502 
W. L. WILLIAMS. 
while in case of tuberculosis (i) they assert that it may and 
does extend in diverse ways: 
(i) By the lymph channels. (2) By continuity or contig¬ 
uity. (3) By the blood circulation. 
This blood infection and extension happens by the rupture 
into blood vessels of tubercular nodules or tubercular affec¬ 
tion of the vessel walls. It is well shown when the bacilli are 
excreted in the milch, from an apparently healthy udder. 
Hamburger (2) cites a case of actinomycosis in a colt one and 
one-half years old contracted presumably during decubitus 
through wounds produced by splints applied to correct rach¬ 
itic deformity of the legs, in which in bones and cartilage and 
finally in the arteries themselves, was found actinomyces. 
We are forced to conclude, therefore, that once an animal 
is affected in a local or passive form with one of this group 
that we have no reliable means at our command for determin¬ 
ing that apparently healthy parts are in reality sound. 
We believe further that it is the duty of the meat inspec¬ 
tor rather to be able to say if meat is fit for use as food than 
unfit. Where question is raised as to the fitness of given food 
we hold that the consumer should be granted the benefit of 
the doubt, and that the inspector should be able to say unre¬ 
servedly that the meat is wholesome before he permits it, up¬ 
on his sanction, to be sold for human food. 
The recently enacted U. S. meat inspection laws are as 
precise, with all their brevity, as can well be devised. It 
makes simply and only two classes of meats—those from well 
and diseased animals. The former is passed as wkolesome, 
the latter rejected. 
This is the true, safe line, and affords between the flesh of 
animals dead from disease (which all civilized people abhor 
as food) and that of healthy animals a neutral ground, which 
should act as an effective barrier to the use of this repulsive 
and dangerous food, which with our present laws is yet ren¬ 
dered possible in our local markets. 
(1) Ibid S. 505. 
(2) Holl Seitchrift f. Thierkeilkunde, etc., Bd. 16 , Lf. 2 and 3 . 
