[Report 1913] / Medical Officer of Health, Shrewsbury Borough.

  • Shrewsbury (England). Borough Council.
Date:
1913
Catalogue details

Licence: Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0)

Credit: [Report 1913] / Medical Officer of Health, Shrewsbury Borough. Source: Wellcome Collection.

    28/156 (page 28)
    'which might well be quoted in extenso as the account of his experience may be of great value to others in giving them guidance as to the best instruments and in furnishing to objectors evidence of their efficacy. In the Byelaws made b}' the Sanitary Committee under Sec. 169 of the Public Health Act, 1875, to regulate the use of the public abattoir, number 18 states, ‘ That no person shall in a slaughterhouse proceed to slaughter an}' bull, ox, cow^ heifer, calf, or pig until the same shall be effectually stunned.’ (Jewish slaugh¬ termen excepted). “ This Byelaw tended rather to bring about more unintentional cruelty in the process of pig slaughtering by the use of the ordinary pig hammer than it eliminated, on account of the swinging blow very frequently missing the extremely small area of brain presented for an effectual blow. “ In December, 1911, humane slaughtering was introduced by the use of the captive-bolt pistol for pig stunning. The method very soon gained favour and is now in general and permanent use, and is carried out by the whole of the slaughtermen themselves. From that date until the year ending December 31st, 1913, 7,858 pigs have been slaughtered by humane methods. “ During that period the number of failures w'ith the pistol have been almost negligible, and have been mostly due to faulty .ammunition.. ‘ ‘ The use of the pistol does not in any way produce any harmful effects on the carcase either in its bleeding during slaughter or in its keeping properties after. “ Humane slaughtering was introduced for beasts b}' the use ■of a captive bolt pistol in April, 1913. The captive bolt pistol used for ox stunning is fixed at right angles to a shalt, 4 feet 6 inches long, up the centre of which is fixed the ware that actuates the trigger, so that the operator does not stand in front of the beast while using the instrument. “ This method of stunning the l^easts soon received the approval •of the butchers, and the old method of the pole-axe has now fallen into disuse. Since the date the pistol was introduced 1,000 beasts have been slaughtered by it. vSo successful has been the use of the captive-bolt pistol for the stunning of large animals that a