NOTES ON BOOKS

Local Anesthesia, by Prof. Braun, Zwickan, Germany, translated and edited by Malcolm L. Harris, M.D., Chicago (Henry Kimpton, price 25s. net). This book has always been considered one of the best on local aneesthesia. The first English edition was published in 1914. So much new material has appeared in the sixth German edition that an entirely new translation has been required for this second edition in English. The author has completely revised the section on spinal anesthesia; but he does not give the details of the methods employed so fully as in the other sections. Full credit is apportioned in the historical section to original observers, and this irrespective of nationality. Throughout the book in each section the fundamental Principle is first stated in philosophic language. It is obvious that the author has experimented freely upon himself and has verified all his statements. The illustrations are very fine and help greatly, Specially in the second half of the book, when the steps of major operations are described. One is struck by the great success of the author in major operations such as excision of the maxillar under local. There is a good index. The translation has been well done. For the surgeon this book is indispensable.

In Intranasal Surgery, by Fred J. Pratt, M.D., F.A.C.S. and John A. Pratt, M.D., F.A.C.S., University of Minnesota (F. A. Davis Company, price 5 dollars), the authors have given us a book which cannot be accepted as a text-book on intranasal surgery, but which is a valuable addition to other works on this subject. The flrst chapter is devoted to anatomy of the nasal cavities; this is stated clearly and is beautifully illustrated; but is rather elementary f?r a book which is intended primarily for specialists. There is a short epitome on diseases of the nose which require intranasal lnterference as well as a chapter on atrophic rhinitis and on mis- cellaneous conditions, including epistaxis, anosmia and tumours of the nasal chambers. The operation which the writers favour for ethmoidal drainage is what they call the exenteration of the ethmoidal cells by

"under the middle turbinate method." No mention is made of other known ethmoidal operations, snch as Sluders', Moshers, or Grunwald's. Both the frontal and sphenoidal operations are an extension of this " under the middle turbinate operation"; while the antrum operation, which they advocate, leaves the inferior concha in P^ace temporarily dislocated upwards before making the opening. I he ^uthors are to be congratulated on the manner in which the book is Illustrated, and it is recommended not only to those who are interested lri the specialty, but to those who desire to obtain better knowledge

the nasal chambers. 627

Notes on Books

Common Infections of the Female Urethra and Cervix, by Frank Kidd and A. Malcolm Simpson (Humphrey Milford, Oxford University Press, price 7s. 6d. net.) It is always stimulating to read a book written by an enthusiast, and the above is such. Mr Frank Kidd's previous works on urinary surgery would lead one to expect something interesting and instructive on the too-little treated subject of gonococcal and other infections of the cervix and urethra in women, and he does not disappoint expectation. The book is thoroughly practical, giving as it does the findings and the routine treatment adopted in the female section of the Venereal Clinic at the London Hospital. It aims at supplying the general practitioner with a clear description of cases of vulvitis, vaginitis and cervicitis, and of the best methods of dealing with these very prevalent complaints. One of the best things in the book is the stress laid on the possibility of cure, provided that the treatment is only skilled and thorough. We are not sure that many venereal specialists will agree with Mr Kidd in his wholesale rejection of vaccines in the treatment of gonorrhoea. The book contains interesting chapters on gonorrhoea in female children, gonococcal arthritis in women, and special chapters on bacteriology and on ophthalmia neonatorum, contributed by Dr George Western and Dr M. S. Mayon respectively. We can thoroughly recommend the book to all officers of V. D. Clinics and to general practitioners.

In Ear, Nose, and Throat Treatme?it in General Practice, by Georges Portmann, M.D., translated and edited by R. Scott Stevenson, M.D. (Heinemann, Ltd., price 10s. 6d.), the practitioner who already possesses some knowledge of the diagnosis of Ear, Nose, and Throat Diseases will find many useful prescriptions and hints on what might be termed the "medical" methods of treatment. No details of surgical operations are given, although the first chapter of the book deals with "Technique of Treatment," and includes

descriptions of puncture and lavage of maxillary sinus, the use of the Eustachian catheter, and the methods of administering intratracheal

injections whether by the laryngeal syringe in the ordinary manner, or

by the more novel method of hypodermic injection, i.e., stabbing the trachea through the tissues of the neck. Many of those prescriptions will be new to English readers, but as they have been compiled with that care and precision which characterizes our French colleagues, a

number of them may well be introduced into British practice. Dr Portmann's work is well known in France, and the translator has done his part so well that he has produced a useful and readable book which may well find a place in the library of the practitioner who may* even in those days when this specialty has become so largely surgical, achieve much for his patients by medical means.

628

I

Notes on Books

Collected Papers on Mechanico- Therapeutics, by Edgar F. Cyriax, M.B. Edin. (John Bale, Sons, & Danielsson, Ltd., price 12s. net)> presents in compact form most of the author's communications in

mechanico-therapeutics that have from time to time appeared in medical journals. The papers cover a wide range of subjects in

medicine and surgery with reference to this important subject, and well repay study. The orthopedic surgeon will find in it matter of special interest. The sections dealing with friction treatment as

applied to the peripheral nerves, after the method of Kellgren, form an important part of the work. Case records and results are a feature ?f the book, which represents the only one of its kind now before the

profession.

The fourth volume of International Clinics for 1923 contains as

Usual a number of interesting articles. In addition to a symposium ?n gastro-intestinal ulcers, papers covering a wide range of medicine and surgery, including obstetrics, pediatrics and ophthalmology, will be found. A treatise on echinococcus disease, being the Alvarenga Prize

Essay of the College of Physicians of Philadelphia concludes the volume.

The Medical Year-Book, 1924 (Wm. Heinemann, Ltd.), is a new venture compiled by Mr C. R. Hewitt, intended to serve as a guide to the activities of the profession in the United Kingdom. It contains a great deal of information about medical societies, schools, and medical services and hospitals generally. A feature of the book is a classified ^st of London and provincial consultants and specialists apparently extracted from the lists of the various hospital staffs. It also contains an obituary list. The book is a useful one.

With every new edition Hale-White's Materia Medica, Pharmacy,

Pharmacology, and Therapeutics (J. & A. Churchill, price 19s. 6d.) becomes more firmly established as the text-book most suited to the student. The present edition (eighteenth) brings the work up-to-date, but some of the chapters bear evidence of the necessity for recasting.

Miss Mabel Liddiard's Mothercraft Manual (J. & A. Churchill, Price 3s. 6d.) covers familiar ground with very considerable success, ^he chapter on breast feeding is really good, but in that on artificial

feeding quite unnecessarily complicated mixtures are advised, and we would strongly urge that in any future edition these should

be much

simplified. This criticism is made because the book is so promising that we should like to see it still better.

The Student's Handbook of Surgical Operations, by Sir Frederick

Treves, Bart., and Jonathan Hutchinson, F.R.C.S. (Cassell &: Co., Ltd., Price 1 os. 6d.), now in its fourth edition, is already too

well known to

629

Notes on Books

require more than a brief reference. Fuller descriptions of certain

operations and the addition of a number of new illustrations have

slightly increased the size of this volume but have made it corre-

spondingly more useful.

The original papers on the discovery of insulin and its early clinical use are scattered in numerous journals not readily accessible. The Antidiabetic Functions of the Pancreas and the successful isolation

of the Antidiabetic Hormone?Insulin, by J. J. R. Macleod and F. G. Banting (Henry Kimpton, price 7s. 6d.), is a concise account of the subject. Professor Macleod begins with a historical review of the relation of the pancreas to diabetes. He points out clearly how the relationship was first suspected by the clinician and how numerous physiologists fiiled to substantiate the view. It is pathetic to think how close to success some of these patient observers were. The progress of the Toronto research, step by step, is described in considerable detail and makes a fascinating tale. Fitting acknowledg- ment is made to Banting for the prominent part he played in the

work, but the story emphasises the necessity for carefully correlated team-work in investigations of this nature. Dr Banting describes the results of treatment in some of the first cases studied. Much fuller

and more practical works are now available as clinical guides, but this little volume must be regarded as an extremely important chapter in the history of Medicine.

The Cure of Obesity, by Dr Jean Frumusan, translated from the

original French (Bale, Sons & Danielsson, Ltd., price 7s. 6d.). While

recognising the large number of factors which may give rise to obesity, the author makes no attempt to classify his cases. A large part of the book is taken up in explaining why the recognised "cures" fail so frequently, but the writer apparently makes considerable use of some of these methods in his cases. He describes at length his own

system, the essential elements of which are: fasting, general and localised galvanisation, rational alimentation, and a regular and pro- gressive physical training. The work may be of service in suggesting treatment in those cases of obesity which prove intractable under

ordinary measures.

Radium: Its Therapeutic Uses in General Practice, by G. H.

Varley, M.D. (Humphrey Milford, price 6s.). Dr G. H. Varley

gives an account of some of the cases he has treated with radium,

together with some general information regarding that substance. More information should be given regarding dosage and the duration of the application, a most important point in radium treatment, for it is only by a prolonged application that we can make fairly sure of catching the neoplastic cells in their susceptible stage. The

630

Notes on Books

term " milligramme hour" is not explained, nor are the doses always stated in these units. There is no specific reference to the treatment of exophthalmic goitre in which radium is so successful, or to spleno-medullary leukcemia. The doses recommended in young women with metrorrhagia seem too large and those in cervical cancer too small. The book appears to us to have been rather hastily written. On page 12, 150? Centigrade should read 150? Centigrade. On Page 8, phosphorescence should be fluorescence.

The Leucocyte in Health and Disease, by C. J. Bond, C.M.G., F-R.C.S. (H. K. Lewis & Co. Ltd., price 12s. 6d.), contains an account of a laborious research into the activities of the leucocytes as seen by dark-ground illumination and otherwise. Emigration, lngestion of foreign substances, agglutination and similar phenomena have been studied. The action of insulin, acetone, and other reagents has also been described. It is an account of pioneer work, the value ?f which can only be assessed in course of time.

Lectures on Gonorrhoea in Women and Children, by J. Johnston Abraham, C.B.E., D.S.O., M.A., M.D., F.R.C.S. (William Heinemann, Price 7s. 6d.), contains the subject-matter of a series of lectures on gonorrhoea in women and children, delivered by him at the Lock hospital, Harrow Road. It is eminently practical and suggestive, and can be heartily recommended to any practitioner who wishes to make himself acquainted with the latest methods of treatment adopted in dealing with this protean scourge. When once the rank and file of the profession realise that the treatment of the early stages of gonorrhoea in women is as important and as effective as it is in men, We may begin to look for a diminution in the salpingectomies and hysterectomies in our gynaecological wards.

The aim of The Science and Art of Anesthesia, by Colonel William Webster, D.S.O., M.D. (Henry Kimpton, price 24s.), is to present to students and general practitioners in a concise form a manual on the Science and Art of Ancesthesia. The chapter on "The Art of

Anaesthesia " is to be particularly commended and might be read with

advantage by surgeons and others who co-operate with anaesthetists. Colonel Webster is well qualified to write with authority, and his book Can be confidently recommended to anyone who seeks a concise but n?l tQo brief summary of the subject.

The first part of Neurologic Diagnosis, by Loyal Edward Davis, M.D. (W. B. Saunders Company, Ltd., price 10s.) contains

chapters on the anatomy and physiology of the nervous system; these are clearly and concisely written, with useful illustrations

throughout the text. The second part (100 pages) is made up of a 631

Notes on Books

critical survey of 29 illustrative cases. In each of these, the case

history is first given: points are taken up for discussion, and a

diagnosis thus arrived at. The book is written to serve as a link between the text-book upon the anatomy of the nervous system, and

that on diseases thereof; it certainly should fill a certain want in this

respect.

We welcome the second edition of Dr F. Gardiner's useful Handbook of Skin Diseases (E. and S. Livingstone, price 10s. 6d.)- The introduction of coloured plates adds greatly to its educational value.

The policy of the Medical AnnuaI (John Wright & Sons, Ltd., price 20s.) is to serve as a guide to the current medical literature that is of practical usefulness to the general medical practitioner. This

policy it has adhered to for forty years. It is enough to say of the 1924 volume that it maintains the high standard set by its predecessors. We seldom consult the Medical Annual in vain.

Common Disorders and Diseases of Childhood, by G. F. Still, M.A., M.D., F.R.C.P. (Humphrey Milford, Oxford University Press, price 25s. net.), first published in 1909, has established itself as one of the foremost works on pediatrics. Three editions and five impressions have been required, and a fourth edition is now welcomed. The size and scope of the work have been again increased; new chapters have been added on blood diseases in childhood, on purpura, and on some purely symptomatic occurrences, headaches, giddiness, and loss of weight in children past the age of infancy. These have increased the value and interest of the book which, largely a record of personal experience and observation, cannot be recommended too highly.

The first edition of Domiciliary Treatment of Pulmonary Tuberculosis by R. Rufenacht Walters, M.D., M.R.C.P. (Lond.)i F.R.C.S. (Eng.) (Balliere, Tindall & Cox, price 7s. 6d.), was published in July 1921. The present edition is an exact reproduction of the first, except that the first fifteen pages have been rewritten and a very short chapter added on obvious matters concerning the co-operation of the general practitioner with other workers in the treatment of tuberculosis. Some alterations of minor importance have been made >

in the appendix. The author has not seen fit to alter his short paragraph on the treatment of diabetes complicating tuberculosis* and therefore there is no mention of insulin. The book is more

a general summary on the treatment of pulmonary tuberculosis at home than a detailed guide.

632 ,

i

Notes

Mr H. C. Rutherford Darling's Surgical Nursing and After- Treat7nent (Churchill, price 8s. 6d.) in its second edition is an excellent guide for nurses and junior medical officers.

Practical Bacteriology for Chemical Students, by David Ellis, Ph.D., D.Sc., F.R.S.E. (Longmans, Green & Co., price 4s. 6d.), contains Material that cannot fail to be of use to those beginning the study of

bacteriological technique, although intended primarily for chemical students. The exercises are well arranged and will give beginners a good foundation on which to build knowledge acquired later.

Figs. 36 and 37, referred to in the text, are not to be found.

Getting Ready to be a Mother, by Yon Blarcom (Macmillan & ^-o-j Ltd., price 6s.), is a useful little book for the expectant mother. ^ is full of useful instructions and advice for pregnancy and for the care of the infant afterwards. All the danger-signs are mentioned

^v'th strict injunctions for the mother-to-be to visit her medical adviser lrumediately, should any occur or should she be worried about anything regarding her health. The only criticism is that the development of the foetus with diagrams of foeti at different months is surely unnecessary in a book of this kind, and might even prove deleterious to the health of a highly-strung woman. It is a book one Can recommend to every primipara to guide her in the way she should ??- The book is well set out in large clear type with all the headings ln deep lettering.