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Reviews and Notices of Books.STUDIES IN HUMAN BIOLOGY.

By RAYMOND PEARL, Professor of Biometry andVital Statistics in the School of Hygiene andPublic Health and of Biology in the Medical School,Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore : Williamsand Wilkins Company. 1924. Pp. 653.$8.WITH the exception of three chapters these studies

have already appeared in a wide variety of scientificjournals during the last 20 years. As the author says,the only unity which can be claimed for them is inhis point of view. Perhaps this is, as he suggests, themost significant kind of unity in a scientific book.In this case at least it guarantees a sustained interestto all readers who have a quantitative outlook on life.Particularly, we believe, will these essays appeal tothe anthropologist. Dr. Pearl was among the firstof the biologists to treat the animal man as propermaterial for laboratory study. His interest in thissubject is never far away from any of the discussions,be they on the weight of the brain, the ratio of thesexes, vital indices, food waste and consumption, or thepopulation problem. His contribution in the last fieldof a theoretical curve of population growth which fitsall the actual curves derived from national statisticsin 16 different countries its perhaps the most significantof all his researches. The diagram on p. 5°j6 whichshows on an arithlog grid the progress of the world’spopulation compared with " the production of certainmaterials in the nineteenth century " is anotherastonishing example of the dramatic value of thestatistical method. We may not derive from its studythe same anxieties as assail Dr. Pearl, but nobody canlook long at those curves of coal, and iron, and cottonclimbing on a slope ten times steeper than man’s ownwithout being compelled to think. Is our civilisationdoomed ? If so, what will take its place ? It is perhapsa mark of the true statistician, as compared with hismore abundant counterfeit, that he uses his statisticsto provoke argument rather than to quell it. A moreprovocative book than this collection of Dr. Pearl’swork it would be difficult to imagine.

Under their motto " Sans tache " the publishersprint a list of those of their employees whose skill andworkmanship have gone to the making of the book.., The printing craftsman of to-day," they say, " isquite as much a craft&man as his predecessor. Thereis quite as much discrimination between poor workand good." Eight blurred pages in the copy sent tous suggest that the craftsman’s vigilance is sometimesrelaxed. On the whole the book is a creditable pro-duction, and the attempt of a modern large-scalemanufacturing company to recover for the workers intheir plant the just dignity of craftsmen is worthy notonly of notice but of imitation.

INFECTIOUS DISEASES.G. Jochmann’s Lehrbuch der 7M/6?cMotts7c?’MA:eefiir Aerzte und Studierende. Second edition. Editedby Prof. C. HEGLER, with the assistance of Prof.B. NocHT and Prof. E. PASCHEN. Berlin : JuliusSpringer. 1924. With 464 illustrations, for themost part in colour. Pp. 1077.$12.90.THE first edition of this very complete account of the

infectious diseases appeared in the autumn of 1914,and, no doubt owing to the war, does not seem to havereached this country. The author, Prof. Jochmann,lived long enough to see its success before he fell avictim to typhus, contracted, we believe, on a visit toone of the prisoner-of-war camps. His book is morecomprehensive in its scope than its title might suggest.It includes diseases which in this country are usually

, relegated to treatises on tropical medicine, such asmalaria, plague, and cholera. It contains an excellentsection on the infections communicated from animalsto man, and the various forms of food poisoning alsoreceive ample consideration. Among the conditionswhich we are not yet quite accustomed to meet with

in books on infectious diseases are rheumatic fever,herpes, and erythema nodosum. On the other hand,acute lobar pneumonia, which might be regarded ashaving a greater claim for inclusion, has been omitted.It is true that general pneumococcal infection isdescribed in detail, as are also gonococcal and othersepticaemias, including miliary tuberculosis. Thissection of the book, indeed, dealing with bloodinfections, is particularly full and instructive, andcontains admirable articles on the enteric group offevers, relapsing fever, and puerperal septicaemia. Itis, however, not a little disconcerting to find generalinfection with the meningococcus or the anthraxbacillus discussed several hundred pages away fromthe more ordinary types of the diseases in question.The production of this edition has been entrusted to

the capable hands of Prof. C. Hegler, who has had theassistance of Profs. B. Nocht and E. Paschen. Thebook has been brought well up to date, and chapterson Weil’s disease, herpes, and encephalitis have beenadded. As regards the latter, all the recent work onthe identity of its virus with that of herpes is veryfully discussed. The experience gained by theeditor in the Near East during the war must havebeen of the greatest advantage to him in the revisionof the articles on infectious diseases likely to be metwith on military service. Dr. Jochmann believed thatlengthy descriptions of various conditions can beconsiderably curtailed, or even dispensed with,provided that liberal use is made of illustrations andtemperature charts. There are no less than 464 ofthese in the text, and almost without exception theyare both instructive and conveniently placed. Thosein colour are, on the whole, remarkably good, thoughit must be confessed that the exact shades of rashesseem often unattainable. Particularly successful arethe illustrations showing cancrum oris, the Schulz-Charlton reaction, and the various septic and diph-theritic conditions of the throat. Dr. Jochmann was thefirst to prepare a serum for cerebro-spinal fever and tomake use of intrathecal administration in that disease;from all points of view, epidemiological, pathological,or clinical, the article on this subject is a good one,but it is unfortunate that the temperature charts illus-trating treatment should suggest that serum can besatisfactorily given at 48-hour intervals. The generalopinion of authorities is that daily injections are

necessary for at least four days, a procedure reservedby the author for severe cases.The revision of the sections on variola, varicella,

and vaccination, the latter especially good and wellillustrated, has been undertaken by Prof. Paschen andgives but little ground for criticism. It is curious,however, that in the discussion on differentialdiagnosis in the chicken-pox chapter no stress is laidupon the distribution of the eruption. This omissionis to some extent rectified in the corresponding sectionon small-pox, but even there the author is content tosay that the one eruption is centrifugal and the othercentripetal. It is evident that on the continent theviews of the late Dr. Ricketts have not received theattention which they deserve, although his writings andthose of Dr. W. McC. Wanklyn are mentioned in theshort bibliography at the end of the chapter. The

. article on diphtheria maintains the same high standardas the others. It is interesting to compare the practiceof different countries as regards serum dosage, and we

i note that Dr. Jochmann, while employing somewhat, larger amounts of antitoxin than Dr. Bagmsky of

Berlin, is content with what are considered moderate, doses in this country. He gives 3000-4000 units formild cases, 4000-8000 for moderate, and 8000-9000for severe, repeating next day if necessary. He

approves of intravenous administration for the worst. cases. His only indication for what we would consider

large doses—e.g., 40,000 units or more-appears to3 be severe post-diphtheritic paralysis, which many oftus would maintain is, when once established, notsinfluenced by the use of serum at all. On the whole,) the information given about the Schick reaction ands immunisation is scanty and disappointing, and it

appears that little work on the subject has been done

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in Germany. The editor, however, states that he hasfound difficulty in obtaining the literature relating tothe extensive use of the test in America.

The book makes no pretensions to being a work ofreference, and unusual and rare complications areoften omitted. It appears to us better suited for thepractitioner than the student, as it is unnecessarilylarge for the latter. Those especially concerned withfever work will find much to interest them, and canhardly fail to obtain some useful hints in treatment anddiagnosis. ______________

DRINK JOTTINGS.

By MAURICE C. HIME, M.A., LL.D., Barrister-at-Law. Dublin: Hodges, Figgis & Co. 1924.Pp. 84. Is.WE have previously reviewed two of Dr. Hime’s

books, " Wild Oats : A Sermon in Rhyme," in 1903,and " Schoolboys’ Special Immorality" in 1899, andwe commended their earnest and strongly-mindedeloquence. Now, nearing the age of 84 and in retire-ment in County Donegal, Dr. Hime indefatigablycontinues his self-appointed task of preaching to theyoung, and he has collected several articles contri-buted to the local press and added some new chaptersto form a little volume which preaches personal.abstinence, and the national prohibition of alcoholas a beverage. Not even the most ardent " anti "could justly accuse the author of this contributionto the literature of prohibition of being a fanatic.His arguments are clear and decisive ; he fastenson the weak spots in the anti-prohibitionists’ armour.Why this tremendous propaganda against prohibi-tion ? Is it disinterested effort in the cause of so-calledliberty ? What is a moderate drinker ? These aresome of the questions which he raises directly or byimplication, and the non-abstainer who fears thathe will never be able to break his habit may takeencouragement from the fact that Dr. Hime himselfhad taken no side in the controversy and had beena drinker of alcohol until a short time ago when," better late than never," as he heads the chaptercontaining his " confession," he broke "

so easilythrough a fifty-year-old habit " and took water for hisdinner. Even those who disagree with the authorwill find this an interesting book.

JUNIOR RED CROSS MANUALS.British Red Cross Society. Junior First-AidManual. No. 1. By C. MAX PAGE, D.S.O., M.B.,M.S., F.R.C.S. Pp. 95. Junior Nursing- Manual.No. 2. By BEATRICE AGAR. Pp. 103. JuniorHealth Manual. No. 3. By BEATRICE AGAR.Pp. 100. London : Cassell and Co., Ltd. 1924.Is. 6d. each volume.THE Junior Red Cross is a movement which

originated almost simultaneously eight years ago inCanada and Australia and is now world-wide in its- extent. The Junior section of the British Red Cross is endeavouring as part of its programme to promote health among the school-children of this country,and it has recently produced three books along thelines of the well-known manuals of the " Senior " RedCross Society. Mr. Max Page has dealt with the- difficult task of presenting first-aid to children as- a practical subject based on definite theoreticalprinciples. The first section of his manual is devotedto an account of anatomy and physiology, written ina clear and lucid manner, and forms an admirablebackground to the second half of the volume, whichdeals very clearly with first-aid measures for the usual- emergancies. The treatment advised is quite in accordwith the changes in medical opinion which have takenplace within recent years, and we fully agree with the - statement of Sir George H. Makins, who has written I,a foreword to No. 1 of the series : Mr. Page " hasproduced a handy manual embracing succinctly thewide subject he has had to deal with." In No. 2 ofthis series the details of home nursing are described also-with due regard to the theoretical aspect of the subject.’The " good nurse " and her daily duties are deal

with in a restrained manner, and special chapterscontain simple accounts of surgical nursing, the nursingof children, and bandaging. In the manual devotedto " Health," a more difficult task has faced the author,for good health must be presented to children as apositive virtue to be striven after and not as a dull anduninteresting alternative to disease. This book getsover a real difficulty effectively. Personal health, thehealthy house, food and health, clothing, all receiveattention, and there are also chapters on " A HealthyBaby " and " A Healthy Mind." That health is notpurely an individual affair but one which concernsour neighbours as much as ourselves, is also insistedupon, and a chapter on "Public Health" has beenwisely added. Each manual contains a suitablesyllabus for lectures on the subject with which itdeals, and these volumes will therefore prove usefulboth as text-books for members of the Junior RedCross and other organisations for promoting healthamong children, and also as guides for those who haveto give instruction in these subjects.

PHYSIOLOGICAL PRINCIPLES IN TREATMENT.Fifth edition. By W. LANGDON BROWN,M.A., M.D. Cantab., F.R.C.P., Physician toSt. Bartholomew’s Hospital; Consulting Physicianto the Metropolitan Hospital, &c. London :Baillière, Tindall and Cox. 1924. Pp. 511. 10s.6d.THIS is the second revised edition of Dr. Langdon

Brown’s book to appear since the war, and the newfeatures which now appear should further increase itspopularitv. Two new chapters on the work of theliver and on asthma have been added, and newsections deal with insulin, uraemia, and fractionaltest-meals. It is somewhat surprising that the authorin his chapter on the stornach makes no reference tothe important physiological researches of A. J. Carlson,and his close adherence to the hormone theory ofgastric secretion expressed on pages 49 and 61 appearsto require some modification in view of recent work.Dr. Langdon Brown’s learned pages are, as ever,enlivened by an epigrammatic pen,

" The method ofgoing about with a syringe full of insulin in one handand a stick of barley sugar in the other carries its owncondemnation with it," being one of many rewardsfor readers of this little book.

JOURNALS,QUARTERLY JOURNAL OF MEDICINE.—The October

number contains the following articles : The Effectof Iodine on Hyperthyroidism in Man, by S. J.Cowell and E. Mellanby. It has been shown thathyperplasia of the thyroid is always associated witha diminished iodine content in the gland, whether ornot symptoms of hyperthyroidism are present. Therelationship of the intake of iodine to metabolism ingeneral has not yet been determined. The adminis-tration of iodine in minute doses in the form of cod-liver oil or of potassium iodide to patients sufferingfrom exophthalmic goitre usually produces some

alleviation of symptoms, whereas larger doses ofiodides are almost invariably harmful. Eight casesof hyperthyroidism were treated by small doses ofpotassium iodide. They all showed signs of improve-ment, such as slowing of the pulse-rate, diminutionof nervous excitability and a lowering of the basalmetabolic rate. Treatment by iodides is thereforerecommended as an adjunct to other forms of medicaltreatment in cases of hyperthyroidism and also as apreliminary measure to any surgical procedure.- A Clinical Study of van den Bergh’s Test in Jaundice,by C. H. Andrewes. Observations are here recordedupon the value of the van den Bergh test which arebased on a series of 184 cases. The author finds thatthe test enables a diagnosis to be made between afrankly haemolytic and a frankly obstructive jaundice,but that it does not serve to differentiate icterus dueto liver cell damage from other types of jaundice.The quantitative estimation of blood bilirubin allowsthe distinction to be drawn between a pernicious and