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Reviews of Books

Viral and Rickettsial Infections of Man2nd ed. Editor : THOMAS M. RIVERS, M.D., director ofthe hospital, the Rockefeller Institute for MedicalResearch. Philadelphia and London : J. B. Lippincott.1952. Pp. 719. 60s.

THE second edition of Rivers is about half way insize between some recent pocket-size textbooks ofvirology and a well-known portmanteau-size referencebook. It combines successfully the readability of theformer with the erudition of the latter. In his prefaceDr. Rivers suggests that the book may fulfil a need ofmedical students and practising physicians, but it

seems unlikely that many of these busy people will havetime to study another new specialty in the detail pro-vided here. The book should appeal much more tobacteriologists, research students, and others interestedin learning or teaching virology, and to physicians andpublic-health workers specialising in the treatment ofinfectious diseases. It is beautifully printed and illus-trated and should be a great help to many would-bevirologists in distress. -

This omnibus of virology carries contributions from manywell-known experts. (In this case an expert is one who hasspent considerably more than the customary one-year periodstudying his subject.) The first nine chapters describe generalaspects of the study of virus diseases, physical, chemical, andserological techniques, methods of cultivating viruses infertile eggs and tissue cultures, epidemiology, interferencebetween viruses, and diagnosis. Then follows an excellentchapter on bacteriophages, which earn their inclusion in a

. textbook of viral infections of man by the important lightthey have thrown on methods of virus multiplication. Afterthese lengthy preliminaries we come to the individual virusdiseases, and it is good to see that for once the patient andthe epidemic receive more attention than the virus. Thisbook is supported by a grant from the National Foundationfor Infantile Paralysis, which may perhaps explain the greaterrespect paid to neurotropic than to respiratory virus diseases.Chapters on haemagglutination by Hirst, epidemiology byMaxcy, rabies by Johnson, and yellow fever by Theiler are allthat could be wished for. An otherwise excellent chapter onpoliomyelitis is spoilt by its cursory treatment of tissue-culture techniques in the study of this disease. Some chapterstend to be more autobiographical than is desirable in an

objective account of research, and here and there will be foundodd sins of omission and commission. This edition is broughtup to date with accounts of cat-scratch fever and of diseasescaused by the Coxsackie viruses, and it is obvious that a bigattempt has been made to refer to all the latest advances.

Osteo-arthritis of the HipW. ALEXANDER LAW, O.B.E., M.D., F.R.C.S., assistant

orthopaedic surgeon, London Hospital ; associate surgeon,Robert Jones and Agnes Hunt Hospital, Oswestry.London: Butterworth. 1952. Pp. 87. 25s.

ALTHOUGH this little monograph surveys briefly thecauses and treatment of osteo-arthritis of the hip, it ismainly concerned in reflecting Mr. Law’s well-knowninterest in its management by vitallium cup arthro-plasty. In a very personal account of case-histories andtechnique he shows just what success can be obtainedby meticulous attention to the details of case-selection,operation, and aftercare ; though perhaps he does notmake it sufficiently clear that this procedure is essentiallyone for the superlative technician, and that, in averagehands, the acrylic prosthesis may yield good resultswith less expenditure of effort.

Le trachomeROGER NATAF, ophtahnologiste des H6pitaux; membreassocie de 1’Institut Pasteur de Tunis. Paris : Masson.1952. Pp.426. Fr.3700.

THE name of Dr. Xataf and that of his collaboratorDr. Cuenod is already well known to ophthalmologistsfor biomicroscopical investigations of the conjunctiva,which has included much work on trachoma. -NowDr. Nataf, working at the Institut Pasteur of Tunis,gives us a complete account of trachoma in all its possibleramifications, even including its medicolegal aspects.

Dr. Jean Sedan also contributes a chapter on the physio-pathology of the trachomatous eye.

In the British Isles trachoma is hardly a problem,for few new cases arise, and treatment is almost confinedto the late complications of trachoma contracted else-where ; but in the Middle and Far East trachoma remainsthe major ophthalmic scourge, responsible for moreblindness than any other ophthalmic disease. Themedical world at large will, therefore, be grateful toDr. Nataf -for his excellent monograph, which gives usall the benefit of the 25 years he has spent studying thiscondition.

Manual of ElectrocardiographyB. F. SMITH, M.D., professor of clinical medicine, BaylorUniversity College of Medicine. New York and London :Elsevier Press. 1952. Pp. 215. 32s.

THIS is a description of electrocardiography reducedto the smallest compass, but every word is to the point.The principles are clearly set out and applied to theexplanation of many abnormal tracings, giving thestudent for higher examinations and the general physicianan insight into the way in which most abnormalities arecaused. This will also be appreciated by the cardiologist,who can also occupy himself by considering how he wouldexplain those changes, particularly in the T-waves, notcovered by the author. There is little to criticise ; butthe advice on precordial leads is out of date, some of thetracings are of poor quality and in none of them are thewaves labelled ; and there are a few typographicalerrors. A quarter of the book contains tracings frompatients, accompanied by the post-mortem reports, butwithout comment or explanation, the reader being leftto make his own correlation. This is an excellent feature,but the final chapter, entitled " Pen Pictures ofCardiology," is out of place.Infant Development

The Embryology of Early Human Behaviour. ARNOZDGESELL, M.D. London: Hamish Hamilton. 1952.

Pp. 108. 21s.

OVER a period of thirty-five years, Dr. Gesell hasproduced no less than- twenty-five books on his chosensubject, besides the films he has used to an increasingextent in demonstrating facets of early human develop-ment. Infancy and Human Growth, which appeared aquarter of a century ago, was an important psediatriclandmark, and did much to stimulate other workers inthe same field. With the passage of the years, and thedevelopment of cinematography, the author’s publicationsappear to have become, to an increasing extent, runningcommentaries, and to describe the present volume as" the book of the film " would be less inaccurate thanwhen a similar description is applied to, say, Kidnappedor War and Peace. The style at times is perilously nearthe pompous, and many will prefer the author’s earlierwritings.

Symptoms and Signs in Clinical Medicine (5th ed.Bristol: John Wright & Sons. 1952. Pp. 480. 35s.).-It is fiveyears since the last edition of Dr. E. Noble Chamberlain’s popu-lar textbook appeared. As before, there are many illustrations,most of them clear, well chosen, and helpful to the text. Manychapters have been revised and one or two completelyrewritten, including that on medical operations and investiga-tions, a particularly useful part of the book. A new feature,much to be welcomed, is a short glossary showing the originand meaning of many of the words which all students have tomeet for the first time.The book is likely to remain a valued friend to student,

houseman, and practitioner.Gynecologic and Obstetric Pathology (3rd ed. Phila-

delphia and London : W. B. Saunders. 1952. Pp. 595. 50s.).Prof. Emil Novak’s well-illustrated textbook emerges in goodform from a thorough grooming at the hands of its carefulauthor. The sections on carcinoma of the cervix, hydatidiformmole, chorionepithelioma, and several other topics have beenrevised to express modern opinion, and there is an informatix-enew chapter on diseases of the breast-an organ whichgynaecologists have only recently discovered. The picturesare as good as ever, and nearly a hundred new ones appear inthis edition-some of them replacing less successful earlierversions of the same subjects.