BOOR REVIEW

ANATOMIE G&NERALE E T TOPOGRAPIIIQUE

There comes to my hands a new anatomy text-book (Anatomie G6n6rule et Topographique) by Ih. H. Rouvi&re, professor in the TJnirersity of Paris. It comprises three cloth-bound qiiarto volumes of 507, 504, and 664 pages, respeeti~ely, published by Masson & Company.

With accumulat,ion of facts in so immense a field conies the time when exhaustive reference works must be separated from introductory texts for first-year medical students. Doctor RouviPre has written the latter type. IIe omits much of the less important details for the sake of writing a clear, simple description of each part . This policy has spared the reader the large amount of fine print so irritating to the chronically overstrained modern eye.

H e makes a second splendid step in using the topographic method of treatment, discussing each organ as a unit, with adjacent muscles, blood vessels, lymphatics, nerves, etc., described close together. This is surely the ideal method for beginners. It allows them to form the wsential topographic-image pictures. Students do not cornnionly take time to seek out descriptions of adjacent structures in the usual texts where the facts about a given area are separated aniong the rarious systems treat eci.

Thcp are well chosen and include many crobs and longitudinal sectional dia- grams. They do not t ry to show too much at once, and many are very good. They are placed adjacent to pertinent reading matter where they can be consulted without lost time. But the lines drawn i n from the labels are apt to be confused with nerves arid other in- trinsic structures of the drawings. Use of clotted lines might have obviated this.

Serious injury to the value of the text outside of France has been done by use of colloquial French terms in place of the BNA, even in the figures where usage demands the Latin terms.

The format of the text is fine, the drawings and printed matter being most artistically arranged. The print is large, clear, and pleasant to read. But the paper is finished to a high gloss so that

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Throughout the text lie 988 fignres, many in colors.

394 HAROLD D. CLAYBERG

the glare is hard on the eyes in bright light. Further, the paper is very fragile, so it tears with ease. This is an obnoxious trait in a much-used book. Anatoniy texts are costly and should be worth keeping. They should be printed on paper of good quality and high tensility.

I am happy to commend all good traits in Professor Rouvi6re’s text.

HAROLD D. CLAYBERG, University of Minnesota.