The literature abounds with reports of unusual cases of contact dermatitis. I have recently observed a case which I think deserves mention. R. V., a 56 year old man, presented himself on account of a scaly vesiculo-erythematous eruption measuring 4½ by 2½ inches (11 by 6 cm.), located on the lateral aspect of the left forearm above the wrist. The patch had poorly defined borders and was pruritic. The patient had worked in a meat-packing plant as a meat grinder for twenty-seven years and had had a similar eruption in the same location one and a half years before. At that time the condition had disappeared spontaneously. About six months later the patient ceased working, and shortly after resuming his work the dermatitis reappeared. He stated that when he ground garlic into the meat, he noticed an immediate smarting of the involved area. I made patch tests on the