Board of Health, who has given a great deal of attention to the subject of improving the sanitary condition of the slaughter-houses around Boston:

J. M. BUGBEE, ESQ.:

BOSTON, Aug. 21, 1871.

Dear Sir:-In reply to your letter of this day, asking for such information as I may be able to furnish concerning the best way to prevent the sale of bad meat in the markets of Boston, I have the honor to reply that, as Secretary of the State Board of Health, the general subject has engaged much of my attention during the past two years, and that it affords me great pleasure, which will be shared by all my associates, to be able to co-operate with you in protecting the public health in this respect. The remedy we think may be found in the inspection of animals before they are killed, and in the inspection of meat after it is dressed and before it is offered for sale. Inspection of meat may be readily made by competent persons appointed by the city authorities, and such officers would be exceedingly useful in the detection and immediate confiscation of putrid meats of all kinds, of immature veal, and possibly also, in certain cases, of the meat of animals which had died from disease. But the recognition of diseased meat is not easy for either physicians or butchers. The sign chiefly to be relied on is the retention in the meat of an unusual amount of blood. There are those also who profess to be able to distinguish such meat by a change in the appearance of the texture of the muscle; but in acute disease this could not be relied on, and in case of trampling to death in the cars it would only be seen in bruises which have been so severe as to leave marks deeper than the thickness of the hide. Probable guesses may be made in some cases, but there can be no approach to certainty in the recognition of the meat of animals which had been sick at the time of killing, or which have been brought to the slaughter-houses

dead. It is notorious in Brighton that many animals are 'killed to save them" from speedy death by exhaustion or disease.

The only complete remedy is to be found in the inspection of the living animal. How can this be done? Under the system of slaughtering now prevailing in the vicinity of Boston, it seems to me impracticable. In Brighton alone there are more than forty barns in which animals are killed. Unless an inspector is kept in each one of these establishments, there can be no security that sick and dead animals may not be conveyed, either by day or night, to any of them, and there dressed for the market.

The only complete remedy is to be found in the concentration of this business in a general slaughter-house or abattoir. Besides the many other sanitary and economical advantages of such an establishment, it will be at once seen that all animals can here be readily inspected during life, and their fitness for food determined without difficulty. Meat coming from such a slaughter-house would be preferred by every one.

It is to be hoped that the butchers of Brighton and Watertown, and Cambridge and Medford, and other towns in our immediate neighborhood, will at last see that the safety of the community and their own interests are identical; that the hauling about the country of offal and blood, and heads and feet, and hides and tallow, is wasteful; that the refuse which they now throw to hogs is of great value; and that all these portions of the slaughtered animals may be utilized on the premises, without delay, without any offensive odor, and to their great pecuniary advantage.

The Committee which you represent can, it seems to me, by their representations to the citizens, and by the action of the City Government, render most important aid in the accomplishment of this life-saving reform.

Very respectfully yours,

GEORGE DERBY, M. D., Secretary of State Board of Health.

THE BOSTON MARKETS.

The whole number of stores and stalls in this city occupied, in whole or in part, for the sale of meat and vegetables is about 1250. During certain portions of the day the streets in the vicinity of Faneuil Hall Market are occupied by between 200 and 300 wagons, from which are sold meat and vegetables at wholesale or retail. There are also about a hundred wagons perambulating the streets in different sections of the city, for the sale of fresh provisions from house to house. The only portion of this business over which the City Government exercises any direct control is that which is done within the limits of Faneuil Hall Market, — a space 850 feet by 200 feet, containing 165 stalls, 32 cellars, and accommodations for about 200 wagon stands.

The Board of Health may, under their general authority to take measures for the preservation of the public health, prevent the sale of provisions that are notoriously corrupt or unwholesome; but the statutes give them no direct control over the quality of the articles sold for food, except in the case of the meat of calves killed when less than four weeks old. All such meat may be seized and destroyed; but the difficulty in proving that the meat was not of the required age has prevented the efficient execution of the law. Unless, therefore, the meats offered for sale in these stores, stalls, and wagons outside of the market owned by the city, are so offensive as to attract public attention, there is no one, under the present arrangements, whose duty it is to take cognizance of the manner in which the business is conducted. There is no system of inspection; those who peddle provisions from carts about the streets have no license, and, in fact, the markets in this city are what some citizens have clamored for, - entirely free, — free for the worst as well as the best provisions. In other large cities it has been found necessary for the preservation of the

public health to make stringent regulations in regard to the manner in which the business should be carried on, and also in regard to the quality of the articles offered for sale. The facts brought to light by this inquiry show that we cannot longer afford to do without some regulations in this city. A greater necessity exists here for careful supervision over the business than in most other cities, from the fact that a large portion of the meat, most of the fruits, and many vegetables are brought into the market from long distances, and great care is necessary to prevent their being offered for sale, either through ignorance or cupidity, in an unwholesome state. It is not to be expected that, with the present facilities for transportation, fresh provisions and perishable produce can be furnished to the inhabitants of large cities in the best condition; but there is no reason why they should not be furnished, under ordinary circumstances, in a wholesome condition; and it is the duty of the government to see that they are so furnished. A glance at the present method of conducting the business in this city will suggest the course of action necessary to protect the con

sumers.

The provision dealers may be divided into several classes: First, those who sell only on commission; second, those who purchase live stock of the drovers, do the butchering themselves, or hire it done for so much a head, and sell at wholesale or retail from wagons or stores in the city; third, those who sell at retail from stores or stalls, buying their stock from commission dealers or butchers; fourth, those who peddle from wagons going about the streets.

The commission dealers receive consignments from different parts of New England, New York, and the West. Some of them are acquainted with their consignors, and some are not. Most of them sell whatever is consigned to them without regard to its quality. Their view of the matter appears to be, that the buyers must look out for themselves; if they don't know any better than to buy bad meat for food

they must pay the penalty. Very few of them have any objection to selling calves that are from three to ten days old, although they are aware that it is a penal offence to sell calves less than four weeks old. The difficulty of proving the fact, and a knowledge of the fact on the part of the vender, makes the violation of the law a matter of small concern. One large commission dealer gave it as his opinion that nineteen out of twenty calves sent to this market were less than four weeks old. This is probably an exaggeration. It was for the interest of this dealer, who is largely engaged in the business himself, to make it appear that others were concerned in it to the same extent. It would probably be a reasonable estimate to put the number of those received under age, during the months of March and April, at two-thirds of the whole. Much the larger proportion of those under four weeks of age are less than six days old. The farmers find it more profitable to sell the calves when three or four days old, and get the milk from the cow, than to keep the calf and be deprived of the milk for four or five weeks. Although young veal, if properly cooked, may not be positively dangerous as an article of food, it is manifestly improper for general consumption. The limit fixed by the statute is a reasonable one, and its enforcement is necessary to protect us from the introduction of veal, that, as one of the witnesses expressed it, is "of no age at all." The best dealers hold this opinion; and it is noticeable that all those who testified that they sold "milkers," and considered them wholesome food, were unwilling to eat such meat themselves. One of them gave as an excuse that "butchers were more particular about meats than others."

There are a number of private market-houses in the city which carry on an extensive business in meats and country produce. Representatives from the principal establishments in different sections of the city were called before the Committee and examined as to their method of doing business.