CASTING OF BEASTS FOR JEWISH SLAUGHTER
[To the Editor of the SPECTATOR.] Sin,—In your issue of November 12th Mr. Emanuel traverses my statement that "it is natural to assume that when eminent scientists visit slaughterhouses some care is taken to ensure smooth running of the proceedings and to give a favourable impression." I can assure Mr. Emanuel, from personal experience, that some care is taken to make a good impression, even on visitors who are not distinguished scientists.
Nor does Mr. Emanuel approve my having quoted, with reference to drawing back the head of a bull with a crowbar, Sir William Bayliss's words : "it is difficult under such circumstances to be quite sure that no pain is caused by it," which he says is "separating a phrase from its context." In the attempt to show that the quotation misrepresents the context, Mr. Emanuel underlines another quotation, " In any ease I could not observe any signs that might be interpreted as pain." But this sentence obviously refers to the animals' demeanour, a very variable and unreliable criterion of pain, especially in the case of an animal so firmly secured and in such a position as to be almost incapable of showing signs of pain.
I notice that Mr. Emanuel says, "Our killers have instruc- tions from the Shechita Board not to kill any animal unless the slaughtermen cast it on to a mattress." To what extent is this instruction carried out ? Take the largely populated centres and those where heavy Jewish killing is done. At Islington mattresses are rarely used. At Birkenhead, Man- chester, Leeds, Liverpool, Birmingham, they are not used at all.
They are used here and there, chiefly at small places and largely due to the efforts of the R.S.P.C.A., assisted by Mr. Emanuel's Board. They are not generally used because of the expense in renewal and repair and the labour not only in handling them but in washing off the blood and dirt. The universal use of mattresses would not, however, enable casting without pain and terror, nor would the use of rubber rings ABM the crowbar to be used in extending the head without in many cases causing very severe pain.
No more direct and complete solution of the casting problem has been found than the mechanical casting pen. The principle of the one invented by Mr. Weinberg has been shown to be right, as it ensures painless casting and painless extension of the head, with speed, and the minimum of mental distress. The strength and durability of the present pen appear to be adequate. If not, its improvement in both respects would present no difficulty to engineers of average competence.—
Previous page
