REVIEWS. (1.) Pharm,cology. By Douglas Cow, M.D. London: J. and A. Churchill. 1920. Pp. 132. (2.) A I'r~atise on Materia Mcdica and Therapeutics. By the late Rakhatdas Ghcsh. Eighth Edition. By ]3. 14. Deare and B. N. Ghosh. Ca,icutta: Hilt.on and Co. 1920. Pp. 698. (3.) The Ed r a Pharmacopoeia. By W. H. Ma,rtinda,le and W. \V. Westeo,tt.. 17th Edition. Vol. I. Lewis and Co. 1920. Pp. 1,115. (1.) Tins ]ittte book is .o,ne of a set styled the "' Students' Synopsis Series," which is a~ra.nged to cover the chief branch~,~ of Medicine and Surgery. I t represents c.ondensation carried t,o its utmost limit~, and is e.ssentia,lly a. re,fre.sher, or cram book for exa.mina.tions. The inf,rma.tio~ is a.ecura.te and up-t,o-date, and m a n y useful diagra.m~ are interspersed. An elaborate table is supplied of the seats of action of drugs, which is useful for re~erence. There, is scarcely any allusion t~ Materia Medic~ in its restricted sense, but ~ confusing and unnecessary waste of space is occasioned by the printing .of intricat,e chemieM constitutional formuke of organic drugs, which no ordinary student could po,ssibly interpret or remember. Thus, pp. 28-29 are filled by the graphic formulm of 16 arsenical derivatives which ha.re, be,en proposed for use, from time to time, some of which the reviewe,r never heard of. On p. 48 the student is bewildered by the complex graphic form-rise of ecgonin, tropin, cocaine, and a tropii,. This book is dedicated " to that grea.t army of medica.1 students, some 80 per cent...o,f the whole, who, in examinations are within mea.sureable distance of the Eubicon that divides the approved fro,m the rejected ! !" (2.) THE first edit.ion o,f this book appeared in 1901, and later edit.ions were fa.vo.urably noticed in this Journal in 1914 and 1917. We have frequently consulted the 6th Edition, and now welcome the, 8th Edit.ion, a. sufficient proof of its well-deserved popularity and success. Although not enlarged by a single page,, it has been carefully revised.

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I t is. a thoroughly reliable, useful, and up-to,-dat~ book, and we can unrese~wedly recommend it to our readers. This edition, like it.s predecessor, is adapted to, the la,st edition of the B.P. For Indian students, especially, it. is the best work they could proem'e, ,and gives vernacular Indian synonyms for nearly all the drugs in the B.P. (3.) THIS a.naa.zing and indispensa.ble m u l t u m m parvo has rea.ehed the ahnest unprecedented dignity of t.he 17th Edition, and it, is safe to, prophesy for it a continued and increasing success. No practitioner, whether physician, surgeo,n or spe.eialist, can afford to negteet it, and the amo~unt of reliable information compressed into its. 1,100 page,s is simply mmwelio'us. The. l'.~st edition was issued in Janual;y. 1915, a,nd the preface to this edition, gravelling far outside the usua.1 lines of a preface, is a, frank discussion a.s to ho,w far t~he war has a.ffe.cted chemical and commercial industries. It is pointed out bow quickly, a,nd unexpectedly, the brilliant, synthetic chemists, in fl~e German factories, numbering many hundreds, trans, ferred t,heir labours to t,he manufa.c~.m'e of explo.sives and po.iso~ gases, and how t,he whole range of ino.rganie a,nd organic chemistry was. ransa.cked ~o pro.vide villaino,us agents of destructio,n. Sir ]lonald Ross ha.s remarked thai. Great Britain had reached her lowest, point, of int.elle.ctual development before the war. Surely the chief lesson of the eonfli(~t, is the urgent need of greater and more widc~prea.d s~.:ientific eduea.t,ion. If this is not. seen t.o at once the nation will lose its right to. complain (~f loss ef trade, a.nd the astute and la.borio,u~ H u n . will again succeed in strangling o,ur feeble efforts. It. is needless ~o, enter into any ,details o~ the contents of so well-kno,wn a book. Revision has been ea.n@d out with serupuloals care, and thorougJmess, and it is safe to. say that no. item .of s.eientific interest has escaped the watchful eyes el t,he authors. Let every praet.itioner hast.on to pro,vide himself with a copy of this incomparable work, which will prove, to him an ever-useful friend and companion. W.O.S.

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Les Autig~nes et Les Anticorps.

By M. Nieolle,, Inst,it.ut Pasteur. Masson et, cir. Pp. 80. 4 5. 50. ~IOSSlI~Ua NICOLLE gives us t.he substaame .of the Harben Lectures, delivered before the Institute of Public Hygiene, Londo,n, in a. sheet volume. H e has succeeded in concentrating his ideas int.o a. short space, and has not attempted to give us the experimental evidence, en which they are based. The be,c~k has left us with a clear eo.neeption o,f the subject as M(msieur Nieolle sees it. The first eha.pter i~ devoted to. his definitio.ns and principles of immunity, the ~econd chapter deals with t.heir applica.t[on t.o diagnosis, and the lost to, the thera,peutie application. Many o.f his conceptio~ns are new to us, a,nd they have, we believe,, advanced the study of immunity in simplifying the shbject. We o,nly wish that Monsieur Nie(dle had seen fit. t(~, expand his lectures into, a more considerable volume. The clarity of the style and the simplicity with which the 'u'gument. is put are a lesson in themselves. The book should be of value t.o clinicians and laboratory workers. We can confidently reeo.mmend it.. B.~.

Turnouts complicatezg Pregna~cy, Laborer a~d the Pz~crperjure, being the Lettsomia.n Leet.ur'e.s delivered befor',~ the Medical So,cie~;y of L~mdon by Herbert Spencer, I~'I.D.. B.S. (London), F . I I . C . P . , Obstetric Physician. t,o, Uni\ersity Cellege He.spiral. 8re. London: Harrison and Sims. 1920. Pp. 78. THIS will pro,ve to be a mosg useful reference wo~'k for th,.s, who, are investigating the subject, o.f tumonrs and the pregnant, state. We have a.lrea.dy read these lect.ures in the " British Medical JournM," and we welcome the splendid manner in which they have been produced as being an a.ddition to Eng,lish gymeco,lo,gieal bibliography. The work is a record o,f the a,uthor's experience, extending over 82 years, and the reports of his methods, sta,tisties and of special eases are very valuable, especially as the be.ok is in scholarly English, and makes delightful reading. B .S.

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B y Professor DA COSTA, Philadelphia,. W.B. Saunders Co,., Philadelphia and Lo,ndon. 1920. Pp. 1,650. Price s 17s. 6d. net,. I x a delightful preface to this, the eighth edition of his well-known text-boo,k, Professor iDa Costa completely disarms his .crit.ies in adva,nee by pleading the difficulties of adequate revision on active war service. Such a. plea was quite unnecessary: rather is he t.o be. eongr'a.t.ulated on having emitted so little that, might have been overlooked. Wide and discriminate reading, evincing the m o s t ample knowledge..o,f tlle literature of his. subject, a. serupulo,us fairness in appraising ot,her men'sJ ideas and methods, even whorl a.g varia,nee with his own, a ~ranspa,rent honest.y, and complete, absence of dogmat,ism, are the most attractive features of this book. Add to t.hese a trenchant, clear style,, with a happy tendency to, epigram, and one can understand the pleasure ig is t.(~ the tired reviewer t.o, turn the paffes of such a book a,s this, with its not infrequent atmosphere of general, extra-surgical culture. Such apho,risms a.s " 3 tired mind, like a tired hand, tends to become s h a k y , " " po,werful purgatives are pc~werful depressants," " spare yo.ur p~tients', for Spm'ta~s are f e w , " crop up every now and then, with the most. refreshing effect, in the midst of other more rigidly surgical information. His advice to the surgeon, in the words of Sydney Smith, " t.o have the courage t.o be ignora,nt o.f a great number of things in order tha,t he m a y a,void the ea.lamity of bedng igno,rant o.f everything," is amongst t,he happiest, o,f his references. We, do, n(~,t know if ])r. Da, Costa is an old pupil of Johns Hopkins: his, dedication to t h a t school and the chief of its suNjeal staff, I-Ialsted, would seem to, indicate this: and the stamp .of " Aequanimit.as " is readily apparent. His professoriM leet.,ures, we feel sure, m u s t be, .of unusual at~traetiveness, for the perusal o.f his book, the erysgMlisabion of much thought, and wide knowledge, ha,s been a realpleasure. We are not so sure tha,t, foe st.udent,s in this country, it would pay to read Da Costa for an e~amination, but of ~his, nt least, we are sure, that the practitioner who is wise or Modern

Surgery,

General

a~td O p e r a t i v e .

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fortunate enough to, possess it will rm'ely eo.nsult it.s pages without finding the, help, and ma,ybe the, eonso,las he may seek. The volume is a very large, one: 1,650 page,s of close print constitute a bulky handful ; if a hint, might be dropped to author or publisher it would be, an adva,nt~age ra.ther than otherwise were the ninth edition to, appear in two vo~ume,s. W.D. to Midwifery. ARCtIIBALD DONALD. Sth edition Publishers : Griffin. 6/;-. THIS little book, intended only for junior student,s and midwive,s, contains a, large amo,unt of useful information. The importance of strict asept,i~ methods in midwifery cannot be too deeply impressed on the student.. For this reason we would like to, see the a,uthor recommending (1) the use 3f rubber glove,s on al~ occasions; (2) the. use of the stylet instead o~ the finger nail to, rupture, the membranes. The, " lubrication o~ the vaginal surface, of the, perineum with antiseptic lubricant " to minimise, tears is a, procedure open to, criticism. I t necessita,t.es frequent insertion of the fingers into the vagina.. I t also. renders pcssible, the use of the. content,s of the, " household vaseline jar " in the absence of the a,nti,~e~pt,ic lubricant. Numerous illustra.tio,ns appe, ar t.hro,ugho~ut the, book. Fig. 42 might be dra.wn more a.ccura,tely in order tc coincide with the me.thod described in th~ text,. The chapters on a,na~tomy a,nd physiology should be. appreciated by midwives who are. usually ignorant of such subjects. J.T.S. An

Introductio~t

as A r m y Surgeons. By FLO~a .'YI~,am~y, C.B.E., M.D., D . P . H . Hodde,r and Stoughton, Ltd., London. IF anyone, finds the, long e.venings enforced by the Curfew weigh heavily upon them we advise the~m to pick up this book, and we guarantee, they will not la.y it, down unfinished. In these, days o.f sla.ekne.ss and world-wearine.ss it~ brings a real breath o~ the, vigour and keenness of the war. I~ is the Women

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tale of a grea.t adve~nture--simply and delightfully told. it is right that it should ha,re been writ~ten, if only to put on record the fact t.hat a ha,ndful of British medical women, una.ided and often sorely hindered by the, a,ut,horities, took a fully equipped hospital to the front and made a real success o,f i~. We will not spoil the reade.r's plea.sure by quoting any o.f the interesting events here--the,y should b~ read with the rest and will move alternately to laughter and te.ars. A small not~ of bitterness appears no,w and then which is rather to be deplored, but there is no doubt these a,rdent women had a hard batt.l~ to figh~ against prejudice and Officialism. The book is written from the, Suffr'a.gist~ sta,ndpoint, which aeeo.unts for it in some measure, and one of the most telling scenes which we ca,nn(~t refrain from quoting is tha.t when Dr. Garre,tt Anderson--the old fighter --receives congratulations on the pa.ssing o,f the. Bill entYanehising women. The. young orderlies were kind a.nd a little patronising. " ' Simply topping about yo,ur Bill,' said the pote,ntiaa voters . . . . . persona,lly quite nnto,uehed by their pe,rsonal share in i t . " The bo,ok ma,y be enjo.yed by medical or la,y reader, a,s it t~mehes all aspects of the work, and it,s author is very much to be congratulated on the work of th(.* hospital in Paris, at. t-he front., and in Ende,U Street., and a.lso on t,ne inte,re,sting book a.bou~ it w.hieh she has given to the public.

Manua~ o/ Medicine. By A. S. WOODWARK, F.t~.C.P. Oxford Medical Publications. 2nd edit4on, 1920. Pp. xiii + 427. AFTER a la,pse of eight yea,rs l)r. Wo()dwark has produced a seco.nd editio,n of his Ma,nua.1 of Medicine. As is to be e,xpected, m a n y alterations have been neeessita.ted by tile advances of medica! science during that period. The book is well arranged a,nd should prove a popular text beak for students as well a,s a book o,f reference for pra,ctitioners. No"vous disea.ses, including a useful eha.pteg o,n insa.nity,

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so oft,e,n neglect.ed in similar publications, are well and clearly dealt; with. The section on diseases of Me*a.bolism has been brought tip to date in view of the great inerea,se in our knowledge of ~his branch o,f medicine sinee, the manual was firsg published. Sea~tte,red t,hrough the volume a,re numerous useful formula~. The publieatien should be welcomed by those for who,m the. author intends it. I. A. O'K.

Handbook /or Tuberculosis Workers. By Noel Bardswell, M.V.O., M.D., F.R.C.P. Published by John Bale, Sons and Danielson, Ltd., London. 1/6 net.. A VEINYuseful litti.e book, written in non-technical language, of a convenient size and .suitable alike to the, Tuberculosis officer and the voluntary worker. Though natura,lly such "large subjeets as forms of Ttrbereulosis Disease, Treatment, Early Diagnosis, Milk, Disinfection, Prevention, Administ.ration, After Care, The Colony, Open-air School, Financial Problem,s and the Training of Voluntary Workers are only briefly outlined, Dr. Bardswell is to be congratulated on getting a scientific exposition o.f the main points of the dise.a~.e into such a limited spa,ee. The bookle~ is brimful of suggestion for any thoughtful reader.

Diseases o/ the Eye. By M. S.-Mayou, F.R.C.S. 3rd Edition. He,nry Fro,wde, Ho dder and Stoughton, Lemdo,n, 1920. Pp. xv.+326. A THIRD edition is in it.self an indication of the po.pu]aritv which this book enjo,ys. We recommend it a,s an excellent adjunct tn clinical leetm'e~ on the " Eve.s," but a.s an elementary text-book per se, it is ~omewhag too obscure, for the average student.

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W.e think the first two chapters especially suffer in this respect. The former would be greatly improved by a brim reminder of the anatomy of tile. globe and its surroundings, while the latter on " elementary optics and r e f r a c t i o n ' might readily eo.ntain fuller explanations. The general get-up of tile book is very good: w.e would especially like to commend the .excellent micro-photographs.

The New Physiology i~ Surgical and Ge~zeral Practice.

By A. Re,ndle, Short, M.D., F.B.C.S. 4th Editio,n. Ilevised and enlarged. John Wright and Sons, Bristol, 1920. Pp. xi. + 291. THIS useful s u m m a r y o~ recent advances in physiology has been for tile mo,st part re-written. The chapter on vita.mines is enlarged by references to, diseases due to, deficiency of fats, proteins and carbohydrates. The grouping of blood donors and the effects of spleneetomy are, co.nsidered. A new chapter on the heart has been added, and that on surgical sho.ck has been thoroughly revised in the light of recent research. Keith's work on the, sphincters o.f the gastrointestinal tract is briefly indicated. We miss tile chapter on acidosis and diabetes, though its substance is to some extent diffused through other parts of tile .boo.k, and we should welcome a s u m m a r y of the, rapid advances in t.he,se subjects in a, la,fer editio.n. The chapter dealing with the nervous system now includes new fact,s with regard to reflexes, the double motor path, the visual cortex, a.nd the post-Rolandie area in rela.tion to, common sensation.

Chorio-epithcl, ioma Malignum.

B y Arthur Sunde. 8vc~. Emil Moestine Kristians. 1920. Pp. 286. IN a lengthy illustrated monograph the. author deals with this subject from all point.s o.f view. I I e has collected 38 cases of ehorio-epithe.lioma and 240 ve.sieular moles; of these former 20 were ino.perable when admitted to, hospital, a.nd 12~of the remaining 18 were cured, i.e., 66 per cent. of cures. In 122

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eases of mole which he, was able, to " folle~w u p , " chorioepit~heliema, developed in 6, i.e., 5 pe~" cent.. The nomenclature is discussed, and Sunde is very insistent, that the disease should not be classed under carcinoma. The various theories are considered, especially with regard te the, ma.ternal or egg aet iology. In the investigations 43.6 per cent. were found to proceed fro.m hydatidiform mole. 29.3 . . . . from abortions. 22.1 . . . . iro,m no,traM pregnancy. .5 . . . . from extra,uterine pregnancy. H e lays stress on the fact that latency is sometimes marked in the disea,se. Vaginal hysterectomy is the operation o.f choice, especially a.s th,e regional glands are seldom affected, the metastase,s usually taking place first in the lungs. Although it is proposed in the literature that a. prophylactic hysterectomy should b.e done in all cases of vesicular mole the author considers this to be an evil practice. B. S,

" The Duodenal Tz~be and its Possibilities." By Max Einhc~rn. W. t3. Sa~unds and Co,., Philadelphia, and London, 1920. Pp. 115. 13/-net. ~'-'~R since K u s s m a u l ' s initial demo.nstration in 1867 of the possibilities oh tile stomach tube, it ha,s been the desire o~ elinieal physiologists to render the contents o.f the duodenum rich in bilia~y and pa.ncre.at.ie juices, similarly accessible to investigatio,n. Undeterred by the failures o.f 13c.as, H e m rneter, K , h n a M e,thers Einhorn has been patiently experimenting for ne,arly t.we,nty years with duodenal tubes of various types. ~In this modest ]it,tle. book he recounts wha.t de,gree o,f success has so far attended his effort.s, and outlines many po.~sibilities for the research worker and clinician of ~he future. The distance of the duodenal cavity from the mouth, the tortuous path to be, traversed by any instrument, intended to enter it, and the question o~ the permeability of the pylo.ric canal to solid objects, were tt~ chief mechanical

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difficulties to be overcome.: ,severa,1 excellent reproductions of x-ray plates, showing the. E i n h o m tube a,ctua.lly in position in the duodenum, are ,sufficient evidence o~ the feasibility of a.ece.ss. By means of a heavy bead of glass or porcelain attached to a guiding thread, a tube, swaJlowed overnight by the pa,tient m a y be demonstrated by x-ray to have passed t,he pylorus and to be resting in the duodenum next morning : by means of an aspirating p u m p attached, the, duodenal content, uncontaminated by gastric juice, can be drawn off for biochemical investigation: this is the basio idea underlying Einhorn's researches. I n three short, but clearly written chapters the difficulties of technique are expla,ined and simplified : the diagnostic significance of the analysis of the duodenal content, and the possibilities of therapeutic direct. duodenal lavage or a.limentation are convincingly dealt with, within the limits of present-day knowledge. A host of inquiries and experiments ,still remain unsolved: suffice it for the present that within the scope of little more than ~ hundre.d pages, Dr. Einhorn relates his difficulties, and demonstra.tos the ~cessibility of the duodenum in the. absence of organic pyloric stenosis, thereby opening up ~ wide field for clinical research of diagnostic and therapeutic importance. Dr. E.inhorn, having reached the duodenum i~er vias naturales, still possesses the explorer's desire, to. push on. Profiting by his duodenal experience, he has devised m a n y formidable looking tubular apparatus for the like investigation of the lower reaches of the alimentary tract ! The clinical use of these latter instruments is likely to be shunned for m a n y a day by all save a few intrepid s.piribs consumed with a,n enthusiasm for explora.tion akin to his own. W.D.

Aids to the Diagnosis and Trea.tment o[ Diseases of Children. B y John McCaw, M.D., R.U.I., L.I/.C.P. Edin. 5th Edition. Pp, -104. London: BaJlliore, Tindall a.nd Cox, 1920. A ~'EW edition of this useful little member o~f the " Students Aid Series " is welcome. I t is essentially a students'

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manual, and is a triumph in what can be accomplished in the way of m u l t u m in parvo. I t suffers, of course, from the def.ects of extreme eonden.sa.tion, not o,nly in the small print, a,nd absence, of plates or illustrat.ic,ns, but. also. in the effect on the reader. For instance, when thirteen possible, causes of rickets are: described in lit,tle over one. small page, we are. left breathless, so to. speak! i t is asto~nishing, however, how much is included and how little, left out, and the value of the book is turf,her enhanced by references to literature on ea.eh subject.

Lectures on Diseases of Children. :By Robert Hutchinson, M.D., F.II.C.P. 4th Edition. London : Edward Arnold, 1921. Pp. 416. Price 21/-. WE welcome a new edition of this most valuable book. I t is wonderful in the course of thirty-one lectures how much ground is covered and how few lacunae are to be found. The book is written in the conversational style of lectures, and the customary paragraph headings are absent, but this in a way makes it pleasanter reading, and t)he graphic pictures impress the mind. An extra chapter has been added in this edition on obscure fevers, and tbose on tuberculosis and syphilis written in the light of recent work. The section on infant feeding has also been slightly altered. We can heartily recommend this boek as delightful reading to any m e m b e r of the profession.

A Short Practice o/ Midwifery. B y H e n r y Jellett, M.D. 8th Edition. Publishers: Churchill. 18/-. THE appearance of the 8th edition of this work is sufficient evidence of its well-deserved popularity, and further comm e n t is needless. The text has been revised and m a n y new excellent illustra-

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tions have been added, which will further enhanc.e the usefulnes,s cf the book. Attention m a y be directed to the chapter o,ll pubiotomy. H e r e the a utho,r r e c o m m e n d s prophylactie pubiotemy, in suitable cases, about the middle of pregnancy. H e describ.e,s a new modifiea.tie.n in the technique os the operation, and gives speeia.1 instructions concerning the after-treatment o.f the patient. In future editions, some mention might be made of melaena neonatorum, a net u n c o m m o n and often fatal condition in infants. The boo]<, which is mosg admirably produced, can be rec o m m e n d e d with the u t m o s t confidence, as being one o.f the best, on the market. J. T. S.

Sexual Imperforate. B y VICTOR G. VECKI. Sixth edition. Saunders a.nd Co.

1920.

THIrSTY-TWO years ago Vecki u-rote his well-known wor]< on Sexual Impotence, a.nd now the sixth edition is br(mght out by the autho.r, a. boo]< o,f o.ve.r 400 pages. The general pra.etitio,ne.r who, consulted by a man sexua.lly impotent., seeks in this book to, find the fo,rn~ o~ impot, e.nce, its ca,use,, and the treatment-, will probably be disappo.inted. To the urologist the be,ok has m u c h og interest., and contains a very large n u m b e r o.f useful re~ere.nces. The a.utho,r quotes n u m e r o u s opinions that he either doubts the truth of, or disagrees with altogether; this is apt to. leave a sense, of uneerta.int.y on the reader's mind, and it would ha,re be.e.n better had Dr. Veeld expre,ssed his own views alone, and in a more, dogma,tie manner. T r e a t m e n t is the weakest p~rt of the boo]<. The author hopes that. Endocrino.logy m a y be of great use~perha,ps it may. Me.tho.ds o.f treatment, fo,r the relief o~ impo.tenee tha~ offer more hope of sueee.ss than those at present emplo.yed are badly needed. The book is well printed, written in an easy style., and eo.ntains a good index. L. G. G.

ttEVIE,WS

Common I)~fection8 of the Kid~ey,. Oxford University Pro,s;.

133 By ]J~RANI(. XIDD. 1920.

Tills book by Mr. F r a a k Kidd gives a.n adnfirable a.eeount of the. signs aad symptoms thaf ~:he ec~lo.n bacilli can give rise t o when tTqey infect the kidney, prostate, bladder, or testis. That such infeet,io,ns are by no mea.ns uncommon, that when they do occur the,y are o,ften oil,her not recegnised or frea.t.ed incorrectly, makes the value o.f a. work o.f this kind all the. greater. The style of the writing is go.od; the author ha.s something t.o say, a,nd says it in a. c!ear and concise, manner; his remarks are. backed by a wealth og clinical material. The book is fully illustrated with colour'ed plates, photogra.phs e,f specimens and microphe,tographs, a,nd is well worth its place on the bookshelf of e,very medical man. I~. O. G.

Xtteleic Acids.

By WALTER JONES, Ph.D. Mo,nographs on Biochemistry. London : Lengma.ns, Green aad Co. 1920. Pp. 150+viii. Price 9/- net.

THIS is the se,cond edition o4 Professor \Valter Jones's authorita.tive, work in Messrs. Longmans, Okee.n and Compa.ny's well-kno.wn series. If. has been brought, up-to-date, by the inelusion o.f the author's recent impo,rta.nt work on the preparatia,n of the. nueleo,tides and their mode of linkage. Work c,n the anima,l metabolism of the. purines has accumula,ted of late and has led to, the separation of m a n and the ape, who ha.re no,t the power of ce,nverting uric aeid into the mor.e so.luble allantoine, from the lower animals, who have this power. The subject of nucleic acids is, perhaps, in its present, stage of mere int,erest, to. the, bio.chemist. and the physiologist than to the medieal pra.etitioner, but, there is every reason to ho,pe, that the work do.ne on the conduct of these complicated groups will eventually clear

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up the. m y s t e r y which sun'ounds t h a t a.risto,era.t a m o n g disea.ses, gout. Dr. J o n e s ' s book continue.s to be, the. standard work on the nucleic acids and ea.n be stro.ngly r e c o m m e n d e d as an excellent intrcduc{ion, text bo.o.k, a.nd work of refer'enee to a.n extremely important branch of biochemistry.

Everyday Mouth Hygiene. D.D.S.

.W.D.

B y Jos~?PH HEAD, M.D., Sa.unders Co., London, 1920. Pp. 67.

Tim m~t.hor of this small book is to. he eongra,tulated on its production. I t is weli printe.d. The, n u m e r o u s illust,ratio.ns are very clear, and the reading m a t t e r co,noise and to the. point. The subje.ct, of m o u t h hygiene canno.t be. too frequently or too forcibly hro.ught, before the general public or the dent.al student., for, as the. author points out in the o.pening eha.pter of the bo~,k, " infection of the. teeth a,nd g u m s cause directly, or indireet.ly, one ha.lf ef the fa,fal dise.a,ses." W e are, very plea.seal to. no,t.e t h a t Mr. H e a d lays eonsidera.ble stress on the importance of the use o.f denta.1 silk in cleansing the a.pproximal smfaees o.f the teeth and this with its directions and a.ecompanying illustrations for tile use of the. silk will be, found very useful. We, are thoroughly in agreement, with tim author in his reeommenda,tion of the use of a. small brush. The. vast, majority of brushes sold to the public are far too big, and do not. give the proper amo.unt of freedom necessary to reach all surfaee.s of the post.crier teeth. We can heartily r e c o m m e n d this book to the dental student, the public in general, and more especially to those in the care o,f children, for w h o m we think the book was especially written. W.S.