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Reviews and Notices of Books.w

Abdominal Swrgery. B.y J. GREIG SMITH, M.A.., M.B., clC.M. Aberd.. F.R S. Edin., Surgeon to the Bristol Royal frInfirmary, Professor of Surgery, University College, ojBristol. Sixth Edition. Edited by JAMES SWAIN, M.S., a]M.D Lond., F.R.C.S. Eng., Professor of Surgery, .University College, Bristol, Assistant Surgeon to the SJBristol Royal Infirmary. Bristol : J. W. Arrowsmith. w

London : J. & A. Churchill. 1897. A

THE editor tells us in the preface that in less than ayear from the publication of the fifth edition of this workt became necessary to issue a sixth, so that little 1-

change in the text has been necessary, though he has

endeavoured to keep the book abreast of any advance in

he subject. The present edition has been prepared almostentirely by Mr. Swain, as he tells us that scarcely ahundred pages of it had been set up before the lamented

11

death of Mr. Greig Smith took place. Mr. Swain had, vhowever, evidently done much of the work required for the S

preparation of the fifth edition, and besides has this

additional qualification for editing the present edition- (

that he constantly assisted Mr. Greig Smith both a

in private practice and at the Bristol Royal Infirmary. vWhen a book has reached a sixth edition its position is

generally assured, and little notice of it is needed at the s

hands of the reviewer, but we may say that we think the (

book deserves its success and that it has rightly come 1

to be regarded as a standard work on the subject ofwhich it treats. Surely, however, in the preliminary echapter on the Diagnosis of Abdominal Tumours more r

space should have been given to the consideration of J

the commonest of all abdominal tumours "-namely, the r

pregnant uterus at its various stages of development. All (

those who have had a large experience in abdominal cases (

’know how frequently mistakes are made in regard to 1

pregnancy. Such mistakes may almost always be avoided 1

by keeping the possibility of pregnancy in mind and i

carefully looking for the various signs of that condi- 1

tion. But here the matter is dismissed in a fewlines. We may add that in the description of totalhysterectomy for fibroids the writer does not appearto be familiar with Mr. Christopher Martin’s paper on the

i

subject. According to the method there described thereis no need for suturing the vaginal vault ; a gauzs drain ismerely pulled through from above and about an inch of thegauze is left projecting into the peritoneal cavity.

A Manual of Dental Anatomy, Human and Comparative. ByCHARLES S. TOMES M.A., F.R.S. With 263 Illustrations.Fifth edition. London : J. & A. Churchill. 1898. Pp.586, with Index. Price 14s.

THE fifth edition of this standard work on Dental Anatomybas been brought thoroughly up to date and is a distinctadvance on any of the previous editions. At first written

with a view of providing the dental student with the requisiteknowledge for his qualifying examination it has since

become a text-book for the student of biology in general.This fact, combined with the rapidly increasing literatureon the subject, has, as the author points out, "greatlyenhanced the difficulty of bringing the book up to date."It is, however, needless to say that the work of editing hasbeen carried out in an admirable way. In the chapters onEnamel and Dentine, more especially the former, there is muchthat is new, and in both these chapters a number of newillustrations have been introduced. The chemistry of thetooth tissues has been more fully dealt with than in formereditions, and it is interesting to note that the author’s

investigations go to show that enamel is practically devoid I

of organic matter, the portion previously considered to beorganic being in reality water; whUe in the dentine a largeportion of the previously supposed organic matter is reallywater held in chemical combination with the lime salt. The

chapter on Calcification also contains a large amount offresh matter in addition to new illustrations. The portionof the book which includes Comparative Odontology includesan account of all fresh knowledge that has accumulatedsince the fourth edition. If we might make a suggestion itwould be that in future editions the chapters on the Palp andAlveolo-dental Membrane should be more fully illustrated.

Ttventiet7i Century Practice of Medicine. Edited by THOMASSTEDMAN, M.D. Vol. XI, Diseases of the NervousSystem. London: Sampson Low, Marston and Co. 1897.

THE list of writers in this most comprehensive work is onewhich ensures interesting and valuable contributions. Itincludes Dr. Lloyd, who occupies almost half the volumewith an account of the Diseases of the Nerves-Cerebral,Spinal, and Sympathetic; Dr. Bruns of Hanover and Dr.Windscheid of Leipaic, who write on Diseases of the SpinalCord ; Professor Möbil1s whose article on Tabes Dorsalis isa valuable feature of the volume; Dr. Dercum and Dr. Mills,who between them are responsible for the account of the

Trophoneuroses ; Professor Sti-dmpell, who contributes a

t

.

short article on the Combined System Diseases of the

Cord; and Dr. Witmer, who is charged with the psycho-logical work.

; Dr. Lloyd’s article on Diseases of the Nerves is, as we haver said, of considerable length, but it is admirable in every

3 respect, dealing fairly with the physiology so far as it is

c necessary and with the variou3 general pathological con-ditions affecting nerve trunks, and considering also almost1 every nerve which is liable to isolated disease. The section

dealing with the optic nerve is a particularly good one; in

those dealing with the third, fourth, and sixth we miss

1 the usual elaborate descriptions and puzzling diagrams of

the different varieties of diplopia, and in that dealing with-

the olfactory nerve the author has omitted to mention the

v not infrequent anosmia which arises, presumably as a result

of pressure in certain cases of intracranial tumour. It

r would be an invidious task to pick out small blemishes in

6r such an article as Dr. Lloyd’s, however, and we venture to

think that it will remain for some time the most authoritativepronouncement on its own subject.is It seems hardly necessary for the Trophoneuroses tole

have been divided up as they have been. Dr. Mills takesall the trophoneuroses except scleroderma, acromegaly,and adiposis dolorosa which are allotted to Dr. Dercum.

y Among Dr. Mills’s subjects is facial hemiatrophy and,s. considering the close connexion of this condition with

!. morphoea and scleroderma, it seems a pity that these con-ditions should not have been dealt with by the same

y writer. The artic’es, however, in both sections are very:t complete.n Dr. Bruns’ and Dr. Windscheid’s section on Spinal Cordje Diseases is one of the moat important in the volume. The:e section dealing with injuries is particularly good, but one1. statement, which requires explanation, arrested our attention,re viz. - It (a lesion) is sure to be fatal when with lesions inIy the dorsal and cervical cord the tendon reflexes remain" absent beyond the time of a possible effect of shock andas the paralysis of the leg continues fl3.ccid." It is now wellon established that the reflexes may be absent for months and}h yet return and it can scarcely be claimed that the effects ofIW shock persist during that time. Amongst the other articlesCle in this section which strike the reader as particularly gooder are those on tumours of the cord and meninges, and onc’s myelitis.id i Professor Mobius’a article on Tabes Dorsalis is a valuable

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contribution to the volume. It is characterised by profoundand accurate knowledge and by philosophical breadth ofview and it is particularly sound in reference to treatment.

Professor Strumpell’s article on the Combined SystemDiseases is distinctly disappointing. Dr. Witmer’s treat-ment of the psycho-physiological problem resolves itselfinto an interesting dissertation on the nature of pain andother abnormal sensations. The volume is illustrated, butnot profusely, and the pictures are not all worthy ofthe text.

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.A .Manual on Dental -Metallurgy. By ERNEST A. SMITH.A. Manual on Dental Metallurgy. By ERNEST A. SMITH.Illustrated. London: J. & A. Churchill. 1898. Pp. 272.Price 6s. 6d.

THIS excellent little book will fill a want long felt and isdesigned primarily for students preparing for the dental

examination, the subject matter being largely based on thenew syllabus of dental metallurgy issued by the Royal Collegeof Surgeons of England. The opening chapter contains aconcise account of the physical properties of the metals ;then follows an account of the action of certain agents onmetals, and in Chapter III. an account of "alloys" includingtheir properties and preparation is given. The metals incommon use in dental practice are each described and aspecial chapter is devoted to the question of Dental

Amalgams. With a view of rendering the book as practicalas possible the author has enumerated a list of 100 experi-ments which may readily be carried out in a well-equippeddental laboratory, and anyone faithfully carrying out thislist cannot fail to obtain a good and clear insight into theworking of the various metals treated. There is a useful

appendix containing information as to atomic weight,metrical measures of weight, capacity, &c.

LIBRARY TABLE.

Llangammarch Wells as a Health Resort. By W. BLACK JONES, M.D., B.S. Lond., D.P. H.-Dr. Black Jones is theresident physician to the Llangammarch Wells and so hasexceptional opportunities of observing the action of thewaters on patients who undergo the treatment. Themost interesting constituent of these waters is a salt ofbaiium and a full analysis was published in THE LANCET ofNov. 24th, 1894. Numerous patients suffering from dilatedheart have received benefit from the use of these waters,which have also been found useful in other pathologicalconditions, such as gout, rheumatism, and lithmmia. FromDr. Black Jones’s account of the place it would appear tcbe equal in attractiveness to many more distant and

expensive foreign health resorts.

Allgemeine Physiologie : Ein Grundriss der Lehre von LebenVon MAX VERWORN. Zweite Auflage. Jena: G. Fischer

(General Physiology : An Outline of the S’cience of Life. ByMAX VERWORN. Second edition. Jena : G. Fischer. 1897Price 15s.)-We need do little more than direct attention the publication of a second edition of this thoughtful an<

remarkable work which was fully noticed in these columnon its first appearance. Its general purport is to solve thriddle of existence by reference to known facts of th

nature of living matter, speculations as to its origin, and thteachings of physiological science as to its properties anphenomena. The merit of the work is that it does not deswith the subject in the abstruse manner which is deemed bsome necessary to the exposition of themes of this order, buthat it brings the latest teachings of science clearly ansuccinctly before the reader. So that in a sense it may bsaid to be of the class of "popular scientific" writing!which after all is no disparagement, since if science i

incapable of being made plain to the multitude it is (

small practical value. We learn from the preface that a

English translation is in preparation and we have no doubtthat the book is one which will then become more widelyknown in this country than it is at present.

JOURNALS.

The Practitioner for May has a delightful quotation from a.French medical journal which the editor brings forward as.an example of style. We have seen nothing like it since the.gems which used to appear in the now, we believe, defunctTTnited Ireland in the early "eighties." Dr.R.Farqubarsorkcontributes a, very readable paper on the Treatment of Acute.Disease from the Patient’s Point of View which throws some,

light upon the practice of bygone practitioners, and Dr. D. J.Leech considers the Treatment of Bronchitis by Drugs. A

very general mistake is, he thinks, to give diaphoretics andstimulants such as carbonate of ammonia in too small

doses. He points out that in the new Pharmacopoeia thedose of the liquor ammonii acetatis is given as up to six.drachms. That admirable physician, the late James Andrew,..used always to say that for a cold or to get relief in

bronchitis there was nothing like " a good drink of H.A.A.,"’the "haustus ammonii acetatis" of the St. Bartholomew’s.

Hospital Pharmacopoeia.The Journal of Physiology. Edited by MICHAEL FOSTER,,

M.D. Lond" F.R.S., and J. N. LANGLEY, Sc.D., F.R.S..Vol. XXII., No. 6. London : C. J. Clay and Sons..

April, 1898. Price 5s.-This number completes the twenty-’ second volume of the Journal and contains, in addition to.’ the Proceedings of the Physiological Society, the following:

articles: 1. 0. F. F. Grunbaum on Intermittent Stimulationof the Retina (part ii., with 5 figures in the text). The,author shows inter alia that on increasing the intensity’of an intermittent stimulus beyond a certain point a.

further increase in intensity allows a decrease in frequencywithout destroying the sensation of fusion. 2. On Urobilin

(part ii.)-The Percentage Composition of Urobilin, by F.Gowland Hopkins, M.B., B.Sc. Lond., F.I.C., and ArchibaldE. Garrod, M.A., M.D. Oxon., F.R.C.P. Lond. They find

e the percentage composition of urobilin to be C 63.58

e H 7-84, N 4-11. 3. Some Improved Methods of Gas Analysis,

f by John Haldane, M.D. Edin., F.R.S. (with 6 figures ir6

f the text). 4. Contributions to the Physiology of UnstriatedMuscular Tissue (part iv.)-The Action of Electrical Stimult

upon the (Esophagus of Aplysia depilans and Aplysia.i limacina, by Dr. Philip Botazzi, Docent of Physiology in

n Florence. The movements referred to seem to be purely

0myogenic and resemble those of the heart, but there is nod refractory period. No nerve cells can be demonstrated histo-

logically in the cesophagus of these animals.In the Phonographic Record for May Sir William Gowers

2’ condemns the treatment of syphilis by remedies given con-

.’ tinuously over a long period. He says that mercury shouldbe given for from four to six weeks after the gums are

0affected by it, when iodide may be given systematically forfour months during the first year and then every six months.

for three weeks for three or four years after the firstas

symptoms. Mr. Peyton Beale puts forward a plea for the-the use of the horseshoe pad in hernial trusses ; there is a well-

ae reported clinical lecture on a Case of Pseudo-hypertrophic:

ae Muscular Paralysis, as well as short notes on the Duration ofa the Lead Line on the Gums and a Case of Spontaneous Cure-al of a Ranula.

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ut

ad ROYAL INSTITUTION. - On Friday evening,be May 6th, Mr. E. A. Minchin delivered a discourse on Living,g Crystals, meaning thereby the spicules of calcium carbonate

is embedded in various species of sponge. The optical pheno-mena produced when those spicules are examined byof polarised light are similar to those obtained with the mineralan calcite.