pressure, until it flows out
through the right hand auricle without being mixed with blood, after which a
suitable sterilized preserving liquid is injected through the said faucet until the
entire vessel-system is filled therewith thereby obtaining a complete evacuation
of the blood without bursting of the veins and a quick, complete and uniform
saturating with the said preserving liquid.
3. A modification of the method set forth in the preceding claims wherein a
disinfecting agent is injected together with the preservation liquid into the
vessel-system.
4. An apparatus for use in treating the bodies of slaughtered animals as
herein before set forth, comprising a faucet k, one end of which is forked and
provided with two cocks m and n, the branches of the fork being adapted to be
connected with two tanks containing sterilized water and preserving liquid
respectively, whilst at the other end the faucet is provided with a groove between
two projecting rings, substantially as described.
1000
F. WISE HOWORTH,
46, Lincoln's Inn Fields, London, W.C., Agent for the Applicant.