MEAT INSPECTION AND ACTINOMYCOSIS. 
shows that he has no comprehension of the difficulties that 
will confront the practical sanitarian in the slaughter-house, 
it he should be called upon to decide by the principles of so 
theoretic a system ; he evidently overlooks the lack of our 
knowledge as to the degree of danger in far the larger num¬ 
ber of animal diseases in relation to man as a consumer of 
animal food, and the great diversity of opinion on this ques¬ 
tion, based on observation and experiments of our authorities 
j on public hygiene. 
A scientific classification should be based on facts only, 
and as Dr. Williams can show no facts for the whole of his 
system, he naturally leaves a large number of diseases to be 
decided upon by mere guess-work and imagination. This is 
clearly seen under his class B, where he places “ the flesh of 
| animals which may contain chemical substances, which, when 
ingested,, may produce serious constitutional disturbances.” 
And under class C, “ diseases produced by micro-organism, 
j which also produce chemical poisons, which, when consumed, 
I may produce toxic effects.” I do not see how Dr. Williams 
is going to discover these chemical poisons in the slaughter- 
; house. Besides the impracticability of his system, it cannot, 
therefore, be called scientific. 
The classification I offered was not my own make. It is 
the one generally adopted in Germany, and has grown up 
from established facts and in conformity with practical prin- 
I ciples. It has often been admitted that it has its faults, and I 
myself said so in my paper (on page 3), “ This tabulation of 
diseases may serve for general purposes until through further 
research certain diseases are better understood ; there will 
occur cases which will not fit into this classification; neither 
can any classification or direction as yet be made that will be 
a complete guide in all cases.” 
The other and far more important difference of opinion is 
I as to whether actinomycosis is a contagious disease or not. 
! On page 538 (October, 1891) of this journal, Dr. Williams 
gives a definition of contagion that is unnatural and strained ; 
he also thinks that the word has changed its meaning since 
the bacteriological epoch of medicine. I differ with Dr. Wil- 
