232 



NATURE 



[December 22, 1910 



of degree p+\. But, even for P = 2, there is at least 

 one compound singularity not to be found on a cubic 

 curve ; this is the cusp of the second kind, the first 

 compound singularity resolved by Cayley. And readers 

 familiar with such investigations as those of Zeuthen 

 ('■ Math. Annalen," Bd. x.), or Jordan ("Cours 

 d'Analyse," t. i., chapter v.), will recall that it is often 

 necessary to go to terms of quite high order before we 

 can obtain the precise equivalents of any given singu- 

 larity. It is therefore open to question whether Mr. 

 Basset's cases really include all types of singularity, 

 even for plane curves ; and, in the case of surfaces, 

 the method adopted is similar (see, for instance, 

 §§194, 196), so that it is apparently subject to the 

 same kind of objection. 



Readers of Mr. Basset's "Treatise on Cubic and 

 Quartic Curves " will recollect his fertility in the in- 

 vention of new terms, such as anautotomic, aperi- 

 graphic, endodromic, and so on. We miss the last 

 pair of words in the present book, but autotomic and 

 anautotomic are to be found on nearly every page, 

 and occasionally new phrases, such as tritactic, quin- 

 tactic, nodotangential. The question as to whether 

 autotomic is a suitable term for a surface having a 

 conical point, must be left to experts to settle; but 

 to an ordinary reader like the present reviewer, the 

 word rather suggests a nodal line or curve on the sur- 

 face. However this may be, the addition of an index, 

 so that the definitions could easily be looked up, would 

 be an advantage to the general reader not specially 

 familiar with I\Ir. Basset's terminology. 



T. J. I'a. B. 



AMERICAN MEAT. INSPECTION. 

 American Meat and its Influence upon the Public 

 Health. By Dr. Albert Lef!ingwell. Pp. xii + 208. 

 (London : George Bell and Sons, 1910.) Price 

 35. 6d. net. 



TpvURIXG the early period of the year 1906 the 

 ■*-^ world was startled by revolting disclosures con- 

 cerning the stockyards and great packing houses of 

 Chicago, and the conditions which were then described 

 as prevalent were certainly a menace to the public 

 health. Since then the general public in America 

 and England have been under the impression that per- 

 manent and satisfactory reforms have been instituted, 

 which have led to the rectification of the abuses then 

 disclosed. But the writer of this work, while con- 

 ceding that certain improvements have been made, 

 finds a great deal to take exception to with reference 

 to the quality of the meat which is produced both for 

 home consumption and export purposes. He brings 

 forward certain facts which indicate that laws passed 

 in 1906 for the protection of the public health have 

 been so construed and perfunctorily administered that 

 in some most important particulars the Federal in- 

 spection of meat leaves much to be desired. 



This tendency to favour a lax construction of the 

 law is alleged to be perceptible in many directions. 

 Consider lard, for an example. In the regulations of 

 1906, which were passed immediately after the outcry 

 in that year, it is stated that no animals dying before 

 slaughter could be brought into any establishment for 

 NO. 2147, VOL. 85] 



rendering. It was intended by this regulation to keep 

 suspefcted carcases away from the tanks where lard 

 is rendered; yet in barely two years' time (.'Vpril, 1908) 

 another regulation was framed which made this pro- 

 hibition dependent upon the will of an official. Again, 

 in the 1906 regulations, extracts of meat were in- 

 cluded with other meat-food products which were sub- 

 ject to the examinations required by law, yet a subse- 

 quent amendnient to these regulations exempts these 

 products from meeting the general requirements. 



The author produces statistics of the number of post- 

 mortem inspections made of carcases condemned 

 (both in part and in whole) among cattle and hogs 

 for the years 1907 and 1908 respectively; and certainly 

 the statistics of the latter \ear indicate a marked 

 reduction of the amount of flesh condemned. 



We are also informed that the Department of Agri- 

 culture has abandoned altogether the microscopic 

 examination of pork for the detection of trichinae ; 

 and the author observes that the American Govern- 

 ment now throws the responsibility of contracting this 

 disease solely upon the consumer, if the food should 

 not be thoroughly cooked. Furthermore, a regulation 

 of 1906 required that carcases showing generalised 

 inflammation of the lung, pleura, intestines, peri- 

 toneum, or uterus, whether in acute or chronic form, 

 should be condemned ; but in 1908 this was amended 

 so as to deal only with acute inflammatory conditions. 



In a popular work with a mission of this nature one 

 naturally seeks for evidence as to whether the writer 

 is fair, reasonable, and broad-minded — or otherwise. 

 The charges placed before the reader in this work are 

 independent of personal attestation, and they rest 

 entirely upon official documents. The writer, however, 

 expresses somewhat exaggerated views of the neces- 

 sity for the condemnation of the whole of a carcase 

 in which there is but strictly localised evidence of 

 tuberculosis, malignant disease, &c. In no country in 

 the world is this the practice; and the best scientific 

 opinion would be opposed to the necessity for the 

 enormous waste of good flesh which would result ; 

 although one cannot but sympathise with the senti- 

 mental objection to eating the flesh of a diseased 

 animal. 



It is a well-written and readable book, and its perusal 

 leaves the impression that the meat inspection of the 

 United States is far from satisfactory, and that much 

 of what the writer says in adverse criticism of it is 

 justified. There appears to be no doubt whatever that 

 since the passing of the Pure Food Law, regulations 

 governing meat inspection have been issued which, in 

 a number of instances, considerably reduced the 

 stringency and efficiency of the 1906 regulations. 



The writer looks to foreign lands, and chiefly to 

 England, for the remedy. He points out that the Eng- 

 lish people are vast consumers of American meat and I 

 meat products; and' he asks whether the meat and j 

 meat products packed in tins and exported are likely { 

 to be derived from the best of that which passes I 

 muster. He hopes and believes that by the practical ; 

 expression of public sentiment which will result in 

 the lessened demand for such meat, in England and 

 America, the evils will eventually be remedied. 



In conclusion, it should be stated that the writer 



