journals and magazines

1847

LIBRARY TABLE.

With John Bu.ll and Jonathan. By JOHN MORGANRICHARDS. London: T. Werner Laurie. 1905. Pp. 302.Price 16s. net.-The author of this discursive and interestingbook is what may be called an advertising expert and hisopinion of his work is- I that advertising as a profession isthe most fascinating form of speculation in existence." Mr.Richards commenced his commercial life as an emploJé of

the firm of Demas Barnes and Co., New York, and the first

long journey which he undertook for the firm was to

California. It was a firm which had regal ideas of conduct-ing business, for when Mr. Richards said that he would liketo take his wife with him Mr. Barnes replied : "Engage pas-sages for yourself and wife at our expense; we will pay all thecost." In 1867 Mr. Richards came to England, where he haslived more or less ever since. His criticisms upon ourcustoms are well worth reading and in many ways takingto heart.

A Guide to the Administration of Ethyl Chloride. ByG. A. H. BARTON, M.D. Brux. London: H. K. Lewis. 1905.

Pp. 36. Price ls. 6d.-This pamphlet gives a fair accountof the present position of ethyl chloride amongst the generalanaesthetics in common use. Dr. Barton has not, however,in our opinion, given sufficient attention to detail nor stateddogmatically enough the necessary proceedings involved, forhis little work to guide the practice of anyone unfamiliarwith the administration of ethyl chloride. He has donewell in calling attention to the hitherto,too little regardeddanger of the drug and particularly in pointing out its un-suitability in cases of narrowing of the air passages, as, e.g.,in cases of Ludwig’s angina. Dr. Barton is responsible fora method of maintaining anaesthesia with ethyl chloride bymeans of a tube delivering the vapour into the mouth and ofthis he gives illustrations and a good account.A Glossary of Botanio Terms. By BENJAMIN DAYDON

JACKSON. Second edition, revised and enlarged. London :Duckworth and Co. Philadelphia : J. B. LippincottCompany. 1905. Pp. 370. Price 7s. 6d. net.-This is thesecond edition of a useful book which has been considerablyenlarged since its first appearance in 1900. The list of wordsis founded on A. Gray’s " Botanical Text-book," Lindley’s"Glossary," and Henslow’s "Dictionary," and to these

terms others in use in various modern text-books and currentliterature have been added. The glossary includes about

16,000 terms. Technical terms employed in any branch ofscience include terms used in overlapping sciences, and incompiling a botanical dictionary the task of selecting wordsfrom zoology and chemistry and other branches of science isnot wholly devoid of difficulty. The author, however, hasperformed his task, we think, with wise discretion. An

appendix contains a list of signs and abbreviations, a noteon the pronunciation of Latinised words, a discussion of theuse of the terms " right " and " left," and a bibliography.

JOURNALS AND MAGAZINES.

The Practitioner.-The December issue of this periodical] Ideals with a variety of subjects. On the surgical side anexcellent contribution from Mr. W. H. Clayton-Greene illus-trates many of the difficulties inherent in correct diagnosisof tumours of the breast and his remarks on the patho-logy and relationship of the various tumours are par-ticularly reasonable and well stated. Dr. T. Gillman Moor-head writes upon the thymus gland and Dr. 0. F. F.Grünbaum upon the diagnostic value of the leucocyte.The latter lays laudable stress upon the necessity for alwaysbearing in mind the clinical aspects of the case when

weighing the value of the evidence to be derived from exami-nation of the blood. in any. particular instance. Dr. F. A.

Bainbridge’s interesting articles upon the pathology of

dropsy are concluded by a consideration of the purely renalvariety, and amongst other contributions Dr. J. J. Perkinsreviews recent work on diseases of the respiratory tract.

MEDICINE AND THE LAW.

The Expenses of a Medical Witness in a Civil. Trial.IN the recent divorce case of Norman z. Norman and

Mason a medical witness, Dr. A. H. Gerrard of Chiswick,declined to give evidence until he was paid the expenseswhich were admittedly then due, to him. When he wascalled into the witness-box he stated that he had already beenin attendance at the law courts for four days and had onlyreceived one guinea when served with the subpoena. The partywhich had subpoenaed him had no money to pay him with,and it was evident that he would receive nothing more unlessthe other side lost and so had to pay the costs of both.Dr. Gerrard eventually was allowed to leave the witness-boxwithout giving his evidence, whatever it may have been, andhe is to be congratulated upon having vindicated his position.The medical practitioner pursues his profession when hetreats the ailments which assail the bodies of his patientsand he is invited to go outside it when he is asked to assistin the adjustment of their matrimonial differences. Thesubpoena which compels his evidence in the Divorce Courtor before any other legal tribunal inflicts upon him

anxiety, loss of time, and, almost inevitably, pecuniary,loss as well. It would be intolerable if any suitor

indulging in the expensive luxury of litigation could enforcehis attendance without any expectation of being able to payeven a nominal sum in respect of it and it would be doublycruel if a medical witness could be placed in the position ofhaving to admit in cross-examination that his only chance ofany compensation whatever for his loss of time and moneymust depend upon the victory of the party calling him. Theinsinuations that would follow upon such an admission neednot be dwelt upon. Members of the medical profession arenot likely to allow their patients to suffer grievous injusticebecause they are poor, by refusing to give evidence for them,but, like the barrister who may return his fee out of charity,a medical man may fairly and reasonably claim to withholdgratuitous aid to the litigant according to his free will anddiscretion.

An Action for Nuisance arising out of Noise.A recent decision of Mr. Justice Warrington in the

Chancery Division has been upheld by the Court of Appealand may some day come under the cognisance of the Houseof Lords when it assembles under the presidency of a

new Lord Ubancellor. The point raised is a curiousone, as it involves the right of a person who comes

to live in a naturally noisy neighbourhood to preventan increase of the noise arising after his arrival so

as to interfere with his enjoyment of such quiet as maybe said to have existed before. In other words, thecourt was asked to say, and did say, that a personmay "come to a nuisance" and then may complain if itis substantially increased. The plaintiff, to put his story-shortly, lived and carried on business in the midst of news-paper offices and printing works, at Gough-square, Fleet-street ; new premises near to his house were opened forprinting, where business was carried on by day and by nightand it was of the noise of the machinery thus employedthat he complained. The judge and the Court of Appealhave found in his favour, Lord Justice Cozens Hardyputting the case on this point thus. ’*It does notfollow," said his lordship, "that because I live, say, inthe manufacturing part of Sheffield I cannot complainif a steam hammer is introduced next door and so worked asto render sleep at night almost impossible, although beforeits introduction my house was a reasonably comfortableaboje, having regard to the local standard." It would beinteresting to see what success would be met with by alitigant residing near one of the omnibus routes nowtraversed by the new motor omnibuses, should he endeavourto prevent the passage of vehicles which travel more noisilyand at later hours than those drawn by horses. Whetherthe evil can be arrested or not in the case of highways,traction engines and motor omnibuses have made substantialaddition to the disquiet of London life.