92 BOOK RtV!EWS

The work contains a fascinating account of the functions of the Protomedicato in New Spain. The reviewer would refer to a remarkable and well-documented analysis of the role of Medical Experts in Court Proceedings in the Medieval Town.

It would seem to the reviewer that the importance of this book, edited by Professor H. Karplus, can be measured by the proposal adopted at the International Symposium on Society, Medicine and Law in Jerusalem, March 1972. In terms of this proposal, an International Documentation Centre on Society, Medicine and Law has been established at the Institute of Forensic Medicine in Freiburg i. Br., Germany. The preliminary infor- mation concerning this Centre is recorded in the following terms:

“The purpose of the Centre is to collect source materials and scientific literature and data for study of the historic interrelationship of society, medicine and law. It is the aim of this Centre to make this material as accessible as possible to those interested in further research. The source materials of the different cultures and periods is today sometimes difficult to obtain, arcane and sometimes incomprehensible because of language barrier; therefore sources, literature and bibliography will be reproduced on microfilm, thus making the material readily accessible to physicians, historians, criminologists, sociologists and scholars in law, psychology and related fields. Trans- lations of the most important passages are to be made into English and French.”

The gratitude of those interested in the history of medicine, medical ethics, social medicine and forensic medicine should be expressed to Professor Karplus, not only be- cause of his collation and presentation of this work, but also for his pioneering enthu- siasm in establishing the Documentation Centre.

Law and Ethics of AID and Embryo Transfer [Ciba Foundation Symposium No. 17 (new series)], Excerpta Medica, Amsterdam, 1973, pp. 110, price Dfl. 15.00.

Artificial insemination (AID or AIH) constitutes no new moral or legal problem. The issues have been canvassed very thoroughly in the last decade or so from ethical, religious and legal standpoints. However, here they are dealt with knowledgeably and in depth by a variety of experts who review the matter from the basic biological facts and consequences to the profound social implications. This is a timely survey because, in the light of the liberalization of abortion laws in most parts of the world, fewer babies will be available for adoption and artificial insemination as a means of improving fertility and so providing babies for childless couples will play a significantly greater role in society.

Embryo transfer is, however, another and novel matter. No human pregnancies or offspring after embryo transfer have yet been reported. In animal species embryo transfer has had considerable success. “By now, the number of mouse offspring resulting from transfer after both fertilization and embryonic culture in vitro must run into several hundreds, and several thousands after in vivo fertilization, in vitro embryo culture and then transfer . . .

BOOK REVIEWS 93

“All the evidence obtained from transfers has consistently pointed to one conclusion: there are no induced anomalies attributable in any manner whatsoever to the culture and transfer of embryos. Neither has there been any indication of an increase in the incidence of malformations of any kind in these species” (p. 13).

These are profoundly important observations because the transfer of human embryos has reached an advanced experimental stage, although no successful implantation has as yet been claimed. “Successful embryo transfer would alleviate the childlessness of many couples. At a conservative estimate 20 000 married women in the U.K. have tubal occlu- sion and perhaps six or seven times this number in the U.S.A.” (p. 16).

A particularly striking feature of this important monograph is the verbatim record of the lively interchanges which characterize the Discussions, which are interposed through- out the symposium to cover the biological, moral, social, ethical and legal aspects of these fascinating contemporary problems.

H.A.

Anatomic and Clinical Pathology (Proceedings of the VIII World Congress of Anatomic and Clinical Pathology, Munich, September 12-16, 1972) [International Congress Series No. 2851, edited by M. Nordmann, R. Merten and H. Lommel, Excerpta Medica, Amsterdam, 1973, pp. 385 (incl. index), price Dfl. 120.00.

This monograph comprises the Proceedings of the VIII World Congress of Anatomic and Clinical Pathology, held in Munich from 12 to 16 September, 1972. The following topics (almost all the main lectures or invited papers) are reviewed:

The exocrine and endocrine pancreas: morphology and function; Pharmacokinetics; Spleen and bone marrow: morphology, histochemistry, nuclear medicine; Drug con- trol; Progress in the diagnosis of virus diseases; Problems of organization in the labora- tory; The lung: morphology; Diagnosis of tropical diseases; Quality control; Labora- tory and preventive medicine; Education of anatomic and clinical pathologists; Modern aspects in cytology and immunology. The foregoing list indicates the comprehensive scope of the Congress and reflects the

interest in and the concern of pathologists with not only the training of practitioners in pathology, but also the need for attention to the continuing education of pathologists in a rapidly expanding and diversifying field of research and practice.

The editors rightly claim that the Proceedings “give overall surveys of a highly topical nature as well as reporting new findings and methods. The focus of attention in the subjects and relevant statements is directed to the borderline between research and day- to-day diagnosis in the medical laboratory”.

The importance of this monograph extends beyond the interests of the conventional pathologist and/or immunologist; for example, the paper on gurbodies in the lung from the inhalation of diatomaceous earth describes the presence of naked diatomaceous skele- tons in the lungs. This adds yet another reason for the extreme caution with which the diatom can be relied on as evidence of drowning.

AS.