Pleuro-pneumonia in cattle : extracts from various authorities as to the fitness of the flesh for food / Metropolitan Board of Works.
- Metropolitan Board of Works
- Date:
- 1880
Licence: Public Domain Mark
Credit: Pleuro-pneumonia in cattle : extracts from various authorities as to the fitness of the flesh for food / Metropolitan Board of Works. Source: Wellcome Collection.
Provider: This material has been provided by London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine Library & Archives Service. The original may be consulted at London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine Library & Archives Service.
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![tliovoughly. A Royal or Vice-regal Commission might by inquiries, or the institution of experiments, decide the matter one way or the other. At my request a circular letter was addressed to the medical men and veterinarians in Dublia, and to the Medical Officers of Health of the larger towns in the United Kingdom requesting their opinions as to the use of plouro-pneumonic beef as food for man. Two hundred and ninety replied that under no circumstances should it be used, forty-five stated that it might bo used, but with two exceptions they believed it unwhole- son'.ein the advanced stages of the disease. As it is rarely that the car- eases of animals affected with this disease are sold to the butcher in its oarlv stage, it is clear that with very rare exceptions medical men, are opposed to the use of pleuro-pneumonic beef. • * • * la the abstract it does not seem likel}'' that the flesh of animals suffering from so serious a disease as pleuro-pneumonia is fit for human food. The malady is the result of a blood poison; the animal is in a highly febrile cnnflition ; the great purifving agents of its system are rendered more or less incapable of perforcning o-je of their functions, namely, the purification of ihe blood. It is alleged that even in the advanced stage of the disease no pus can be detecfod in the blood, but every experienced histologist knows how difficult it is to discriminate by the aid of tho microscope between the colourless corpuscles of the blood and the pus ccrpuscles. It is further alleged that no injurious effects have been traced to the use of such flesh, but it is clear that under existing circum- stances direct evidence as to its unwholesome properties is not likely to be obtained. » • * * According to the Registrar General of England, the deaths from car- buncles and phlegmons have increased enormously since the introduction of contagious lung distemper into England thirty-five years ago. Apropos of this statement, it is worth noting that boils, anthraxes, and carbuncles have, during the last few months, been exceedingly common in Dublin. This is significant, for during that period the North Dublin Board of Guardians have been most active in selling, or at least in permitting to bo sold, carcases of oxen affecteJ with pluero-pneumonia to the Dublia butchers. « • • • Those who maintain that the flesh of animals affected with pleuro- pneumonia is perfectly ■whulesome have not given us any satisfactory proofs in support of their position. They state that thousands of suot animals have been used as human food, and that no ill results have accrued therefrom. Such evidence is anything but conclusive. They have not undertaken any special experiments upon themselves for the ])urpoae of proving whether or not diarrhoea or any other complaint would result from the prolonged use of this kind of flesh. • • . ♦ * If a certain number of persons were fed with pleuro-pneumonic beef for say one month, the results, whether negative or positive, would be useful, and might materially contribute to the solution of a difficult question. * • • 4( There are mo Ucal men who consider that the flesh of animals, even in an advanced stage of pleui'o-pneumonia, may be eaten with impunity. A much larger number consider that it can only be safely used in the earlieat 8ta,ge af the disease. Lastly the groat majority of physiciang](https://iiif.wellcomecollection.org/image/b24398974_0013.jp2/full/800%2C/0/default.jpg)
