Report of Wisconsin Dairy and Food Commissioner   241


conclusion that family conditions were such that that room never would
be fit to produce food in, therefore issued instructions to cease and
desist from making sausage in this room and move meat grinding
machinery out.
In another case, of which the local health officer made complaint, we
found that a concern purchased animals that might be offered to them
for slaughter and sold the meat products in places where there was no
inspection, keeping away from places where there was inspection, not
wishing to have their products subjected to examination. While the
animals that were being slaughtered at the time of inspection were,
as far as I was able to observe, not diseased, carcasses found in coolers
were very thin and came from animals poorly nourished, to say the
least. We found some meats that were putrid. In one freezer there
was an accumulation of hogs' heads that were moldy; the place of
slaughter was dirty. In the absence of any control or supervision in
this establishment, carcasses and parts of animals, which under all es-
tablished principles of meat inspection, should be condemned as dan-
gerous to the public health, may be freely passed into the channels of
trade and sold to the people of the state.
The meat problem is difficult to deal with and the means put at our
disposal for enforcing the laws relating to meats are inadequate. The
United States Government maintains inspectors in many places. In
some cities in the state efficient meat inspection is provided for by
ordinance and enforced by competent inspectors, yet there are un-
scrupulous persons who slaughter animals, remove entrails-at times
even the bones-and sell the meats for public consumption.
The principle that meat inspection is necessary to prevent the dan-
gers which threaten human health from noxious meat products is well
established and recognized in all civilized countries. Indeed, it dates
back to Egypt. In the United States, aside from municipal regulations,
the first laws for meat inspections were brought about because Euro-
pean countries excluded American meats from their markets for the
reason that they became alarmed at the dangers to the public health.
One of the objections was the presence of trachina in pork. Since then
meat inspection laws have been passed and inspection is carried on
on an enormous scale by the United States Government in many es-
tablishments. In fact, all meats to be exported or to be shipped in
interstate commerce must be inspected, and inspection service is placed
on a scientific basis. It is believed today that this meat inspection has
been and is of great value to not only the meat industry, but also to
the raisers of stock for slaughter.
Meat inspection to be thorough consists of ante mortem as well as
post-mortem examination. It is not possible here to go into details but
I most earnestly wish to point out that thorough inspections of meat
are not possible unless all organs of the animals are examined. When
head, tongue and viscera are removed it is difficult to judge the con-
dition of the carcass.
Even if the animals are such that parts of them may be suitable for
food, the public is dependent upon the knowledge of a butcher as to
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