Annual Report of the Department of Health

“Sweeping sanitary reforms were inaugurated in this district [Union stockyards], and the conditions surrounding the preparation and handling of foodstuffs and pertaining to the habits and health of the employes [sic] have been vastly improved.” – Preface. Issued the year following Upton Sinclair’s scathing expose, The Jungle, was first released publicly, this detailed report by Chicago’s Department of Health reflects serious damage control in the face of eroding public trust. The meatpacking industry is addressed specifically and at length, with the introduction noting that many of the improvements were implemented before the release of the McNeil-Reynolds Report (which confirmed unsanitary conditions). Several fold-out maps note the location of nuisance industries like breweries, butchers/stockyards, workshops, etc. Death rates, contagious diseases, food safety, and investigative actions are all covered at length. including the canvassing of specific neighborhoods. Numerous black & white photographs highlight the former squalor and various improvements. Compiled by Dr. Charles J. Whalen, Commissioner of Health, and several of his subordinates. Published by the Chicago Department of Health in 1907.