Handbook of meat inspection / by Robert Ostertag ; translated by E. Vernon Wilcox. With an introduction by John R. Mohler.

Date:
1904
Catalogue details

Licence: In copyright

Credit: Handbook of meat inspection / by Robert Ostertag ; translated by E. Vernon Wilcox. With an introduction by John R. Mohler. Source: Wellcome Collection.

Provider: This material has been provided by the Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh. The original may be consulted at the Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh.

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    trichina in American liog products, and accordingly prohibitive measures against these meats were instituted. Italy was the first to promulgate these restrictions, and by 1881 Austria, Germany and France had likewise prohibited the importation of American pork or its products. American cattle met a similar rebuff at the instance of Great Britain in 1882, when regulations commonly called the “ Slaughter Order ” were instituted by the Order-in-Council of the Board of Agriculture, which compelled American cattle to be slaughtered at the port of entry. This prohibition of store cattle was caused, presumably, by the presence of contagious pleuro- pneumonia among the cattle in a few of the Eastern States and Illi- nois, but notwithstanding this disease was effectually eradicated from this country in 1892, and since that time not a single case has been found either in cattle imported into Great Britain from the United States or among our herds, the restrictive measures continue to be enforced and the stigma constituting the assumed reason for this embargo remains. While it is plainly evident to anyone who has given this subject the least consideration that these two alleged sanitary procedures of foreign governments were directly, pointed at the meat and live stock industry of this country, and although the vast falling-off in the value of our exports in these lines was to those variously engaged therein a hardship which continued for a decade, nevertheless, these interdictions must be considered as the potent and exciting factors in securing legislation for the scientific inspec- tion of meats for foreign and domestic use and incidentally in advancing the cause of veterinary science in the United States. The exclusion of American pork products finally became intolerable, and in order to relieve the situation and regain an export market for these food-stuffs, Congress passed the act of August 30, 1890, providing for the inspection of salted pork and bacon. It was but natural to pi-esume that with the passage of such a law providing for the certification of the pure and healthful char- acter of American meats all restrictive measures against our export trade would be revoked. However, this initial act was not suffi- ciently comprehensive, referring chiefly to the manner in which the products were packed and their appearance immediately before shipment, without taking into consideration the condition at the time of slaughter of the animals producing these meats. For this reason the European countries failed to abolish their restrictions against American pork. The relief expected in consequence of this act was not, therefore, realized, and on March 3, 1891, Congress, recognizing the importance of protecting and fostering this export