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some it is steadily increasing. The disease now prevails inEngland, Scotland, and Ireland; and though the returnsof the numbers affected are sufficiently startling, yet theyare very far from giving anything like an idea of the extentto which the malady is raging. To our knowledge, farmersand others will not report the existence of the disease if

they can possibly help it, and in some counties the localauthorities appear to be quite indifferent to its being eitherreported or checked. It must be remembered that all ex-

penses connected with it are defrayed out of local ratesand magistrates, in only too many instances, try to keepthese down as much as possible, though their doing so maybring heavy loss upon the community at large.Then the system of inspection is utterly worthless; the

principal agents being the police, who, in addition to theirbeing utterly incapable of performing the difficult task ofsuccessfully contending with contagious diseases, are un-doubtedly active bearers of the contagium. Competentveterinary surgeons are rarely employed, and these merelyto certify to the presence of the disease, not to trace it toits source, to discover how, where, and when it was diffused,and to carry out those sanitary measures which alone willsuppress it. Indeed, the whole system is absurd in the ex.treme, and it is very questionable whether it does not do f aimore harm than it is capable of effecting good. There is nc

veterinary organisation to control this or other contagiousdiseases of animals, consequently our animal losses fronthem might be reckoned by millions. It is true we have f

Veterinary Department of the Privy Council, but it appearlto be impotent to do more than issue a few returns whicheven if reliable, are of very little value.The greatest abuses exist with regard to these maladies,

the prevalence of which brings forth a class of people whotrade upon the misfortunes of others. Butchers, dealers,and others, buy diseased or contaminated stock at a lowprice, travel it along the public highways, expose it infairs, journey it by rail or ship, and, except in the rarestcases, without let or hindrance.Not only is the present trifling with the malady futile,

but in several ways it is very unfair and oppressive. Forinstance, the total absence of any uniformity in attemptingto carry out the orders of the Privy Council leads not onlyto no useful end, but is sometimes a source of hardship, aswhen the local authorities in a county are very severe andstringent, and those in the surrounding counties are justas remiss. From the want of competent advisers, localauthorities are also not unfrequently guilty of most un-reasonable acts, which, while they may have no good result,cause nothing but annoyance and loss to individuals.There is ample proof that Irish cattle are a fertile source

of infection, and, though we are continually assured thatcontagious diseases are very rare in that country, yet weknow that stock from it is dreaded by those who have sufferedfrom such a malady as the foot-and-mouth disease or lungplague. The fact is that in Ireland, as in England, thepolice are the sanitary inspectors of animals, and though italso boasts a Veterinary Department, it is really of as littleutility as that in Whitehall-place. _

As for" Port" inspection, without other precautionswhich are not adopted, it is altogether fallacious. Thousandsof animals may be, and are, passed as healthy in the verycursory examination to which they are subjected, and yeteach might be an active propagator of disease. This more

especially applies to Irish cattle, which, even if sound whenembarked from Ireland, may nevertheless become infectedon board the steamers that carry them across to this country,as these are never properly disinfected; and what betweenthe exhaustion of the animals, the foul air, and the hightemperature, we can scarcely doubt that the poison germs,lurking everywhere on board, find a ready and a congenialsoil.Lax as is the traffic between Ireland and England, it is,

comparatively, excessively severe with regard to that fromforeign countries; and we are certainly of opinion that,looking at the manner in which home and Irish stock isdealt with, foreign importers have much to complain of inthe way of unfairness.The fact is, that unfairness, embarrassment, heavy annual

losses, higher and still higher prices for meat, and dangerto our own species will be the order of the day until thepublic takes the matter up, and insists that these diseasesshall be dealt with by a central authority, that an efficient

organisation like that of Germany shall be instituted tocarry out the measures devised by that authority, and thatthe expenses incurred be defrayed by the country. A titheof the losses sustained every year from this disease alonewould suffice to extinguish it and other animal contagions,and secure to the country valuable services besides. Untilthis is done it would be better to abolish the VeterinaryDepartment of the Privy Council, and allow its measuresto lapse, as they are inefficient, and only stand as a sadevidence of our national method of conducting sanitaryaffairs.

TOBACCO IN RELATION TO HEALTH.

DR. RICHARDSON, F.R.S., delivered a lecture on this

subject before a very large audience at Birmingham onWednesday evening, the 15th inst. The lecture wasdelivered in connexion with the Laws of Health class ofthe Midland Institute. After speaking of the introductionof tobacco to Europe, and its enormous consumption at thepresent time, the lecturer said: The nature of the luxuryforms a subject of discussion on which the extremest viewsprevail. On one side tobacco has been held up as the mostharmless of luxuries; and on the other side it has beendenounced as the originator not only of mere functional,but of some worst forms of organic disease. Following outthe researches made by himself, he showed the constituentsof tobacco smoke and their results upon the human body, andpointed out the effect exerted by different kinds of tobacco.Speaking of the influence of smoking on the mentalfaculties, he said: When mental labour is being com-menced indulgence in a pipe produces in most persons aheavy dull condition; but if mental labour be continuedfor a long time, until exhaustion is felt, then the resortto a pipe gives to some habituis a feeling of relief ; itsoothes, it is said, and gives new impetus to thought. Thisis the practical experience of almost all smokers, but fewmen become so habituated to the pipe as to commence wella day of physical or mental work on tobacco. Dr. Richard-son carefully discussed the question whether the practice ofsmoking could be considered, fairly, as a cause of thosefatal diseases, consumption, cancer, and apoplexy. Theargument, he stated, was conclusive against this extremeview. The same conclusion was arrived at in respect toinsanity, epilepsy, St. Vitus’s dance, heart disease, andchronic bronchitis. At the same time, immoderate smokingcannot be carried on without danger, sometimes even to life

itself.

Correspondence.

WOOD V. THE MANCHESTER, SHEFFIELD,AND LINCOLNSHIRE RAILWAY

COMPANY.

"Audi alteram partem."

To the Editor of THE LANCET.

SIR,-I am unwilling to trouble you with any furtherremarks on this case, but trust you will allow me to make a

few observations with regard to two points mentioned inMr. Fox’s letter last week, because I think they will leavea false impression of the amount of evidence offered on thepart of the plaintiff, and of its credibility. And I wish todisclaim altogether the feelings of a partisan in the matter,my former letter being written rather with a desire to repre-sent the medical features of the case impartially, and notfrom any wish to raise a discussion on its merits from a legalpoint of view. I thought the doubt which seemed to existwith regard to the state of Peyer’s patches, during thedifferent stages of a case of enteric fever, might be of interest,and that perhaps some more definite understanding mightbe arrived at on the subject. I am glad to find that youthink this difference of opinion is worthy the attention ofthe profession.Now, with regard to the amount of evidence offered in

favour of the view of traumatic meningitis, will you permit