reviews and notices of books
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369REVIEWS AND NOTICES OF BOOKS.
of Listerism comes to be written one, by no means the leastimportant, of the gains to be recorded will be the dating ofthe performance of operations which were formerly con-sidered either impracticable or dangerous, and amongstthese I venture to place hernim of all kinds, for in thefuture we shall hear more of the knife and the needle thanthe truss in the treatment of this class of ailments.
Reviews and Notices of Books.Compendium der Pathologisch Anatomischen Diagnostik.
Von Dr. JOHANNES ORTH. Dritte Auflage. (A Com-pend of Diagnosis in Pathological Anatomy. By Dr.JOHANNES ORTH. Third Edition.) Berlin : A. Hirsch-wald. 1884.
THE first edition of this useful work is known to Englishreaders in the translation (New York : Hurd and Houghton)of Drs. Shattuck and Sabine; but so numerous have beenthe additions and so careful the revision that this thirdedition is practically a new work. Dr. Orth, who is Piro.fessor of Pathology at Gottingen, has made many contribu-tions to the subject, and is at present engaged upon a hand-book which promises to take a prominent place in theliterature of this subject. The plan of the present work isthat of a guide to the post-mortem room. It opens with
general directions for the performance of post-mortem exami-nations and microscopical investigation, and then deals inturn with the external appearances of the body, cutaneousand subcutaneous lesions, before treating of the internal
organs, The description of these latter is taken systematicallywith reference to the cavities of the body, the spinal canal andthe cranium, the thoracic and abdominal cavities; and lastlythe extremity is considered. Directions are given for theexamination of all these parts before the detailed systematicdescription of the morbid anatomy of the various organs isentered upon. As an example of the method pursued may becited the chapters dealing with the lungs. The lesions of thepulmonary pleura are first described, and the externalcharacters of the lung as regards size, form, colour, and con-sistence. The method of incising the lung and the general’characters of the exposed surfaces follow, with directions formicroscopical examination of the fresh organ. Theauthorthendescribes in turn the diseased conditions, commencing withdisorders of circulation—hypersemia, hsemorrhage, infarc-tion-distinguishing with Rindfleisch between the "simple"infarction from rupture of vessels, and the " embolic," whichleads to mention of metastatic suppuration and fat embo-lism. Pulmonary oedema closes this section. The varieties ofpneumonia are fully described-fibrinous, catarrhal, suppurating, and caseous. As to caseous pneumonia, he dis-
tinguishes three main forms-caseous bronchitis or bron-chiolitis, pneumonia proper, and caseous peribronchitis ;holding apparently to the view that tubercle is a secondaryevent in these conditions. Under the head of "productive" "inflammation is described cirrhosis of the lung in its variousdegrees. Specific inflammations follow, the chief beingtuberculosis, which is described in the disseminated form,in the acute partially disseminated, and in the infiltratingor pneumonic form. He explains that the distinction ofthese varieties is arbitrary, and employed only for the sakeof facilitating description, for he admits that they are oneand all the result of the same virus, the " bacillus Kochii";and he shows that all depends upon the sense in which theterm "tubercle" is applied. Tumours of the lung, atrophicand degenerative changes (including emphysema), are nextdealt with, which enables him to dwell at greater lengthupon the distinctive lesions of phthisis. The chapter closeswith abnormalities in the amount of air (atelectasis) in thelung, foreign bodies (pneumono-koniosis) and parasites. Acomparison with the former edition shows here, as in other
chapters, how widely the author has departed from thearrangement there adopted, with the effect of rendering hisdescriptions more comprehensive and exact.
Post-Nasal Catarrh. By EDWARD WOAKES, M.D. Lond.London : H. K. Lewis, Gower-street. 1884.
THIS work is the first volume of the third edition ofDeafness, Giddiness, and Noises in the Head "; it treatsnot only of post-nasal catarrh, but also of the variousdiseases of the nose causing deafness. The author hastaken great pains throughout this volume to establish aphysiological theory, on the full understanding of which heattempts to explain all the phenomena met with in theregion to which he has devoted so much labour and atten-tion. Every theory or principle which may be held by anyphysician or surgeon is unquestionably open to attack,generally from more points than one. We do not care inthis place to enter into an elaborate discussion of the prosand cons of Dr. Woakes’ hypothesis, but we may state thathis principle of reflex nervous action in the sympatheticnervous system may fairly be accepted as a tenable position,which, if perhaps taken up somewhat too positively by itspromoter, will nevertheless stand many of the tests of ascientific examination. The brief chapter on chronic or post-nasal catarrh and its sequences is a graphic description ofthe symptoms from which the patient suffers, as anyone whohas the misfortune to know from personal experience willtestify. The section on the hygienic management of thecatarrhally predisposed is one with which we find ourselvesin almost complete accord. The author is in his element in
treating of the diagnosis of chronic catarrh by the aid of thevarious appliances and methods of examining the fauces,nose, and post-nasal space. Fig. 4 however, does not con-vey much information to our minds of the normal appear-ance of the fauces. The pathology and treatment of acutecatarrh are briefly but ably dealt with. The various formsof chronic pharyngitis are all considered, and taught as
modifications of one and the same process. The chiefvarieties discussed are the chronic hypertrophic catarrh ofthe naso-pharynx, follicular hypertrophic catarrh of the pha-rynx, or follicular pharyngitis, and chronic atrophic catarrhof the naso-pharynx, or pharyngitis sicca. Chapter IX.is concerned with simple hypertrophy of the pharyngealtonsil; and the opinion that "although it is possible toeffect some slight subsidence in the enlargement of thepha-ryngeal tonsil by the repeated application of such stypticsas nitrate of silver &c., this method of treatment gives onlya partial result, and requires a long period to accomplisheven this. Evulsion of the mass is the only measure inwhich confidence can be placed." Lymphoid papillomataof the naso-pharynx form the subject of a lengthy chapter,which deals with their etiology, pathology, and diagnosisin an able, and with their treatment in a practical, manner.Stenosis of the nasal fossae is considered as resulting from(1) diseases originating in connexion with the turbinatebones, and (2) diseases originating in connexion with thenasal septum. Considerable space is occupied with thepathology and treatment of the various affections blockingthe nasal passages. Taken in every way, this excellentmanual is well fitted as a guide to the student of the subjectof which it treats.
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OUR LIBRARY TABLE.
The Asclepiad. Vol. I., Nos. 2 and 3. London : Eadeand Caulfield.-This quarterly periodical is solely the pro.duction of Dr. B. W. Richardson, and evinces, it neednot be said, considerable labour as well as ability; wewonder what fractional part of the author’s labours thesevolumes alone represent. Dr. Richardson succeeds in
making the material at his command both instructive and