Physiological insights into Shechita

S. D. ROSEN

The Government recently announced that it intends to reject a recommendation by the Farm Animal Welfare Council that all animals should be stunned belore slaughter (see VR, April 10, P 446). In this Viewpoint article, Dr Stuart Rosen discusses physiological aspeds 01 Shechita, the Jewish method 01 religious animal slaughter. He outlines the religious context and describes the act 01 Shechita. He discusses the scientific literature on the behavioural responses to Shechitg as well as neurophysiological studies relevant to the assessment 01 pain, and concludes that Shechita i,a painless and humane method 01 animal slaughter.

THE purpose of this paper is to review the Jewish religious capable of independent life. This last point. in addition to the method of animal slaughter. Shechita. from a physiological fact that the act of Shechita must be the effective cause of the point of view. Much of the data presented on scientific aspects animal's death, underlies the unacceptability of stunning of Shechita has-been knOW'n for decades, although a number before Shechita, according to the Haltuha. of new perspectives are included. To illustrate the principles. Sh""hi,a is performed using a Chala[(Sh""hi'a knife) (Fig and make the process more comprehensible, a number of I). This is honed to an exquisite sharpness, comparable to that analogous human clinical scenarios are also considered. The of a surgical knife, and it is repeatedly checked between each author's principal research involvement in the topic of pain animal to avoid any imperfections. The name of the knife, has been. through the exploration of the neurophysiology of ella'a/. is derived from the Hebrew verb 'to change', since it angina pectoris as a model of visceral pain (see. for example, effects a change in the state of the animal from being forbid­ Rosen and others 1994, 1996,2002), den as food while alive to being permitled for consumption As a preamble, it should be stated that the reason for the after Shechita. Jewish observance of Shechira is that it is a basic command­ There are a number of key halachic considerations in this ment, conveyed via the Oral Law and dating back to the tim,e act: Shehiya-there should be no interruption of the incision; of Moses. Shechita is a fundamental religious practice and Derasa - there should be no pressing of the blade against the constitutes the only method of animal slaughter permissible neck (this would exclude the use of a guillotine); Haltuia - the according to the traditional body of Jewish law, the Halncha. blade should not be covered by. the hide of cattle, wool of Shechita is, in fact, part of a b,road range of legislation in the sheep Of feathers of birds (and therefore the blade has to be Halncha that promotes kindness to animals. Examples of this of adequate length); Hagrama - the incision has to be at the include: the injunction that animals are to rest on the Sabbath appropriate site on the neck. in effect that which permits the (Exodus XX 10); the interdiction against ploughing with an severance of the neck structures as quickly and as neatly as ox and an ass together (their natural powers being unequal) possible; and Ikkur - there must be no tearing of tissues. (Deuteronomy XXII 10); the injunction to send away a Each of the five halachic considerations has important and mother bird before removing eggs from a nest (Deuteronomy positive practical implications. Grandin (1994) specifically XXJI6); the prohibition against muzzling an ox at the thresh­ highlighted the importance of using an instrument of exquis­ ing flo,or (Deuteronomy XXV 4); animals to be with their ite sharpness and adequate length, swiftly applied and with mother for (at least) the first seven days of their lives avoidance of thr wound dosing over knik Together, these (Leviticus XXI) 27); no slaughter of a mother animal and its factors are a major contribution to the efficacy of Shechita as offspring on the same day (Leviticus XXII 28); the need to a method of combined stun and slaughter. reload an overloaded animal (Exodus XXIII 5, Deuteronomy Subsequent to the act of Shechita, certain other procedures XXII 4); and the obligation to feed one's animals before feed­ are mandatory, such as the covering of the blood of poultry ing oneself (Deuteronomy XI 15). It should be noted that or game with earth or ash (Kissuy HaDam), the removal of Jewish people regard themselves as culpable within their reli­ forbidden fat (Heleb) from the mesenteric. pararenal and gious law if their actions cause animals to suffer. Thus, con­ , other areas, and the removal, via the koshering process,of the sistent with the halachic legislation on other aspects of animal ,residual blood in the meat. (Koshering involves the soaking welfare, Shechita is embraced as a painless and rapid method of the meat for prescribed pt:riods of time and the application of slaughter. of substantial amounts of coars~ salt to draw out the blood. Because it is the only religiously permissible method of Roasting with an open flame can also be employed; this is animal slaughter for Jews, moves to undermine the Jewish obligatory in the case of liver. This is'discussed in detail by people's ability to perform Shechita have implications with Grunfeld [1972).) regard to rights to religious expression. Historically, attacks on Shechita have not been based on prima facie scientific Restraint allarger animals objections to its effects. For example, Shechira was banned in To maintain optimal positioning, larger animals (mostly Germany in 1933, despite having been widely endorsed bovids) are led into a restraining pen in which the animal throughout the scientific community in 1932. This and other is held while Shechiea is performed. Grandin (1994) has legislative aspects of Shechiea were discussed extensively by described in detail designs and operational procedures for this Munk and others (1976). device. It is imponant to note that the restraint is not a 'crush'. Vo!to!rinQry Ro!Cord (2004) Significant features of the upright pen, recommended by the 154,759-765 ACT OF SHECHITA Farm Animal Welfare Council in 1985, are a belly-plate designed to lift and support the animal at slaughter and a chin S. D. Rosen, MA, MD, Shtchira is the act of slaughtrring an animal by a perfectly lifl and poll Slap, These features were made law in 1992. An FRCP, clean incision through the structures at the front of the neck advantage in the use of a chin lift is the prevention of re­ Faculty of M~dicin~, - the trachea, oesophagus, carotid arleries and jugular veins. occlusion of the carotid arteries. This is important in allow. Imp~ria\ CoI1~g~, London Before Shechira, Ihe animal has 10 be fit and health)' and ing a very rapid loss of cerebral function.

The Veterinary Record, June 12, 2004 759 ~ ... VIEWPOINT ~ (a) (b) . --)

.....- Vertebral artery

~ .~ J Brechiocephalic----- artery Brachlocephalic----- artery FIG 2: Effect Of the Shechita Indsion on blood flow through the main orteries to the brain. (8) Before the Indsion and (b) after the indsion. Note that blood flow Is In the direction of least resistance ] ofthe slain could be shown in the liver and kidoers, little, if any, ShechitQ, the heart can continue to beat for a few minutes ~) could be seen within the brain. and cenainly too little to be . means that this method of slaughter contributes very posi~ compatible with the suppon of brain function. tively to exsanguination. This has positive health and hygiene . I [n contrast, Blackman and others (1986) looked at possi~ implications. ble differences in blood supply to the cerebral eonabetween In summary, the collapse in the anerial blood pressure that sheep and calves during slaughter. T~ey reported that methy­ follows on from the severance of the carotid arteries at lene blue was demonstrable in the brain of calves more than Shechitn causes a dramatic fall in cerebral perfusion. The cere­ 100 seconds after bilateral carotid severance. However, the bral Cortex is particularly sensitive to this (see, for example. slaughter was not performed through She.chita. Noell and Chinn 1950). Consciousness is lost"rapidly (within One reason that someof the data cited appear to be in con~ approximately two seconds) an~ irreversibly. fliet may be that the actual circumstances of the studies are not strictly comparable (Shechitn va non-Shechira cut). There have also been confusing (and misguided) attempts in the EXPERIMENTAL DATA ON THE EFFECTS OF past to compareShechitn to experiments in which the carotid SHECHITA ON CEREBROSPINAL FWID PRESSURE arteries were clamped (Ltvinger 1961). After carotid clamp· ing, drowsiness and swaying are observed and the animals Cerebrospinal fluid pressure pass urine and faeces. With continuation of the damping, a. The brain is a soft and hollow organ and its usual shape and recovery of equilibrium is achieved after about one-and-a­ structure are, to an extent, maintained by the pressure of half minutes. In this case, the maintenance of brain function cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) within the cerebral ventricles (De J is presumably by means of blood flowing through the verte­ Lange 1977, Walton 1993). The shape of the brain is also bral arteries. maintained by the gradient between the relatively high pres­ More recently, Shaw and others (1990) reported on the sure of the arterial blood flowing into it and the lower pres­ role of the vertebral arteries in maintaining spontaneous sure in the veins draining it. The venous pressure, in turn, also I electrocortical activity after electrical stunning and slaugh­ has an influence in maintaining the correct pressure in the CSF -.J ter in calves. \'Vhen the blood supply to the brain was severely (Cohen and others 1970). reduced by the carotid aneries being clamped to mimic a clot Sudden changes in these pressures can have a devastating (rather than severed), then even when all available blood was effect on brain function (Levinger 1970). A good human J effectively forced through the brain via alternate pathways, model of this is the patient with hydrocephalus (Hong and cortical function could not be maintained or be re-estab­ Pickard 1996), for example, due to obstruction of the flow of lished. The time to isoelectric electrocorticogram (ECoG) in CSF from the cerebral ventricles to the outer surface of the these calves was not different from that in calves which had brain. The only effective treatment is implantation ofa shunt l undergone carotid severance after earlier surgical ligation of - usually between the brain ventricles and one of the great the vertebral arteries. veins or the right atrium. The shunt contains a valve to In contrast, after the ShechitQ incision in cattle, there exists prevent reflux of blood to the brain. There are numero~s a low-resistance route through which blood in the vertebral documented cases of shunt obstruction, which produces an arteries exits. As noted above, this does not apply to sheep, increase in brain pressure, headache and then diminished in which the vertebral arteries terminate before reaching the consciousness (Kestle and others 2000).l.ess commonly, there brain. are descriptions of leaks ofthe shunt valve, causing brain irri· tability followed by collapse and unconsciousness. Other J Cardiac activity causes of reduction in (Sf pressure are also recognised The heart continues to beat f,?r a few minutes after the (Khurana 1996). ShechitQ incision. For the first minute, the force of contrac­ tion is maintained as venous blood from the periphery of the Pressures within the brain ventricles J body continues to flow back to the heart despite the arterial Levinger (1976) has shown by direct measurement that after blood being lost through the severed carotids. Within approx· ShechitQ the CSf pressure within the brain ventricles falls even imately one minute, lack of venous return leads to a reduc­ more rapidly than the blood pressure within the internal tion in cardiac preload. Cardiac contractility is diminished maxillary artery. This is because of the collapse in jugular because of this, as well as the reduction in oxygen reaching the venous pressure, without replacement by arterial blood. The myocardium. In contrast with the cardiac arrest immediately mainlenance of brain struclure is impaired as a kind of l provoked in head-back electrical stunning, the faci that, after 'implosion' of the brain occurs. The Veterinary Record, June 12, 2004 761 I

l'VIEWPOINT _ _ . ._( I ~ I PRACTTTIONER OF SHECHITA - THE SHOCHET

The act of Shcchita is performed by a Shochet. The Shochet il studies intensively for many years and must have a thorough ·1 knowledge of animal anatomy. pathology and the laws of Shech;"'. The Shocher must be licensed by both a local author· ity and by the Rabbinical Commission for the Licensing of ·rl Shochenm. The commission is a statutory body established by Parliament and now governed by Schedule 12 of the Welfare I of Animals (Slaughter or KiUing) Regulations 1995. Every Shochet is examined annually by this commission and must apply for renewal of his licence every 12 months. Such rigor­ IJ ous training, supervision and continuous professional assessment is much more arduous than the lot of the general slaughtennan. The latter is licensed to practise for life, provided he or she does not contravene any animal welfare regulations. .

r FIG ':V...... ol the ChGhd or nPHYSIOLDGY OF SHECHITA Instrument of ShedllttJ I -"~In anatomy and physIology :- - !hough it comprises only about 2 per cent of the body's J ] weight, the brain rece~ves 20 per cenl of cardiac output Another medical modei germane to this discussion is the . (Poole-Wilson 1989). It is sensitive in its requirements for acute management of severe hypertension. It is of the great­ / oxygen and is generously supplied, mosdy via the !=arotid est importance not to bring the blood pressure down too pre­ I-I arteries. A lesser supply may come via the vertebral arteries. cipitously, otherwise patients are at a high risk of stroke The anastomosis between the two internal carotid arteries as because of underpcrfusion of the brain (Diringer 1993). I well as with the vertebral arteries forms a 'ring road' at the The cerebral regions most likely to be affected in aU of base of the brain. In cows this is the rete mirabile; in sheep, by these examples of precipitous loss of brain perfusion are the · 1 way of contrast, the vertebral arteries are rudimentary, peter­ cOrlicalarcas (NoeU and Chinn 1950). ing out before they reach the brain (Levinger 1995a). In man, - this arrangement is the Circle of Willis. The effect of having an arterial 'ring road' at the base of the IMMEDIAI'E PHYSIOLOGICAL EFFECTS OF THE ' brain is that if there is a stenosis or occlusion of one of the SHECHITA INaSION - EXPERIMENTAL DATA cerebral arteries, the brain region supplied by that vessel can ·"I still obeain adequate perfusion via one of the other vessels. Cerebra' perfusIon / However, this is not the case if the carotid arteries are opened, After the Shechita incision, blood loss is extremely rapid. In I -_"1 in which case blood flow follows the route of lowest resis­ Dukcs's dassical studics (Dukes 1958),33 per cent of the ani· tance. mal's entire blood volume was lost in approximately 30 sec­ onds and 50 per cent within one minute. The decrease in blood Autoregulation flow to the brain has been measured by means of a"manome­ '1 Blood flow through the brain is kept at a steady level. despite ter placed in the internal maxillary artery, and the fall in blood j quite wide variations in the prevailing blood pressure, pressure in the brain has been shown to be greater than the fall '- - 'Tough autoregulation (Haddy and Scoll 1977). In the anywhere else in the arteria) tree (SpOrri 1965). As a conse· _.i'cro~ir,ulation ?f the brain, vessels dilate or con~tri.c( to quence, flow through this artery was zero after Shechita. These ~ ·1 keep tissue perfusion constant. However. there are hmlts to rapid and important falls in blood pressure were associated I 1 this corrective mechanism and (at least in man) autoregula. with loss of consciousness within a few- seconds. I '- tion fails if blood pressure falls by morc than 50 per cent Since the carotid arteries are severed at Shechira, blood , (Kleincrman and others 1958. Njemanze 1992). flows out of them at a great rate. This applies not only to the blood that passes from the aorta, up the brachiocephalic trunk I r -I Cerebral blood flow and consdousness to the carotid arteries, but also to the blood that runs through In dinical cardiological practice, a rare but (fortunately!) usu­ the brachiocephalic trunk to the vertebral arteries. In th,e case ally reversible complication of routine diagnostic coronary of carotid severance (as in Shechita) blood flowing through the angiography is the provocation of ventricular tachycardia or vertebral arteries follows the route of lowest resistance, which I ventricular fibrillation. When this happens, the collapse in is, in fact, back to the distal stuJTIP of the carotid (Fig 2). The I , Icardiac output immediately leads to a failure of brain perfu- importance of restraint for post-Shechita bleed out might also I sion and the patient rapidly loses consciousness (Rossen and explain the variable period to loss of function reported in an others 1943). The whole process can, in these circumstances. experiment in cattle by Blackmore (1984). In this study, there I be timed very precisely by following the electrocardiogram was a manual cut of exteriorised neck vessels, but 'after inci­ I ·J (ECG), It takes less than five seconds for a patient lying on his sion of the neck, all restraint was immediately released: This I or her back to lose consciousness during a cardiac arrest. An could produce re-occlusion of the vessels, which should not I .. J even quicker loss of consciousness would be expected in a occur in Shechita. I standing individual because of the need for a greater driving With regard to experimental studies looking at the relative I pressure to propel blood up to the brain. contribution of the cerebral vessels to overall perfusion of the Not surprisingly, this is exactly what one fmds when per­ bovine brain, Levinger (1976) examined changes in regional I i,'"1 forming head-up tilt-table lesting for the invesligation of brain blood flow after Shechita, using a dye dilution method. ~ patients with syncope (Grubb and others 1992). After an Dye was injected through a catheter directly into the right appropriate (approximately SO per cent) fall in cardiac oul­ and left ventricular chambers immediately before Shechira. put. loss of consciousness follows in less than five seconds. Although, with microscopic investigation, appreciable amounts' :J7--6-0------T-he-v-.-'.-r-jn-a-ry-R-'-Co-'-d-,-Ju-n-e-j-2,-2-0-0-a -l d VIEWPOINT",

BEHAVIOURAL RESPONSES TO THE SHECHITA sons. The first is that pain itself is not easy to 4efine (Y'all INCISION 1989), beyond it being an unpleasant sensation or awareness .in response to a physical or mental stimulus. Secondly, it is an Direct observation of an animal's responses before. during intrinsically subjective experience. Any notion that one might and after ShechitQ are both fascinating and important, espe· have of pain in another person or animal is dependent on cially since, in the assessment of potentially painful experi· one's imagining haw one would feel in that situation and pro­ ences by animals. pseudeaffective responses are the major jecting the same on to the other person or animal. Thirdly, indication of how stressful or painful such experiences are. in the absence ofan articulate expression ofJeelings, whiCh is clearly impossible in the case ofanimals, one can only infer The free animal before Shechittl the presence of pain by observation of behavioural responses In accordance with the Haltuha,Shechita is performed on one (for example, withdrawal from the stimulus, efforts to escape animal at a time. Cattle and sheep are sentient creatures; from the stimulus, cries or other vocalisations, etc) or through however. there is no sign that the animals are frightened of clear neurophj'>iological data~ if such are available. , :::~n;::;:ntinue J ::::::: to ruminate normally. Neurophysiological basis The hope that scientific methods could overcome these lim­ There is no direct evidence of behavioural signs of stress in itations, for example, through phj'>iological measurements of aniJjticbip;ti°thnof ShecfhShjta'h~he reSlbralb'nleddanimalaiis calm and an animal's responses, remains to be realised, not least because 5t elore e act 0 ec Ita, pro a y ue to c m and pur­ the issue is extremely co~plex and the data are dlfficult to J_ posive handling. Afurther pointer to the efficacy ofrestraint interpret. More obvious parameters such as increases in heart in this fashion is the fact that it has been adopted by a num­ . rate or blood pressure due to activation of the body's sym­ .. --.l of non-Shechita slaughtermen. pathetic ('fight/flight') sj'>tem are non-specific. This is also the case for neurohumoral markers such as plasma cortisol, I 'Immediate response to the Shechlta Indsion , or ~-endorphin, Grandin ( 1994) reported that before ShechitJ2, at the moment A few key points are generally accepted; for example, a -I of the incision, and immediately after Shechita there was no .functioning, consciow brain is necessary for the perception flinching and no reflex defence response suggestive of any of pain. Studies have been performed using positron emission sensation of pain. Bager and others (I992) also observed a tomography, which can measure regional cerebral blood flow lack of flinching. It can ~ deduced, therefore, that the inci· as an index of neuronal activation, to investigate brain acti:. sion itself is not painful. The animals studied by Grandin were vation in live, awake humans. These studies have shown that, in a restraining pen, but not constrained to the extent that within the brain, the cerebral cortex is essential for the ._.I such movements would have been impeded. The lack of a percept.ion of pain, whether the origi": of the pain is the skin response to the Shechita incision is in contrast to the observ­ surface (Jones and others 199)}, the oesophagus (Aziz and able effects of inflicting such painful stimuli as ear tagging others 1997) or the heart (Rosen and others 1994). or, possibly, captive bolt stunning. Reports 'such as that In addition, the painful stimulus from the periphery has . of G~andin are of particular importance, being studies of to be adequate to activate the pain pathways. Considering the cattle, the species about which greatest concern has been situation with ShechitJ2, the starting point is, indeed, an expressed in relation to pain perception. animal which is conscious up to the moment of the act of ' ShechitJ2, but the drastic and rapid fall in cerebral blood flow

1 Laboured respiration immediately after the Shechita incision inactivates the cere­ After about 30 seconds, a strained and noisy form of slow bral cortex by depriving it of its blood supply, leading to a _'I breathing supervenes, related to muscular spasms of the rapid loss of consciousness. Also, the exquisite sharpness of diaphragm or unusual signals to the respiratory muscles from the Chalaj, coupled with the smoothness of the incision, -tbe hypoxic brain. Unsurprisingly, this does not improve mean that, as for a surgical incision, there is minimal stimu­ . hue oxygenation, and this form of breathing has also been lation of the incised edges, typically below a level adequate -bbserved after severance of the head. to activate the pain pathways. The latter is analogous to the It has been asserted, without any supporting data, that the frequent experience ofsurgeons who have cut themselves in , J very fact of breathing through the severed trachea must .the course of an operation and only noticed it well after the per se be very distressing. We know from the many human event. It will also be recalled that proper attention to the 'l tracheostomy cases that this is untrue; in addition, in an halachic requirements during Shechita also contributes to the animal that has undergone ShechitJ2, consciowness will have lack ofstimulation of the incised edges. been lost long before it could be aware that it is breathing A medical event relevant to this discussion is the experi­ through a severed trachea. ence of stroke. Regardless of the mechanism of stroke (whether thromboembolic or haemorrhagic), they are pain­ MU5

762 T.he Veterinary Re

Stunning refers to the process of rendering an animal insen­ types of stunning described, the nervous system is directly sible before slaughter. It is often assumed, although with no damaged, before the final act (sticking) which terminates the positive proof having been adduced. that stunning is a kind· life of the animal. This unquestionably makes the animal a ness to the animal to be slaughtered and some use the phrase Trefah (that is, unfit for Shechiw because of an existing injury 'humane stunning'. There are a number of mechanisms of or abnormality). Eyen in the case of any putative method of stunning, as described below. stunning which did not inOict direct damage to the nervous system, the stunned animal would be unable to be seen to Mechanical stunnIng stand up fit and well before its final dispatch. an essential With this method, asevere blow is delivered to the head ofthe halachic prerequisite. --1 animal (Daly and others 1987), usually through the use of a It has been commented by some in discussions on animal captive bolt pistol. When fired, the central metal core of this welfare that, while it is accepted that there is no scientific evi­ device emerges a short distance. Despite the small distance. dence· of Shechira being painful, prestunning is nevertheless the bolt emerges with considerable speed so that its momen­ desirable because the animal should be given 'the benefit of tum, and therefore the force of the blow to the head, is very the doubt.' There is an assumption (even described by some great. The captive bolt method requires accurate placement as a 'tenel ofbelief) thaI stunning before slaughter is a kind­ ..I of the pistol on the animal's head, and a degree of restraint ness to the animal. The argument underpinning this has been of the animal is necessary to facilitate this_ Captive bolt stun­ said to be 'intuitive~ This, though, is an unreliable measure, to ning, and, as described below, carbon dioxide stunning, say the least. 'Intuitive' in this context' equals 'unscicntific'j it . entails massive sympathetic discharge, which might be taken might also equal 'irrational' or, worse still, 'untrue~ For exam­ J_ to indicate a very large stress response (Mitchell and others ple, intuitively one might imagine that in countries where the 1988, Hartung and others 2002). As an aside, there have been death penalty is applied, rendering a human being uncon­ ;- '-""-fDt suggestions that the captive bolt method of stunning scious before execution by means of a massive blow to the ~y be associated with risk of transmission of infection, head would be.a painful and unacceptable method. The same I including prion diseases (Love and others 2000). coUld be said for electrical stunning or gaseous asphyxiation. It is likely that one reason for the clamour for stunning Electrical stunnln. in certain quarters is confusion of an· aesthetic nature. "l Electrical stunning causes insensibility in an animal by means Characterisation .of Shet:hita as 'cutting an animal's throat', of a large electrical discharge across its head. The electrical with descriptions of blood spurting from the neck or of the discharge is likely to achieve i15 effect by a number of means, late muscular spasms, are unattractive, to say the least. the mosllikely ofwhich is asphyxia due to paralysis ofthe res­ However. to the uninitiated, coronary anery bypass surgery -_--I piratory muscles (Hillman 2003). Massive sensory stimula­ is also visually unappealing! In dealing with an issue as impor­ tion is probable and this might be extremely painful (Sassoon tant as the potential suffering of animals~ it ~ unacceptable 1956, Hillman 1993), although the paralysis of the motor that superficial aesthetic considerations should be allowed to system would mask important signs of distress. cloud the argument. Another mechanism ofaction ofelectrical stunning would .. I appear (to be thedinduction of a prolonged epileptiform seizure Bager an others 1992). It is noteworthy that elec­ CO,..CWSION tric shock therapy has never had any application in human -I anaesthesia. On the contrary, in the one situation in which an In conclusion, after a review of the physiological issues electrical discharge through the brain is used therapeutically, involved and the experimental data, it is submitted that that is, the treatment of depression by electroconvulsive ther­ Shechita is a painless and effective method by. which to stun apy (EeT) (Gelder and others 1996), full general anaesthesia, and dispatch an animal in one rapi~ act. including paralysing agents, has to be given first, because of . I _the severe muscle damage and potential for fractures which '---- Jurred with the older. so-called unmodified, EeL References AZIZ, Q., ANDERSSON, I.• VALlND, S. SUNDIN, A., HAMDY, S., JONES, ' other methods A. K., FOSTER, E. R., LANGSTROM, B. & THOMPSON, D. G. (1997) Other methods of stunning have been developed. The main Id~ntifkation of human brain loci proces.ling esopbag~al &tnsatton using Uone of these is that of narcosis - making animals sleepy to the positron emission tomography. GastTotnrerology 113" SO-59 point of being comatose - by their breathing carbon dioxide­ BAGER, E, BRAGGINS, T.j., DEV1NE. C. E., GRAAFHUIS, A. E.. MELLOR, enriched air. Carbon dioxide narcosis is almost exclusively D.}.• TAVE.NER.A.&UPSDEU..M. P. (1992) OIlSCloflnscnsibilityat l!augh­ '. J ~Iectropltct.ic:Ioritu~ used in poultry slaughtering. As with the other methods of ttf in calva: effecu of and aunguination on sponta­ ntous e1.ectrocoT1ical activity and indias of urebnl metabolism.lUutlrch in stunning. its introduction was effected with no direct objec­ Vtterirltlry Scienu 52,162·173 tive evidence of any reduction in distress on the part of the BLACKMAN, N. L, CHEETHAM, K., & BLACKMORE, D. K. (1986) animal. There have, though, been many human physiological DifferenU5 in blood supply to the cerebral c:orta bctwetn shetp and ""'ves experiments on carbon dioxide rebreathing. Such studies have during 5Iaught~r. RnNrch in Vtttrinary S,itn« 40, 252-254 shown that, before subjects get to the sleepy phasc of carbon BLACKMORE, D. K. {19M) Differenc:es in behaviour berw~tn sheep and dioxide intoxication, there is an extremely distressing, agitated caltl~ during slaughter. Research in Vtrm·naryScitnu 37,223-226 phase during which the increase in inspired carbon dioxide COHEN,I..I.LVINGER,1. M. & HERTZBERG, M. (1970) Haemodynamk fac:· . _j provokes a severe and frightening air hunger (West 1990). IOrs affecting tht c:trebrospinal fluid prtssurr in tht rabbil. Lift ScitnctJ 9, There are data to suggest that turkeys stunned by this method "', also go through a similarly distressing phase before narcosis DAlY, C. c., GREGORY, N. G. & WOTTON, S. B. (1987) Captive boh stunning of caltlt: tffects on brain func:tion and !"Ole ofbolt velocity. BririJiT Vtrtrinary . 1 (Erhardt and others 1996), and carbon dioxide is undoubt­ jOllfflaJ 143, 574·580 _ edly irritating to the respiratory tract (Raj and Gregory 1993). DAlY, C. C., KAl.l.WEIT. E. & ELLEN DORF, F. (1988) Conic:al funC:lion in Even if other gases, such as argon, are used for stunning, the callie during slaughter: conventional captivt bolt stunning follOwed by same essential mechanism applies, namely deprivation of txsanguination compared with shtchila slaughter. Vtruinary Ru",d 122, ~. _oxygen, and the same agitating air hunger effects would be 325-329 U expected, as in all other cases of asphyxiation. DE LANGE. S. A. (1<:fJ7) Progrtssivt hydroc.ephalu~. In Handbook of Clinical The relevance to Shechita of this brief survey of stunning Neurology. Vol 30 - Congenital MalformatiOD$ of the Brain and Skull. Part is as follows. II will be noted that, in the course of the first two I. Ed~ P. J. Vinktn, G. W. Bruyn. Amswdam, North Holland. pp 525-563

764 The Veterinary Record, June 12, 2004 '""'1 ~~ ...... VIEWPOINT I I. .,n-tl, . I DIRINGER. M. N. (1993) Intf;l~nbrll hemorrhage: pllhoph)'liology and MODARRES, H. (2000) EEG and ~lr.cd potentials. MlIlidnt 28, )1-32 managemcnL Critia:d,C1.n Medicine 10, 1591·1603 MUN1c. M. L, MVNK, E &: LEVINGER.1. M. (1976) Shechitl: Religioul a~d DUKES, H. H. (1958) A study of blood pressure and blood now in the vene­ Historical Reearch on the lewish MC1hod of Slaughter and Medical Aspero bral arteries of ru~inants.. Report 10 the Humane S1;IUghte~ Advi,50ry of Shechiu.• Jerusalem. Feldhrim Publishers. pp 215-238 11 Committee. US Department of Asricuhun:.lthaca. Ithaca Univers.i.ty NANGER-ONI, L I. &: KENNET, P. D. (1%3) An Electroencephalognphic Study I ERHARDT. W" GEHRA. H., SCHAFER. M., BRILL, T. 6: HENKE. J. (1996) ofthe Effect ofShcchita Slaughter on Cortic:al Function in Ruminanu. Ithaca, 8ctaubung zur Schlachlung von Puten ICarbon dicWdc nunning fot the Ithaca University slaughter of turkeys}. Dnmdtc Tlm2mlidtc Wochmschrift 103, 62-64 NIEMANZE. P.C.(1992)Cntic:allimiuofpressure-fiawrelarionsin the hWIUrt FRICKER, C. &. RIEl<, W. (981) Die BctIubung von Rindcrn vor dcm brain.Strou23.1743·1747 Sch~chtcn mit HUfc des Bo1u:nschuB-App.aratts. FkiKhwirtKhajt 61, 124· NOELl., W. & CHINN, H. I. (950) Failure ofviJual pathway during anooL 127 American Journal ofPhyriologr 161, 537 GElDER, M. &: GARDNER·MFDWlN. D. (1996) r:>.twlopmcnll.l abnormali­ PAPPWORTH. M. H. (1984) The nen'OUS system. In A Primer of Medicine. ties of the nervous Sfltcm. In Oxford Tatbook of Medicine. Yol). 3rd cdn. Landon, Bunerworths. PP 31G-311 O.Yford, Odord Univenity Press. pp 41 )4-4\15 POOU·WILSON. P. A. 11989) A brief account of th~ ph)'liology of the hean GILAEKT. K. Y.. DEVlNE. C. E, HAND. R. &: ELLERY, S. (198-a) Eltctricalltun­ and cfrculation.ln ~ oftheHart.lstcdn.E.dsD.G.Julian,A. J.Camm. ning and rrillnw of Iambs. MtlU Scitna 11,45-58 ' K. F. Fox, R. J. C. ~aU, P. A. ~le-Wabon. Landon. Balli~re Tindall. pp 24­ 'II GOETZE.. W., KUBICKI, So, DUERING. V. &: KOFES. A. (1959) Ue~r d.aJ EEG 36 '" bet Itnnun und ISCSUndcn Tinm. KWinriD' Prari14. 97 ' RAJ, M. &: GREGORY, N. G. (1993) Tunc to loss ,of somatosensory C'\'Qkcd I G~D1N, T. (1994) EulhaTWia and slaughter of liV8tock. !OUmD./ of rhe potentials and onset of chan88 in the spontaneOus electroencephalogram of Amlrio:ln VmrlracIl7 MediaJlAssocication UH, 1354-1360 . . twUyI during gas stunning. VtUI'inary ReamlI)). 318-320 GRUBB. B. P., TEMESY.ARMOS. P.• MOORE, T•• WOLFE, D•• HAHN. H. &: ROSEN, S. D.• PAlIU.SU, E.. FRm-I, C.·D.• JONES. T.• DAVIES, G. J•• FRACK­ EWOT, L (1992) Head-upright tilt-table testing ,in evaluation and OWlAK, R. S. J. & q.MICI, P:G. (1994) Cent~ neu,.] comlatCJ of Ingh'" management of the malignant VISO'ngalsyndrome. Amtrialn 10UmD.J of pectoris u a model ofviscual pain.lAnat 344, 147-150 Cardiology 69. 904-908 ' ROSEN, S. D., PAULESU. E. NIHOYANNOPOUWS. p.. TOUSOULIS. D•• GRUNFELD, ,. (1972) The I~ D~tary laW&. Vol I. 2nd Nn. Landon, FRA,CKOWIAK. R.S. J., FRITH, C. D.• JONES, T. &: CAMICI, P.G. (1996) Soncino. pp 52·62 Silent ischemia u a antral problem: rcsionai brain activation compared in HADDY. F. I. &: SCOTr, ,. B. (19n) Active h~remia, reactive hyperemia and Iilcnt and painful myocardial ischacnUa. Anl'lClls ofIntmI.CIl Mo:lidnr: 124,939­ autoresu1ation of blood flow. In MicrocimJbtion. Vol 2. Eds G. Kaley, B. M. 94. Ahul"8. Baltimore. Univenity Parks Press ROSEN. S. D., PAULESU. E.. WISE. R. J. S. & CAMICI. P. G. (2002) CAnt~ HARTUNG. I., NOWAK, B.. WAlJ)MANN. K. H. &: Fll.ERBROCK,S. (2002) neu,.] contribution to the perc.cption of chell pain in cardiac syndrome X. 't-D COl-stunning of slaughkr pigr effects on EEG, catecholamines and clinial Hum87,513-519 reflaes. DcubCht Tlt7D'mli&ht WochUUt'hrift 109, 135-139 ROSSEN, R.,lCABAT. H. &:ANDERSON, J. P. (1943) Acute arrest of ce~b~ 1 HIllMAN, H. (1993) Tht possible pain uptrienced during different forms circulation in man. Ard1iva ofNeurolotrand PIydli.a.try 50, 510-528 of aecution. Pm:cptiDn 22, 745·753 SASSCK>N,S. D. (1956) A Critical StudyofElectrial Stunning and the lewish LI HIllMAN, H. (2003) The physiology of sudden vi~lent death. RtslUCitarion Method of Slaughter. Lctch~rth. S. D. Sassoon 56, 129-133 SCHUlZE, W•• SCHULZE~PETZOW. H., HAZEM,A. S. &:GROSS, R. (1978) I HONG. A. &: PICKARo,l. (1996) Hydrocephalus. MlIlicirv 24, 56-59 Venuche zur Objekrivicrung von Schmen: und Bntusstcin ~i erkonven· lONES, A. K. P., BROWN, W. D., FRISTON. K. I.• QI, L Y. &: FRACKOWIAK, rionellen (BolzenKhussbetlubung) sowie religion'guetzlichen (SchAcbt­ R. S. ,. (1991) Cortical and aubcortialloalization of rcsporue to pain in man Khnin) Schlachtung von Schaf und KaIb. 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(1958) Effects of high conti and hypothalamus. JounW af Neurodlemurry 19. 2843 'pinalanacsthuia on cerebral circulation and metlboliim in man.Journal WALL, P. D. (1989) Introduction. In Textbook of Pain. Ed, P. D. Wall, ofQjniml InM!Srigation 37, 285 R. Melzad. Edinburgh, Churchill livingstone. PP 1-18 LEVlNGER. I. M. (I96J) Unkfluchungen :r.um Schll.chtproblem. DVM thesis, WALTON.'. (1993) Disorden of function in the light of anatomy and phy&i­ Univeniry of 2arkh. Swiuerllnd ology. In Brain's Diseascs of the Nervous System. 10th edn. Ed J. Walton. LEVINGER.I. M. (1970) The release Ind disappcanna oftnmminen in the Orlord. Oxford UnMniry Press. pp 147-153 central nervous ')'Item, studied by the perfusion of its spaces. PhD thesis, WFSr, J. B. (1990) Control of ~ntilation. In Best and Taylor'. Ph)'liological lerusalem Basis of M~ical Practice. 12th edn. Baltimore. Williams &: WLlkins. PP 579· LEYlNGER.I. M. (1976) Medic:al aspects of shcchita. In Shcchita. Religious, '.7 Historical and Scientific A:5pcctl. EdsE Munk. M. L Munlt. lerusalem, GUT Ar'yrh Publications. pp 147-149 LEVINGER,I. M. (l995a) Blood ,upply to the br.in. In Shechila in che Light of the Year 2000.lerulalem. Maskil L'David. pp 39·49 LEVINGER. I. M. (I995b) Effeetx of Shechita on the nervous syslem. In Shechill in lhe Light of the Year 2000. Jerusalem, Maskil L'Oavid. pp 69-74 lEVINGER,I. M. (I99Sc) The effcC" o(ShechiUi on the electroencephalogram (EEG). In Shcchita in the Ughl of the Year 2000. Jerusalem. Mukil L'David. The Veterinary Record/ pp 76·102 LOVE, 5., HELPS, C. R.• WILLIAMS, S., SHAND, A., MCKINSTRY. ). L, In Practice website BROWN, S. N., HARBOUR, V.A. &:ANIL, M. H. (2000) Methods for dmc­ lion of haemalogenoul dwemination of brain liS5ue after stunning of caule with. captive boh gunt. joll.rna/ ofNeuroscience Methods 99. 53· 58 www.vetrecord,co.uk MAYEVSKY, A. &: CHANCE, B. (1976) The effeci of decapiuuion on the o;'(i­ dation·rtduction SUlle of NADH and ECoG in the brain of the awa'kc ral. THE Veterinary Record/In Practice website, updated weekly, Oxygtn lrantport 10 liuue II.Advances in Experimentol Medicintand Bfa/ogr 75,301-)12 gives details of the contents of each of the two journals. It MITCHEll, G., HAlTINGH, I. &: GANHAO, M. (1988) Siren in canle wes.scd provides an extensive and up-to· date listing of forthcoming Ifter handling, ofter Irantporl and after slaughter. Veterinarr Rtcord 123, 201· CPO events and also lists recruitment advertisements appear­ 20' ing in The Veterinary Record.

The Veterinary Re

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Ikr-tta\Cft1 of Meat A.altDaI ~ciCflCol ,; I ...... ICfunl Brblcl, DSID mY i Td: (O'JS41 M2li61 j V..: (D'Di) 8$27.1 " MrKomfe!d l!u:cp.... Boud of Shechitl 1 19 Marcll1991 .J Brussell '.''" -"i Sh.chita Slaughter ] ·.i . With ro!eronee to ihe p.per .ubmlned to the Vc"'rinuy Ro

2. The =lts d.scribed in this p.per do no' provide Illy informAtion abou, pm sensation. The vlsuaJ and somatosensory evoked responses used 1n lh.cse ex.periments ~ not painful. and their presence ClMCX be used LS evide.....ce of conscious. pllinful eiperiences.

The n.t1on.u (or Dsinl: evoked pote."l.tWsls based on the premise thaE the abscnco of evoked activity pennits dennirivc statements thll an animal is insensible. such as. (or ex.ample, followinG e~prlve bolt stunning. When the evoked ac:ivit)' Is present or sustain~d. the techniques used do not permit maJcing uncqui....oc:aJ J] SLalcn::lenU about the lensory experience of the animal. J

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