Meats may carry any of several diseases. Uncooked pork
sometimes contains living parasites that produce trichinosis. For protection,
pork should always be cooked thoroughly; any pinkness means inadequate cooking.
For roast pork, an hour to the pound at 350 degrees is safe. Brucellosis
(undulant fever) may be acquired from pork, beef, or un- pasteurized milk.
Raw
fish and raw beef may contain tapeworms. Al- though the U.S. Department of
Agriculture inspects meats, you cannot always be certain they are still pure by
the time they reach your table. Thorough cooking of all meats and fish is the
best precaution. Diseased rabbits cause tularemia, a serious disease that may
be contracted not only by eating but even in the course of skinning and pre-
paring rabbits. Improperly canned food can be dangerous. Bacteria, growing in
such food, can produce poisoning.
Botulism is a severe form of food poisoning which often
leads to fatal paralysis. The food and canning industries are extremely careful
to avoid food contamination; botulism is usually the result of improper home
canning. If you like to can food, boil for at least three hours or steam-cook
it under correct pressure. Boil again for 15 minutes before eating. It's
important to buy pastries from a clean, reliable bakery and to refrigerate them
promptly when you get them home.
Bacteria thrive on custard fillings such as
those in éclairs unless the pastry is properly handled and refrigerated. Frozen
foods can be healthy and tasty. But the home freezer can be a source of danger
if food is not frozen correctly. Most meats, poultry, and fish can be
quick-frozen and kept safely for extended periods. Vegetables, bread, and cake
are also popular freezer items.
But many foods, such as concentrated fruit juices, should be
used as soon as thawed and should not be refrozen. Some down-to-earth pamphlets
about frozen foods and freezing equipment have been produced by the U.S.
Department of Agriculture and are available from the Department in Washington,
D.C., without charge; they are well worth having.
The pamphlets include the
following titles: Freezing Combination Main Dishes Home Care of Purchased
Frozen Foods Home Freezers-Their Selection and Use Home Freezing of Fruits and
Vegetables Home Freezing of Poultry Venereal Diseases The two major ones are
syphilis and gonorrhea, spread mainly by sexual contact, although syphilis has
been known to be spread also by kissing. These diseases are discussed elsewhere
in this book.
