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:sign of having been written and printed in what toauthor and printer was a foreign language.

The Medical Annual: A Year Book of Treatmentand Practitioners’ Index. 1914. Bristol: JohnWright and Sons, Limited. Pp. 795. Price 8s. 6d.-The present issue of this well-known and usefulpublication well maintains the standard of its pre-decessors. A considerable amount of valuable workwas carried out in 1913, and a feature of the con-tributions consists in a descriDtion of the exact- details of technique of many new diagnostic,.clinical, and surgical procedures. The manyadvances have rendered it necessary to add 100,extra pages. In an article on Radio-activity andElectrotherapeutics Mr. C. T. Holland, honorarymedical officer to the electrical department,Liverpool Royal Infirmary, draws attention to themarked advance in the recognition of the thera-peutic value of radium and to a correspond-ing demand, especially in England and Germany,-that the hospitals should possess sufficient,quantities to deal efficiently with the cases

that require such treatment. Professor Carlvon Noorden and Professor Wilhelm Falta write.of the physical properties and the therapeuticapplication of the thorium radio-active group,but the results hitherto recorded are notheld sufficient to form a definite opinion upon,except that the greatest caution has to be employedin its use. The energy of the group is extremelypowerful, and its use requires special skill and

experience. Dr. Lawrason Brown and Dr. E. N.Packard, jun. (New York), in a short article ontuberculin therapy, conclude that during the pastyear little advance has been made in the scientificuse of tub,erculin, and that so far no statistical

proof has been adduced to show that tuberculin ismuch superior to other forms of treatment in manypatients, " but in a few the results are so strikingthat those who obtain them are over enthusiastic."The bulk of the volume consists of summaries ofthe advances during the year in the variousbranches of medical science. The contributorshave done their work well.

JOURNALS AND MAGAZINES.

Parasitology. Edited by G. H. F. NUTTALL and A. E.SHIPLEY, assisted by EDWARD HINDLE. Vol. VII., No. 1.May, 1914. Cambridge University Press. Price 10s. net;yearly subscription 30s. net.-Some Larval Trematodes fromMillport, by Marie V. Lebour, contains descriptions of thelarval stages of a Maritrema occurring in Ligia oceanica, anOpisthorchis encysted in the skin of gadoids, and alsoobservations on the life-history of Parorchis acanthus Nicoll.The latter trematode is parasitic in the cloaca of the herringgull, and its larval stages have been found in the commonshore mollusc, Purpura lapillus.-A Short Description of theLarva of Lophoscelomyia Asiatica, Leicester, 1905, andNotes on the Species, by C. Strickland, comprises anaccount of the hitherto unknown larval stage of this

interesting mosquito, which, like other members of thegenus Lophoscelomyia, breeds in the interiors of cut bamboos.Light was found to have a deterrent influence on the latedevelopment of this species, for fully grown larvea kept on alight verandah refused to pupate, whilst when placed in adark corner of the house they pupated within one or twodays. The article concludes with a note on the classificationand affinities of the Malayan myzorhynchoid species of

mosquitoes.-Blood Parasites found in Mammals, Birds, andFishes in England, by Alfred C. Coles, will come as a surpriseto those who imagine that blood parasites are essentially afeature of warmer countries. During an investigation,extending over several years, of the blood of numerous

animals mostly from the neighbourhood of Bournemouth,Dr. Coles has discovered numerous parasites, many of

which are new. Among the latter are the following :Immature forms of Trypanosoma vespertilionis in thecommon small bat ; possible schizogonic forms ofthe leucocytozoon of the thrush, found in the peri-pheral and heart blood and in that from the lung;hæmogregarines in the blood of the field mouse and fieldvole ; intracorpuscular bodies of the nature of Piroplasma(probably Nuttallia) in the blood of the field mouse andwater vole ; spirochoetee in the blood of two species of bats,the pipistrelle and the noctule ; Toxoplasma and Haemo-gregarina in the blood and organs of the squirrel. Inaddition, very numerous other parasites are described,including trypanosomes, spirochastas, proteosoma, halteridia,hæmogregarines, Achromaticus, piroplasma, leucocytozoa,Grahamella, Elleipsisoma, and various filariæ. This mostinteresting article is accompanied by excellent photo-micrographs of the various parasites observed.-The Trypan-Blue Treatment in Piroplasmosis of Domesticated Animals inSouth Africa, by A. Goodall, comprises a brief account ofthe results obtained in the treatment of piroplasmosis indogs, cattle, donkeys, and horses, by means of injectionsof trypan blue. In every case the drug was found to bewonderfully effective, and the author remarks that after anexperience of the treatment in some hundreds of cases hefeels justified in stating that animals do not suffer from

relapses if a sufficient quantity of the solution of the sub-stance is used. The dog can become infected a second timeafter trypan-blue treatment, but this second infection isalso amenable to the drug.-The Scope and Aims of AppliedEntomology, by A. D. Imms, is the substance of a

lecture delivered before the University of Manchesteron the occasion of the writer taking up the post of readerin agricultural entomology, and contains an interestingsummary of recent advances in this subject.-Equine BiliaryFever in Madras, by J. F. Valladares, contains an accountof this important disease, from which it seems that bothNuttallia equi and Piroplasma caballi occur in equinebiliary fever in Madras. Both forms are amenable totreatment with trypan blue, but nuttalliosis may persist andis liable to recurrence when the infected animal is subjectedto unfavourable conditions.-" Tick Paralysis in Man andAnimals, by G. H. F. Nuttall, contains an account of furtherpublished records1 with comments, relating to this peculiardisease. The most interesting records are some by Dr.

Temple, of Oregon, in which are described 13 cases of’’ tick paralysis " occurring in man in Oregon The history andclinical symptoms of the disease are given in each case, andit seems that only children are seriously affected by theticks. Three of the patients succumbed to the disease. In

every case there was a history of tick-bite, being followed bymore or less rapid acute ascending paralysis. The tick

implicated in the causation of this disease seems to beDermacentor venustus, and it may be recalled thatHadwen experimentally produced the infection in sheep,and Hadwen and Nuttall in the dog, by the bites of thisspecies.

The Annals of Tropical Medieine and Parasitology. SeriesT.M. Vol. VIII., No. 1.-This number of the Annals con-tains no fewer than 15 contributions, all of special value andinterest in the various branches of tropical medicine.-Dr. Warrington Yorke and Dr. B. Blacklock furnish a

paper on the differentiation of the more important mammaliantrypanosomes, in which they have attempted to make aclassification. Though they do not claim to have given acomplete account of the pathogenic trypanosomes, theythink that the points they have emphasised will be ofpractical use in differentiating the species. This paper isillustrated by a coloured plate and has a table appended,giving the salient characters of the more important mam-malian trypanosomes. -Some cases of illness with bronchialspirochastosis and pneumonic symptoms, which came underthe notice of Dr. J. A. Taylor, of the Uganda ProtectorateMedical Staff, are described by him, and some temperaturecharts are appended.--Attempts to find disease germs inthe European bed-bug (cimex lectuarius) after feeding experi-ments in various diseases, including leprosy. lvmphadenoma,carcinoma, &c., are discussed by Dr. David Thomson, whoconcludes that protozoal parasites do not seem to exist

normally in the European bed-bug. He thinks, however.that up to the present insufficient research has been carriedon with regard to the possibility of the transmission of

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disease in temperate climates by blood-sucking insects.-An article on the pathogenicity of the trypanosome (T.nigeriense) from a case of sleeping sickness from Eket, inSouthern Nigeria, is supplied by Dr. J. W. Scott Macfie, ofthe West African Medical Staff, and this observer, in con-junction with Dr. J. E. L. Johnston, of the same service,furnishes a note on the occurrence of spirochætosis of fowlsin Southern Nigeria. This paper is illustrated. Dr. Johnstonalso describes some observations he made at the YabaResearch Institute, near Lagos, on the variations in form ofmicronlariæ found in man, and gives some illustrations.-A report on a so-called cure for trypanosomiasis is pre-sented by Dr. Warrington Yorke and Dr. Blacklock. This"cure" " was a serum, but it was found not tohave the slightest therapeutic value when tested on

experimental animals. These two same investigatorscontribute a note on antimony trioxide in the treatmentof experimental trypanosomiasis. Though they wiselyexpress their opinions cautiously they seem to think that acertain number of cures have resulted from the use of this

drug.-A short note on the occurrence of plasmodium in theblood of West African monkeys is contributed by Dr. HaraldSeidelin and Dr. Andrew Connal.-Mr. Llewellyn Lloydgives a brief note on scratching birds and the possibility oftheir acting as a control of glossinas by finding and devouringthe pupae. Taking guinea-fowl, which are extremelynumerous in Northern Rhodesia, he found that these birdsate a few of the pupæ, but they cannot be considered to actas a control of the tsetse fly.-The origin and developmentof gametes (crescents) in malignant tertian malaria, withsome observations on flagellation, is the subject of a paper byDr. David Thomson ; this forms Part II. of the report of theMalarial Expedition to Panama in 1912. This paper isillustrated by a coloured plate.-Mr. T. Harvey Johnston, ofBrisbane University, supplies a second report (illustrated)on the cestoda and acanthocephala collected in Queens-land, and Dr. Henry Priestley, of the Australian Instituteof Tropical Medicine, Townsville, Queensland, furnishes ashort article on Microsporon Scorteum (n.sp.) from a humancase of ringworm.-A new malarial parasite of man, fromthe Central Provinces of India, is described, illustrated bythree plates, by Professor J. W. W. Stephens, who proposesto give to it the name of plasmodium tenue.1-Dr. J. B.Christopherson, of Khartoum, in the last article deals withthe subject of mutilation of the wounded on the battlefield,and describes an illustrative case of a Soudanese, where theenemy (the Abyssinians) had cut off his penis and scrotumas he lay wounded on the field of battle suffering with asword wound in his neck nnd with a bullet in his thigh.This brief summary sufficiently shows the nature and

importance of the articles included in this number of theAnnals.

li7no7vledge. June, 1914.-In the first of a series of articleson the Physical Conditions of the Jewish Race, written byMr. Israel Cohen, B.A., the writer suggests that the secretof the health and longevity of the Jewish race lies in themode of life which is prescribed and fashioned by law andcustom. Under their hygienic dispensation it is not sur-

prising, he says, ’’ that the Jews everywhere have a lowerrate of mortality than the people among whom they live,even though they generally dwell in the most crowded andinsanitary districts." Authorities for the statements madeare freely quoted, and the articles when completed shouldform an interesting and useful monograph on the physicalconditions of the Jewish race. The same issue containsseveral reproductions from microphotographs of Dytiscusmarginalis and of a parasite fungus on Tortula muralis,as well as a beautiful coloured plate of the marsh

marigold.The Dental Record.-In the June issue of this journal

Mr. B. Sherratt describes the parts played by the tongue,teeth, palate, lips, and cheeks in the production of thevarious sounds, and shows how artificial dentures should beconstructed with a view to reproducing the original relationof the parts which are of necessity disturbed by loss ofteeth and the consequent absorption of the bone. Mr.Edwin Houghton writes on the question of public dentalservice, and Mr. T. G. Read publishes a paper dealing withthe causation of dental caries. This paper is to a greatextent a criticism of views recently published by Dr. J. SimWallace.

1 THE LANCET, June 20th, 1914, p. 1762.

New Inventions. AN IMPROVED RESPIRATOR.

DURING the use of respirators for the inhalation ofantiseptic chemicals in the treatment of bacterial infectionsof the upper air passages and bronchial tubes it not infre-

quently occurs with the existing models that some of theliquids escape from the sponge or cotton-wool pad and,coming in contact with the skin round the mouth or onthe nose, cause irritation or even burning. To obviate thisinconvenience a well-known medical man has suggested two.modifications in the structure of such respirators which havebeen carried out in a very practical manner. To preventirritation of the tip of the nose the sponge or cotton wool isenclosed in a cylindrical box of zinc gauze. The liquid isprevented from running down the sides of the mask on tothe skin round the mouth by a narrow trough placed betweenthe circular box and the inside of the respirator proper.Continuous use of this improved mask has shown it to becomfortable to wear, efficient for the purpose it is used for,.and free from the defects found in the usual patterns.The mask is to be obtained from the maker, Mr. J.

Aldridge, 37, Church-path, Chiswick, London, W.

ROYAL COMMISSION ON VENEREALDISEASES.

AT the forty-second meeting of the Royal Commission onVenereal Diseases evidence was given by Professor Blaschko,of Berlin, honorary secretary of the German Society for Com-bating Venereal Diseases.

Professor Blaschko reviewed the statistics relating to.venereal diseases in Germany and other countries. Com-paring England and Germany he thought that, though theEnglish army figures were much higher than those of theGerman army, prevalence of the disease was probably greaterin Germany. This he attributed to the fact that conditionsof life were better in England ; at any rate, temptation wasfar greater in German than in English towns of the same-size. The question whether venereal diseases in Germanywere increasing was, he said, a difficult one to answer. During-the last 40 years Germany had been changed from an agricul-tural nation into an industrial state with many great towns.In view of the fact that the prevalence of venereal diseases.increased with the size of a town it might have been expectedthat the prevalence would have increased. Trustworthystatistics over a long period did not exist, but the returnsrelating to German recruits in the last ten years showed thatan augmentation was not probable. Professor Blaschkoconcluded, therefore, that some favourable influences hadbeen acting, and he thought that the work of the GermanSociety had played an important part. This society was.constituted in 1902, and its main objects might be stated to.be : (1) The enlightenment of the public on the ravages ofvenereal diseases and the necessity of combating them; (2)the scientific discussion of all problems connected with the-combating of the diseases ; and (3) the keeping in touch withlegislative and administrative bodies and the proposing ofreforms in the law and administration.The committees of the society were representative of all

classes, including educationists, insurance bodies, phy-sicians, lawyers, public officials, merchants, Members ofParliament, and all well-known women. There were-

branches of the society in nearly all large German towns,and it was through these branches that the principal part ofthe work was done. These branches organised publicmeetings and lectures at which discussion might be per-mitted. The society had a large number of wax figures,diagrams, drawings, and lantern slides, and these were lentfor the purposes of exhibition. Representations of Brieux’&drama, Les Avaries (Damaged Goods), had also been organ-ised, and most of the local branches had supported the-representations. In Berlin alone this play had been per-formed more than 100 times at seven theatres. The Germansociety had taken much pains to introduce better sexualeducation at home and school, but in practice it had

appeared that there were many difficulties and prejudicesto be surmounted. Professor Blaschko was convinced thatthe German society had thoroughly changed public opinionon venereal diseases. The whole press, as well as the-

general public, were in sympathy with the movement