new editions

BOOK REVIEWS 331

h a p s i t is t h a t the Swedish is obscure , b u t cer ta in ly i t s e ems a p i ty t h a t an i m p o r t a n t n e w clinical s ign, a charac te r i s t ic ga i t in Alzhe imcr ' s disease, is descr ibed in s u c h u n h a p p y sen tences as " Espec ia l ly in t h e incipient p.hase of wa lk ing one observes a s y n c h r o n o u s s t a r t of the m o t o r impulses resu l t ing m a m o m e n t a r y locking of t h e m o t o r p h a s e s ", or " There is no t e n d e n c y to t r e n d off t he left or the r igh t " (sic). T h e u n e u p h o n i o u s " logoklony " d e m o n s t r a t e d t h e rev iewer ' s ignorance a n d sen t h i m r u s h i n g to h is d ic t ionary to learn i t m e a n t t h e s p a s m o d i c repe t i t ion of t h e syr l lab les s t t h e e n d o f sentences . " P r o b a n d s " (the lexicon d id n o t he lp here) is so o f ten u s e d t h a t a t leas t one reader h a s acqu i red a life-long h a t r e d o f t he word. The pa thologica l rev iew c o n t a i n s n o t h i n g n e w a n d L i n d g r e n a d m i t s to a " re la t ive ly s u m m a r y e x a m i n a - t i on to check the d iagnoses " because of his " h e a v y b u r d e n o f rou t ine work a t t h e d i f ferent hosp i ta l s . " Th i s is n o t good e n o u g h for t he Acts or for S tockholm. T h e f irst two sect ions con ta in m a t e r i a l of impor tance , b u t t h e l anguage , no t to speak of t h e a lgebra lca l formulae, is too fo rb idd ing for workers who h a v e access to M c M e n e m y ' s s p l e n d i d review of 1940. T h e wor ld - famons neuro log is t s of t h e Acts shou ld seek a vow t r a n s l a t o r before i ssu ing a n y m o r e Eng l i sh vers ions o f the i r supp l emen t s .

E. L. MURPHY.

N E W E D I T I O N S .

Medicine. Vol. I . The Patient and His Disease. B y A. E. CLARK-KENNEDY. L iv ings tone . 2 n d Ed . 25/-.

Homo sum ; nihil human,i alienum, a ~ne pure. Most medica l m e n would accep t t h e im- p l ica t ion t h a t thei r a r t shou ld h a v e as wide a scope as possible, t h o u g h t he effort d e m a n d - e d becomes increasingly b u r d e n s o m e as specialised knowledge a c c u m u l a t e s and t echn iques m u l t i p l y . I n th i s book, Dr . C l a r k - K e n n e d y a t t e m p t s to redress t he balance. I t is a book of generali t ies, a n exercise in s t a n d i n g back f rom t h e detai l of medicine, t h e be t t e r to see our progress a n d our knowledge in some perspec t ive . The s ix chap t e r s suff ic ient ly indicate the p l a n a n d scope in the i r t i t les : B o d y a n d Mind ; S y m p t o m s ; S y m p t o m s a n d Signs ; H e r e d i t y a n d E n v i r o n m e n t : R e a c t i o n s o f B o d y a n d Mind ; T h e N a t u r e of Disease. T h e a u t h o r a ims to reveal t h e cons i s t ency of bodi ly a n d m e n t a l reac t ions in v a r y i n g c i r cums tances , and to ass is t u s in recognis ing corres- p o n d e n c e s in spite of a p p a r e n t d ivers i ty . Detai l is m e n t i o n e d on ly b y w a y o f i l l u s t r a t ing a general principle. T h r o u g h o u t , t h e a u t h o r encourages his r eader s t o t h i n k r a t h e r t h a n to learn.

Mos t will agree t h a t th i s is a n admi rab l e discipline, appropr i a t e to all o f us f r om t ime to t ime. I t r ema ins to be considered how useful th i s book will be in s e c u r i n g i ts object . On the whole, it appea l s as a c o m m e n d a b l e a t t e m p t to in tegra te knowledge a n d ove rcome t h e barr iers of d e p a r t m e n t a l i s m . I t covers a ,vide field in economica l fashion . The t e x t reads smooth ly , a p a r t f rom occasional t u rg id passages wh ich wou ld be m o r e lucid if b roken u p into shor te r sentences . S y s t e m a t i c t each ing a n d de ta i l e re avoided , except in so far as t h e y are needed to i l lus t ra te a genera l principle, b u t in s o m e ins tances the deta i l a p p e a r s empir ica l because i ts re levance to the a r g u m e n t h a s n o t been expla ined, or is obscure . However , these m i n o r fau l t s do no t impede the b r o a d c u r r e n t of t h e book, w h i c h flows smooth ly . I t is, pe rhaps , s o m e w h a t shal low in places. I t would a p p e a r to h a v e been wr i t t en for s t u d e n t s and youRg prac t i t ioners r a t h e r t h a n for t h e more exper ienced ; to t h e la t ter , m u c h of t he a r g u m e n t will h a v e been e v i d e n t a l ready. For t eache r s i t shou ld be useful as a rev iew of t h e ~ a s i c p r inc ip les w i t h w h i c h ins t ruc t ion in medica l de ta i l should a lways be re la ted . The y o u n g e r doctor , s t u d y i n g for a h igher degree, will p r o b a b l y f ind it of t he g r e a t e s t benefi t , g i v ing h i m a welcome change o f reading , a n d e n c o u r a g i n g a b roader v i s ion to correc t t h e i nev i t ab l e m y o p i a o f special isat ion.

ALAN TI~OMPSON.

Textbook of Medicine. B y CONYBEARE a n d MANN. L iv ings tone . 10th Ed . 37/6. I t is over t w e n t y y e a r s s ince t h e first edi t ion of th i s we l l . known Textbook appeared ,

d u r i n g w h i c h period the re h a v e been n u m e r o u s repr in t s , a n d f r e q u e n t revis ions to keep in s t ep w i t h progress in clinical medic ine . T e n ed i t ions h a v e won a wel l -mer i ted e s t e e m and , indeed, affect ion f rom count less medica l s t u d e n t s who have relied on Conybeare to see t h e m t h r o u g h . T h e a d v a n t a g e s o f a book w r i t t e n by n u m e r o u s e x p e r t s n e e d n o t be s t ressed n o w a d a y s ; the s y m p o s i u m t e x t b o o k ha s p roved i t s use fu lness long since. B u t the t a s k o f t h e edi tors is d i f f i cu l t - - to m a i n t a i n a ba lance in zpae ing a n d emphas i s , a c o n t i n u i t y in s tyle , a n d a d e t e r m i n a t i o n to avoid middle- a g e d s p r e a d as the yea r s b r ing n e w knowledge a n d e x p a n d e d ideas. W. hile it..w.ould be e a s y to f ind smal l fau l t s in th i s book, i ts obvious m e r i t s fa r ou twe igh t r ivia l c rmc~sm. T h e t e x t is well ba lanced , a n d r e a d s smoo th ly , y e t t he re is a n admi rab l e compress ion o f in fo rmat ion . Some of t h e sect ions are mode l s o f economica l luc id i ty . The edi tors a re to be c o n g r a t u l a t e d on m a i n t a i n i n g the h i g h s t a n d a r d s o f earlier edi t ions, in g iv ing u s th i s old fr iend in remodel led garb .

ALAN THOMPSON.

332 IRISH JOURNAL OF MEDICAL SCIENCE

Diseases of the No~e, Throat and Ear . B y LOQAN TURNER. Ed. by OUTHRIE a n d STv.W~aT. Wr igh t , Bris tol . 5 t h Ed .

I t is a p leasure to welcome t h e f i f th ed i t ion o f " t h e E d i n b u r g h t ex t -book , " w h i c h h a s been re issued af te r a n in t e rva l o f 15 years . O f t he e igh t edi tors a n d co l labora tors who c o n t r i b u t e d to the f o u r t h edi t ion, only three are r ep resen ted in the new vo lume . As is on ly to be expected , t h e n e w con t r ibu to r s are well u p to t he s t a n d a r d s set b y the i r predecessors . I n th i s ed i t ion s o m e obsolete ma te r i a l h a s been removed , a n d m u c h n e w m a t t e r h a s been in t roduced , necess i t a t ed b y the r ap id d e v e l o p m e n t of the spec ia l i ty s ince t h e publ ica t ion o f the las t ed i t ion (1936).

T h e book now deals a d m i r a b l y a n d ful ly wi th eve ry m o d e r n aspec t of o to la ryngology , so m u c h so t h a t it is difficult to f ind po in t s for cr i t icism. The re is an efficient i ndex , a l t h o u g h we found some diff icul ty in f ind ing a descr ip t ion o f ot i t ic hydrocepha lus .

W e are g lad to no te t h a t t h e size o f t h e book is v i r t ua l l y u n c h a n g e d . A n u m b e r o f n e w books on o to la ryngology h a v e recen t ly been wr i t t en , a n d some of t h e old ones h a v e been revised, b u t th i s r e m a i n s t h e only book we k n o w of wh ich is comple te a n d a d e q u a t e w i th in a reasonable compass . W e h a v e no hes i t a t i on in r e c o m m e n d i n g i t n o t on ly to s t u d e n t s a n d p rac t i t ioners , b u t also to special is ts r equ i r i ng a h a n d y reference vo lume .

T. G. WILSON.

Recent Advances in Pathology. B y G. I~ADFIELD. Churchil l . 6 th Ed. 30/-. I n t h e book before us- - -as M a c a u l a y would s a y - - w e h a v e a classical example of t h e

excep t ion t h a t proves t h e ru le a n d in th i s ins tance t he excep t ion is t h a t too m a n y cooks do n o t spoil the b r o t h ; ins tead , t h e y f iavour a n d enhance it.

Professor Hadf ie ld su rv ives f r o m t h e former jo in t a u t h o r s h i p of th i s m a n u a l , bug Professor Gar rod is gone a n d in his place we find P a y l i n g W r i g h t wr i t ing on inf lam- m a t i o n , hype r sens i t i v i ty a n d t h e re t icule-endothel ia l sy s t em, Heiger a n d Pu l l i nge r on carcinogenesis , Gough on diseases of t h e lung, Bul l a n d Dible on t he k idney , Wi l l i ams on t h e duc t less g lands , H a r r i s o n on t h e card iovascular s y s t e m a n d ~adf io ld h imse l f on t h e liver.

N o t h i n g shor t o f a sp lend id b rew could come o u t o f s u c h a col laborat ion. One is . left w i t h t h e feeling t h a t to d i f fe ren t ia te a n d allot pra ise wou ld be invidious, whi le to critieise would be u n t h i n k a b l e , so t h e reviewer passes on t he book as one t h a t h e h a s r ead w i t h pleasure a n d w i t h ~arofit.

J u s t two reflections s u g g e s t t h e m s e l v e s : T h e re t rospec t ive regre t t h a t such a n e x e m p l a r y p resen ta t ion o f a difficult sub jec t was n o t ava i l ab le when t h e rev iewer was a s t u d e n t , a n d t h e p r e s e n t ref lect ion one of p i ty for t he u n f o r t u n a t e s t u d e n t o r g r a d u a t e who h a s so m u c h to learn nowadays .

M. H. O'CONNOR.

Hale-Whl te ' s Materla Medics . B y fl-. ~ . DOUTHWAIT]L Churchi l l . 29th Ed. 20/ . A shor t i n t e rva l of th ree y e a r s b e t w e e n the t w e n t y - e i g h t h a n d the t w e n t y - n i n t h

ed i t ions is jus t i f ied b y t h e n u m b e r of n e w a n d p o t e n t d rugs wh ich have a p p e a r e d and h a v e been inc luded for t h e f irst t i m e in Hate-White . T h i s fami l ia r t e x t b o o k r e t a i n s i t s fo rmer f o r m a t a n d genera l p lan , a n d is s t i l l a s e a sy to read as eve r i t was. The r ev i ewer ' s onIy c o m p l a i n t is t h a t i t does n e t g ive e n o u g h adv ice to t he s t u d e n t a n d y o u n g doctor as to h o w d r u g s shou ld be used , w h e n u s e d and when no t u sed . A few s t a t e m e n t s seem to h a v e c rep t in to the t e x t wh ich we are sure t he a u t h o r m u s t n o w wish to correct or ampl i fy . For e x a m p l e , in h i s accoun t of t he ac t ion o f quinicline he refers (in spi te of P r i n z m e t a l ' s work) to c i rcus r h y t h m . Cort isone in acu te r h e u m a t i c fever is s t a t e d to h a v e t h e fol lowing a c t i o n : " The s y m p t o m s d i sappear , t h e t e m p e r a t u r e r e t u r n s to n o r m a l , a n d t h e cardiac m u r m u r s van i sh . I f , however , t h e disease is s t i l l ac t ive t h o u g h l a t en t w h e n t r e a t m e n t is d i s con t inued , s y m p t o m s will r ecur . " T h i s is su re ly a mis l ead ing account , for n o t even the w a r m e s t e n t h u s i a s t ever c la imed effec ts for cor t isone so c o n s t a n t a n d s t r ik ing as these . "" P a r a h y p o p i t u i t a r i s m " on p. 422 is p r o b a b l y a m i sp r in t . The index does n o t inc lude e i ther P a r a h y p o p i t u i t a r i s m or P a n h y p o p i t u i t a r i s m .

R. ~ . M~cKs.

Modern Treatment Yearbook 1953. T h e Medical Press , London . 21/-. T h e wr i te rs a n d publ i shers o f t h e 1953 edi t ion o f th is exce l len t Yearbook h a v e

ce r t a in ly done thei r share to m a k e i t a Coronat ion special. A wide r ange of wor thwhi le sub jec t s is covered v a r y i n g f r o m diseases o f the nails, a p p e n d a g e s so c o m m o n p l a c e as to be rare ly considered, to t h e m o d e r n t r e a t m e n t of lesions of t he l u m b a r disc, a s t r u c t u r e so commonp lace t h a t i t was over looked un t i l 1933. I n fact , i f one were to s ingle o u t for orders o f m e r i t ind iv idua l con t r i bu to r s t he p~ lm m u s t go to t h e o r t h o p ~ l i c surgeons , who wr i t e as well as the rheuma te log i s t s , a n d to t he phys i c i ans w h o t a k e the use a n d abuse o f penicill in, v i rus p n e u m o n i a , co rona ry th rombos i s a n d pep t i c u lcer in thei r s t r ide. Some of t h e p a r a g r a p h i n g in " T h e Modern T r e a t m e n t o f R h e u m a t i c Feve r " can only be duo to careless p roof r ead ing : on p. 17, sa l icy la tes

BOOK REVIEWS 333

increase t h e E.S.R. , while on p. 18 t h e y reduce it . The ar t ic le on i n t e r m i t t e n t c laudiea- t ion does n o t e n t h u s e suff icient ly on V i t a m i n E a n d if a d v e r t i s e m e n t s m u s t be a f e a t u r ~ o f th i s h o o k t h e y should n o t inc lude s u b s t a n c e s which h a v e been p roved valueless .

J . MowBm~Y.

Diseases of Children. B y GARROD, BATTEN and THIYRSF1ELD. Ed. by MONCRIEFF" a n d EVANS. Arnold. 5th. Ed . £7.

Garrod, B a t t e n a n d Thurs f i e ld ' s Diseases of Children h a s for m a n y yea r s r ep resen ted Br i t i sh p~ediatrie t h o u g h t . I n d e e d t h e h is tory o f Br i t i sh pvediatr ics can be f o u n d b y a s t u d y o f i t s five edi t ions. Since t h e e n d of t h e las t wa r Br i t i sh p~ediatries h a s made~ e n o r m o u s s t r ides , chairs h a v e been se t u p in all t he m a i n cen t res a n d c o n s u l t a n t psediat r ic ians appo in ted in Grea t B r i t a i n to all areas, u r b a n a n d rural . A t the s a m e t ime medica l science h a s m a d e t r e m e n d o u s s t r ides in t h e las t decade, pvediatrics b e i n g one o f t h e sub jec t s benef i t ing m o s t . H e n c e a n e w ed i t ion o f th i s f a m o u s work had t o be u n d e r t a k e n . I t s execu t ion was p laced in t h e c o m p e t e n t h a n d s o f Moncrieff a n d E v a n s , b o t h of w h o m are n o t on ly l ead ing ch i ld ren ' s p h y s i c i a n s b u t edi tors o f exper ience. E v e n so, t h e t a s k m u s t h a v e s e e m e d one o f p r o f o u n d e s t diff icul ty to t hem. F i r s t t h e y h a d to face t h e p rob lem of w h o m to inc lude in t h e t e a m a n d , more difficult still, who could be left o u t w i t h o u t offence. Secondly, t h e y h a d to decide w h a t m u s t be inc luded a n d w h a t shou ld be o m i t t e d . F ina l ly , w h e t h e r work shou ld be des igned for s t u d e n t s or p o s t g r a d u a t e s . I n t h e e n d t h e y se lected a t e a m of 50 con t r i bu to r s and m a d e t h e work as comprehens ive as possible. T h e resul t , t a k e n as a whole, m u s t be acc la imed a g r e a t a c h i e v e m e n t - - a comprehens ive , u p - t o - d a t e work cover ing t he whole field o f diseases o f chi ldren (and indeed chi ld h e a l t h as well), w i t h special ised sect ions on the surgery , anaesthetics a n d p s y c h o l o g y of chi ldhood.

A n a t t e m p t h a s been m a d e also a t the end of each sect ion to g ive a bibl iography. F ive - s i x t h s of t h e references p rov ided , however , are in Engl i sh . Such a concen t ra t ion on na t iona l med ic ine is t rue o f all t ex tbooks . I n Prof. Debr~ ' s equ iva l en t work, j u s t pub l i shed in France , n i n e - t e n t h s o f t h e references are in F r e n c h a n d in the Fanconi - Wal lg ren t ex tbook , also recen t ly pub l i shed , m o s t are E u r o p e a n .

N a t u r a l l y , w i th so m a n y con t r ibu to r s t h e book is u n e v e n . The chap te r on g r o w t h a n d d e v e l o p m e n t b y I l l ingwor th is prac t icable a n d u n d e r s t a n d a b l e to the ordinary- doctor ; i t is one o f the bes t c h a p t e r s on t h e s u b j e c t p u b l i s h e d in a work o f th i s k ind . I t is unnecessa r i l y " h ighbrow " o f h i m , therefore , w h e n wr i t ing for readers who m o s t l y t h i n k in inches a n d p o u n d s to h a v e p u t all h is tables in c en t ime t r e s and kilos. T h e c h a p t e r on w a t e r a n d e lee t ro ly te ba lance b y P a y n e a n d Scot t is o f t he u t m o s t impor tance , and , i f difficult to ass imi la te , is well w o r t h the effort.

L i g h t w o o d a n d Cour t ' s s ec t ion on tuberculos is in chi ldhood is c lar i ty itself. Seldom h a s t h e s u b j e c t been so well dea l t w i t h even b y those who h a v e spen t thei r l ives in i ts s tudy . P e r h a p s th i s objec t ive a p p r o a c h is, however , a n a d v a n t a g e : a wri ter who h a s been too closely associa ted w i t h t h e a d v a n c e s in a g iven s u b j e c t m a y err e i ther by g iv ing h is own po in t o f v iew a t t h e expense o f the k n o w n facts , or b y being so sc rupu lous ly fair as to p roduce a m o n o g r a p h on t h e sub j ec t which baffles the reader" who c a n n o t k n o w t h e b a c k g r o u n d of t h e wr i t e r ' s t h o u g h t , She ldon ' s chap t e r on r h e u m a t i s m falls into th is ca tegory . Be ing h i m s e l f one o f t hose on whose work t h e h~emolytic s t reptococcal t h e o r y res t s he feels impel led to m e n t i o n e v e r y b o d y else's~ theor ies as well. N o t only does he g ive place o f h o n o u r to t h e work o f his old Grea t O r m o n d St ree t mas t e r , P o y n t o n , whose d iscovery of a r h e u m a t i c diplococcus befogged t h e s u b j e c t for t w e n t y years , b u t he m e n t i o n s a n u m b e r o f o the r exploded theor ies , so t h a t in t h e e n d even t h e s t u d e n t is qu i te unab le to d iscover w h a t Sheldon bel ieves h imse l f or w h a t the m o d e r n t r e n d o f considered opinion now is. W e have a suspic ion t h a t th i s sec t ion was wr i t t en some t i m e ago a n d t h a t t he d i s t i ngu i shed prac t i t ioner who wro te i t h a s been too b u s y to revise i t of late.

T h e sec t ion dea l ing w i t h t h e a l i m e n t a r y t r a c t m a y be cons idered t he h igh spo t o f t h e whole book. I t h a s been comple t e ly rev ised a n d r e -wr i t t en b y Macl~ab a n d Newns , a n d n o w c o n t a i n s m u c h o f the o u t s t a n d i n g work wh ich ha s come ou t o f Grea t O r m o n d Street d u r i n g t h e p a s t decade. I t inc ludes Mar t in B o d i a n ' s g rea t con t r ibu t ion on H i r s e h p r u n g ' s disease a n d megacolon , a n d some of Denis B r o w n ' s clear and or ig ina l t h o u g h t . I t s i l lus t ra t ions are all necessary , n o t decora t ions , a n d are sp lendid ly pro- duced, T h i s sec t ion alone h a s jus t i f ied the i m m e n s e l abour p u t into t he work b y t h e editors. One feels, therefore, all t h e more mys t i f ied why, w i th all t he va s t ma te r i a l avai lable a t t h e I-~ospital for Sick Children, more use ha s n o t been m a d e of it. Fo r ins tance, t h e c h a p t e r on m a l i g n a n t diseases would have been more d i s t ingu i shed if- the work be ing done a t Grea t O r m o n d St ree t h a d been inc luded .

The reviewer is filled wi th a d m i r a t i o n for th i s ed i t ion o f Garrod, B a t t e n a n d Thuref ie ld a n d o f i t s indefa t igable editors, to w h o m he offers his congra tu la t ions . The i r w o r k m u s t be inc luded in the l ibrary o f e v e r y serious s t u d e n t o f p~ediatrics.

W. R. F. COLLIS.

:334 IRISH JOURNAL OF MEDICAL SCIENCE

Viral and tCickettsial Infections of Man. B y T. M. R t v E ~ s . L ipp incot t . 2 n d Ed . T h e second edi t ion of th i s work con ta ins new c hap t e r s on t h e Coxsackie group ,

viral h m m a g g l u t i n a t i o n a n d in te r fe rence be tween a n i m a l v i ruses , t oge the r w i th a ~ect ion on ca t - se ra tch d i s e a s e ; t hese add i t ions h a v e h a d t h e effect o f increas ing i ts h u l k to 736 pages. As t h e w o r k h a s been wr i t t en for t he p rac t i s ing phys ic ian , i t m a y be ques t ioned w h e t h e r a book of th i s size is in fact a t t a i n i n g i ts object . I n fa i rness i t shou ld be s t a t ed t h a t in those c h a p t e r s deal ing w i t h i nd iv idua l diseases the cl inical f ea tu re s axe ve ry ful ly dea l t wi th . I n a few ins tances recen t a d v a n c e s in knowledge h a v e n o t been g iven due weigh t . T h i s is pa r t i cu la r ly so in t he case of inf luenza : few o f t h e c u r r e n t ideas on i ts ep idemio logy are men t ioned . T h e c h a p t e r on pol iomyel i t i s i s excel lent , b u t h a d gone to p ress too ear ly for m o r e t h a n t he br iefes t m e n t i o n of r ecen t work.

Those w h o regard the s t u d y of v i ruses as a n u n e n d i n g s t rugg le to keep u p w i th t h e l i t e r a tu re will be cheered to f ind t h a t , w i th one except ion , t he references l is ted to t h e c h a p t e r on meas les e n d a t 1944. All those who come in c o n t a c t wi th v i rus d iseases will f ind th i s book of value . I f p a r t s o f it are d i sappoin t ing , o the r s are o u t s t a n d i n g l y good, a n d in genera l it is r e m a r k a b l y u p to date .

P. N. MEENAI~.

A n Atlas of the Commcner Sk in Diseases. B y C. G. SEMEN a n d A, I~[ORITZ. W r i g h t , Bris tol . 75-/.

T h e f o u r t h edi t ion o f th i s va luab le Atlas is pub l i shed w i t h o u t the ass i s tance of Dr . A r n o l d Moritz whose dea th , in 1949, depr ived t h e a u t h o r o f a m o s t br i l l iant worker in eolour p h o t o g r a p h y . N o n e t h e less, t h e new edi t ion h a s been b r o u g h t up to d a t e in a r e m a r k a b l e m a n n e r .

E i g h t new pla tes h a v e been added , b r ing ing the to ta l n u m b e r to 147. All are repro- d u c e d , b y direct eolour p h o t o g r a p h y , f rom t h e l iv ing sub jec t . The new p la tes deal w i t h d e r m a t i t i s m e d i c a m e n t o s a , seborrhceic dermat i t i s , psor ias is a n d K a p o s i ' s mu l t ip l e h m m o r r h a g i c sarcoma.

T h e excel lent abbrev ia t ed descr ip t ions , the differential d iagnoses (where considered Cseential) a n d out l ines of t r e a t m e n t (usual ly the m o s t modern ) are placed in a n eas i ly accessible pos i t ion for each pla te . T r e a t m e n t sugges t ed is o f ten by t he a u t h o r or o t h e r well kDown dermato logis t s .

Dr . S e m e n r ight ly said, however , in his preface to t he first edi t ion, t h a t such r~otes s h o u l d be considered as acee~uory to a n d n o t s u b s t i t u t e s for t he deta i led s t u d y of a c t u a l cases. None t h e less, m u c h va luable in fo rma t ion can be learned f rom a s t u d y o f t h e m combined wi th a s t u d y of t h e p la tes to wh ich t h e y are a t t ached .

T h e Atlas should be as usefu l to t h e dermato log is t as to t he general phys ic i an a n d in i t s colour values, p h o t o g r a p h e d on t h e K o d a c h r o m e fi lm and i ts ex t r eme accu racy in r ep roduc ing the c o m m o n s k i n diseases a n d t w e n t y one o f t he less c o m m o n , m a y be r ega rded as u n s u r p a s s e d in a n y s imi la r work in t h e Eng l i sh language.

M. DRUMMOND.

(Gifford's) Textbook of Ophthalmology. B y F. H . ADLER. Saunders . 5 th Ed. 37/6. T h e new edi t ion of th i s p o p u l a r t e x t b o o k is remaxkable for i t s concen t r a t i on on

those p a r t s o f o p h t h a l m o l o g y w h i c h will be o f use to t h e genera l prac t i t ioner , for e x a m p l e , t h e condi t ion o f t h e r e t ina l vessels in h y p e r t e n s i v e a n d diabet ic condi t ions is dea l t w i t h more ful ly t h a n w a s p rev ious ly the ease.

Descr ip t ion of opera t ive deta i l s h a s been omi t t ed , a n d a c h a p t e r to enable the doc to r to p u t before his p a t i e n t s t h e haza rds , a n d possibil i t ies, o f o p h t h a l m i c opera t ions , t a k e s i ts place. A l t h o u g h th i s c h a p t e r could n o t be i m p r o v e d on, a n d m a k e s th i s book m o r e t h a n ever a va luab le a d d i t i o n to t h e qualif ied p rac t i t i one r ' s l ibrary, one wou ld l ike to see a shor t no te on t h e m o r e c o m m o n opera t ive p rocedures as a guide to t h e u n d e r - g r a d u a t e s tuden t . I n m e n t i o n i n g each condi t ion , t he a u t h o r m a k e s it clear w h e t h e r i t shou ld be re fe r red to a n o p h t h a l m i c centre , or c an be dea l t w i th oil genera l l ines, a n o t h e r po in t o f m u c h prac t ica l value.

T h e book is no t i n t e n d e d as a p r e p a r a t i o n for p o s t g r a d u a t e oph tha lmic degrees, b u t in i ts sphere as a book for c o n s u l t a t i o n b y t h e genera l p rac t i t ione r who has to deal w i t h eye condi t ions , it could scarcely be improved .

L. E. ~VERNER.

Short Practice of Midwifery for Nurses. B y JELLETT a n d DAWSON. Churchil l . 15th Ed . 16/-.

T h i s is a revised ed i t ion of t h e well k n o w n book b y a fo rmer Mas te r of the R o t u n d a . O n t h e whole, it g ives clear a n d de ta i led i n fo rma t ion to ass i s t t he pupi l -midwife in h e r t ra in ing . The c h a p t e r on aseps is in midwifery , a s u b j e c t wh ich canno t be s t ressed too m u c h , is excellent.

The sect ion deal ing w i t h a n t e - p a r t u m h~emorrhage wou ld p e r h a p s h a v e been in b e t t e r perspect ive h a d t h e p r e s e n t - d a y t r e a t m e n t of p l acen t a prmvia been d i scussed before t h e older m e t h o d s o f B r a x t o n I~icks vers ion a n d Wi l l e t t ' s forceps. I n t h e

BOOK REVIEWS 33h

t rea tment of accidental h~emorrhage, vaginal plugging cannot be reconciled with good obstetric practice.

The t r ea tment of pos t .par tum hmmorrhage is completely out of date. The giving of 1 c.e. of ergometrine to prevent blood loss and consequent shock is a vast ly superior method of t rea tment from the point of view of the patient, midwife and doctor.

Much confusion could be avoided in the chapter on toxvemia of pregnancy by sub- s t i tut ing the te rm " pre-eclamptic texmmia " for " late toxmmia of pregnancy." T h e author s ta tes this condition usual ly arises during the last four weeks of pregnancy ; this m a y be t rue of New Zealand, bu t is not the case here.

Hypertension in pregnancy deserves mention. I t is omit ted from the text. Pr int ing errors are few but bowl m u s t be changed to bowel (p. 422). The d i a g r a ms

are clear and convincing, bu t surely the use of a I~igginson's syringe for enemata w e n t out with the last century.

~ . PHELAN.

X - R a y and Radium Therapy for Students. By BASIL A, STOLL, Lewis. 17/6, Here is the typical s tudent cram-book writ ten in question and answer form. W h y

should space be wasted on posing such questions as " How does radium act ? ", o r " W h a t are the indications of radiotherapy ? " when the examinat ion answer is given in the nex t few lines ? True to its type, the relative examinat ion importance of the mat te r decides the size of the pr int used. During a rapid reading one could find no- suggestion anywhere tha t pat ients are human . No doubt this is an excellent cram-book.

O. C ~ c E .

BOOKS RECEIVED. LucAs, G. H. W. Symptoms and Treatment of Acute Poisoning. Lewis. 27/6. WILLIS, R . A . Pathology of Turnouts. Butterworth. 2nd Ed. £4 4s. 0d. WATKYN-THoMAs, F . W . Diseases of Throat, Nose and Ear. Lewis. £5 10s. 0d. SOUTHWORTH, I-~INGSOtq ~5 PITKIN. Conduction Anaesthesia. Lippincott. 2rid Ed~

£9 0s. 0d. HURXT~AL & MUSULI~. Clinical Endocrinology. Lippincott . 2nd Ed. £9 9s. 0d. KAPLA~, E. B. Functional & Surgical Anatomy of the Hand. Lippincott. £4 0s. 0d. CHAR~Z_,EY, J. Compression Arthrodesis. Livingstone. 42/-. SCHERF& BOYD. Clinical Electrocardiography. I-~einemann. 4 t h E d . 42/.. KATZ, LANGENDORF & PICK. Introduction to the Interpretation of the E. C.G. U n i v .

Chicago Press. 19/.. t~AM, A . W . Histology. Lippincott. 2rid Ed. £4 0s. 0d. TOOHEY, M. Medicine for Nurses. Livingstone. 28/-. LAWR~NC~ & F~A~CIS. The Sulphonamides and Antibiotics. Lewis. 42/-. The;

Medical Annual, 1953. Wright . 27/6. McAvLEY, W . F. A Concept of Schizophrenia. Wright. 12/6. W. H. O. Publications:

Annual Epidemiological & Vital Statistics; 1950. 33/6. Report 2¢o. 67. Joint ~ A O & W H O Expert Committee on Brucellosis. 2/. . Report No. 61 Diphtheria and Pertussis Vaccination. 4]3. Milk Pasteurisation (Monograph Series, 1~o. 23). 12/6. Toxic Hazards of Certain Pestici~les to Man (Monograph Series, No. 16). 7/6.

CORRESPONDENCE

The Maternity Reports

DEAR SIR, In the June issue of this JOURNAL (pp. 233-243) the discussion following the pre~

Sentation of the Annual Reports of the Dublin Materni ty Hospitals for 1951 is ~iven, in some detail. I beg leave to comment upon certain points which arise from a consideration of the discussion:

The remarks of the Master of the National Materni ty Hospital, which had an impor tan t bearing on the subject of tex~emia of pregnancy, are not included in the. account of the proceedings of the meeting.*

I agree with Professor Kearney and with Drs. Falkiner, E. W. Thompson, D e n h a m and Spain tha t the discussion should not be confined to one subject, such as placenta pr~evia, disproportion or tox~emia. In an " open " meeting, the-