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ALTHOUGH the aAiologica1 relationship between Actinomyces bovis (Wolff and Israel) and human actinomycosis has been established for many years, there is apparently still doubt as to the normal habitat of this organism. Its micro-aerophilic nature and the failure to isolate it from sites outside the human or animal body have led to the theory of endogenous infection. It is supposed that the organism can remain within the body, most likely in the mouth and pharynx but also probably in the intestine since caxal infections are not uncommon? and that only under abnormal conditions, for example trauma, does invasion of the tissues occur with the subsequent production of a lesion.I n an investigation of patients with actinomycotic lesions in the cervico-facial region we were struck by the frequency with which actinomycosis appeared to be related to oral trauma and the uniform history of the patients who came under our notice. Since this seemed to support the theory of endogenous infection, we have examined material from the mouths of people without any history or clinical signs of actinomycosis and pus from cervico-facial lesions. From these we isolated anaerobic strains similar to A . bovis (Wolff and Israel) and have compared the apparently non-pathogenic strains with those obtained from the lesions and with a strain from a subcutaneous abscess secondary to pulmonary actinomycosis.A careful investigation of the history of each patient was made in the hope that a clue might be obtained as to the mode of infection. The results of our observations give strong support to the view that A . bovis is present in the mouth and that, when favourable conditions arise, it invades the tissues and causes clinically recognisable disease.

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