342 Notes on Books

NOTES ON BOOKS.

In Glimpses of my Life in Aran (John Wright & Sons, Ltd., price 2s. Gd. net), Miss Hedderman writes of her experience as district nurse in the Aran Islands, off the West Coast of Ireland?the dangers, hardships, and difficulties she encountered, and the superstitious customs of the people, which made it well-nigh impossible to render medical aid. Her- work will be valued by students of folklore and primitive medical customs.

Dr. J. Blomfield's Anwsthetics (pp. viii. + 147. London, Bailliere, Tindall & Cox, 4s. net) has reached a fourth edition, which shows

that it has supplied a want, but it suffers from compression perhaps even more than the average student's handbook. The general principles laid down are, however, sound, and the difficulties and dangers of

administration, with their prevention and treatment, are brought prominently before the reader's notice. New and specialised methods are very cursorily described as not being adapted to the needs of the

general practitioner. Appropriate to the time, a short, sensible

chapter on anaesthetics in military surgery has been included in this

edition.

The Surgical Clinics of Chicago (W. B. Saunders Co, ?2, 2s.

net per annum) seems to be the lineal descendant of The Clinics of John B. Murphy at Mercy Hospital, Chicago, which the sudden death of that distinguished surgeon brought to an end. The new venture, of which we have received the first number, has an excellent model before it, and promises to live up to the high standard set by Dr.

Murphy. It has the advantage of presenting a greater variety of

views, as a full dozen of the most representative surgeons of Chicago contribute to this issue. The papers are short practical expositions of

clinical problems, and are well illustrated. We wish the journal, which is to appear bi-monthly, the same success as its predecessor.

International Clinics, by various authors, Vol. IV., twenty-sixth series (J. B. Lippincott Co., 1916, price 35s. for the 4 vols.), continues in an excellent fashion to fulfil its mission of keeping practitioners informed of the more recent developments of medical science in all its branches. Most of the authors hail from America, although there is an excellent paper on "Infant Welfare" by Dr. J. W. Ballantyne. Other contributors deal with such varied subjects as migraine, duo- denal ulcer in infancy, convergent squint, and criminal psychology; but perhaps the most noteworthy section of the book is that devoted to surgery, which occupies about half the volume.

A few of the titles may be mentioned. W. E. Lower gives a very

Notes 011 Books 343

explicit account of diverticulum of the urinary bladder, and his paper is illustrated by twenty-four beautiful plates, radiographic and anatomical. The treatment of cleft palate and harelip is dealt with by V. P. Blair in a concise and practical article, and here again the illustrations are an attractive feature. A notable contribution to the surgery of lung abscess is made by A. P. C. Ashurst, while new light is thrown upon the disputed subject of the mechanics of backache by P. B. Magunson. The brevity and practical nature of each article will go far towards

commending the Clinics to busy practitioners. Mosquitoes and ilieir Relation to Disease, by F. W. Edwards (price Id.).

The Bed-Bug, its Habits, etc., and how to deal with it, by Bruce F. Cummings (price Id.). Species of Arachnicla and Myriopoda Injurious to Man, by Stanley Hirst (price 6d.) (London, Trustees of the British Museum).

These three works belong to the important and useful "Economic Series " published by the Trustees of the British Museum. They are well got up, well illustrated, and, being published at a low price, ought to be of great service in spreading some knowledge of the obscure but

important animal forms of which they treat. Mr. Edwards' account of the mosquitoes is excellent, containing

just the information the reader wants?how to know mosquitoes and their larva); where they live; their connection with disease : and how

to control them. The bed-bug is dealt with in an interesting manner by Mr.

Cummings. It is important to note that the remarkable facts as to the fertilisation of the female, first described, we believe, in Patton

and Cragg's -Text-Book of Medical Entomology, and by some deemed

impossible, have been fully confirmed by him. The author thinks

that the transmission of diseases by bed-bugs will not be found to be of general occurrence.

Mr. Stanley Hirst deals with the arachnida, etc., in rather a

different manner. His account presupposes some knowledge of the

subject by the reader, many technical terms being used, the meanings of which are not given. His account of the mites and ticks is of value.

Only forms noxious to man are dealt with.

Reports, Transactions, etc.?The Reports of St. Thomas' Hospital, Vol. XLIII. (J. & A, Churchill, 1916), contain an enormous amount of

statistical matter arranged in tabular form, with short supplementary notes on cases of special interest. The surgical registrar, Mr. S. H.

Rouquette, has made a special statistical review of all the cases of acute intestinal obstruction operated upon in the hospital during the years 1908-1913?615 in number. As the results are given in the form of tables they do not lend themselves to quotation, but the paper will

be useful to anyone working on similar lines. The reports bear ample evidence of the continued activity of this great hospital.

The Medical and Surgical Reports of the Episcopal Hospital, Phila-

344 Notes on Books

delphia, Vol. III. (AY. J. Dornan, 1915), opens with a paper by Ellis

E. W. Given on the "

Plistory of Antesthesia/' which contains much interesting information regarding the attempts made to alleviate the pain of operations before Davy suggested inhalation of nitrous oxide

gas. Curiously enough the story ends with Morton's demonstration of the possibilities of ether as an inhalation anaesthetic. Chloroform is entirely ignored, as well as more modern methods. For the rest, the volume contains a large number of interesting papers, among which those on the modern surgery of bones and joints are prominent. The

illustrations are exceptionally good. Index-Catalogue of the Library of the Surgeon-General''s Office, U. S.

Army, Vol. XXI. (Waterworth-Zysman). This volume completes the second series of this great medical index. In an introductory note the present librarian?Lieut.-Col. C. C. M'Culloch, Jun., gives a brief history of the library and a statement of its present condition. Prior

to 1836 the surgeon-general's library was "a small departmental outfit of medical books;" it now contains over half a million volumes and

pamphlets, and 5249 portraits of physicians. A large part in building up the library was played by Dr. John S. Billings, but the work of

preparing the index-catalogue requires many collaborators, whose

services are here acknowledged. We note with pleasure that a third series of the index-catalogue is in preparation.

The annual volume of the Transactions of the American Gynecological Society for the year 1916 (Philadelphia, W. J. Dornan) shows no falling off either in quantity or in quality. The outstanding feature is the

series of articles dealing with syphilis in its obstetrical and gyneco-

logical aspects. More than four hundred pages are occupied with

these articles, which practically cover the whole field of syphilology in

respect to women. Dr. Edward P. Davis takes for his subject syphilis in its relation to obstetrics; Dr. Sigmund Pollitzer writes on syphilis in relation to some social problems; Drs. Gellhorn and Ehrenfest

on syphilis of the internal genital organs ; Dr. R. Buhman on the

specificity of the Wassermann reaction; Dr. Reuben Peterson on

syphilis in the University of Michigan Obstetric and Gynecologic Clinic; F. L. Adair on the relationship of syphilis to abortion, mis-

carriage, and foetal abnormalities; Dr. F. D. Plass on foetal and

placental syphilis ; Dr. Morris Slemons on the agreement between the Wassermann reaction and placental histology ; Dr. C. C. Norris on

syphilis of the body of the uterus ; Dr. Baeslack on experimental syphilis ; and Dr. Fred. J. Taussig writes on

"

syphilitic fever." Dr.

Palmer Findley has a thought-provoking paper on rupture of the scar of the previous Cesarean section. What the President (Dr. Wesley Bovee) thinks of " twilight sleep

"

may be gathered from the following sentences in his address :?" In the sweeping march over the earth's surface of this dangerous method, the professional and moral fibres of

Books Received 345

even the flower of the obstetric world have been challenged. It has

nearly equalled the tales of the French Eevolution. It is believed

the danger of this awful flood has passed and the conscientious and

competent obstetrician may now come down from his Mount Ararat

and pursue the even tenor of his way."