Stomach and Pancreas. Dr. A. A. Stevens deals with Treatment, viz., that of Infectious Diseases, Constitutional Diseases, Diseases of the Blood, Ductless Glands, Circulatory System, Diseases of the Kidney, Respiratory Tract, Stomach, Intestines and Liver.

Of Volume II., the first 128 pages are devoted to "Diseases of Warm Climates." Among those who contribute short articles to that department is Dr. John McCrae, who writes one of 22 pages on "Recent Progress in Tropical Medicine," a chapter well worth reading, and showing great scientific thought. Dr. C. Jarvis contributes 15 pages or so on "Sleeping Sickness," which is comparatively common in the Uganda country. A very interesting and instructive chapter, "Broncho-pneumonia in Children," is contributed by Dr. Isaac A. Abt, and one on "The Limitations of the Utility of Digitalis in Heart Disease," by Dr. Jas. M. French, is worthy of careful perusal.

W. A .Y.

Cap'n Eri. By JOSEPH C. LINCOLN. Toronto: William Briggs, Publisher.

The Cap'n is a man without a mate in the story-book line, excepting wonderful old David Harum. Eri lives, moves and has his being in and around Cape Cod; his quaintness has an irresistible charm, and his love of comfort appeals to many a physician, especially those who have spent their earlier years in the country, and can remember being asked to step into the parlor and "set on the sofa "-to which invitation the Cap'n answers, "No, thanks; hair-cloth's all right to look at, but it's the slipperiest stuff that ever was, I cal'late. Every time I set on a hair-cloth sofa I feel's if I was draggin' anchor."

W. A. Y.

A Text-book of Alkaloidal Therapeutics. Being a condensed resume of all available literature on the subject of the active principles, added to the personal experience of the authors. By W. J. WAUGH, M.D., and W. A. ABBOTT M.D., with the collaboration of E. M. EPSTEIN, M.D. Chicago: The Clinic Publishing Co. 1904.

This work covers a field that, up till now, has been largely ignored by the bulk of the profession. The tide, however, has been gradually turning till to-day physicians, who decried the system most vehemently, are now among its active supporters. There is little doubt that anything that is new, as a rule, is slowly taken up, and the headway made is discouraging. Alkaloidal medication is to-day receiving a good deal of attention, and the WaughAbbott text-book consists of 400 pages of literature, covering the 138 different alkaloidal preparations, their toxicology, physiological action, etc. As the authors say, "The mission of our book

is to get together from all sources all the facts obtainable concerning the alkaloids and active principles, and present them in a 'ready-to-use' truly alkaloidal' form." The volume is well written and will prove, we feel sure, the means of adding many to the list of converts to this new, but, very often, indeed, successful method of medication.

A Manual of Practical Medical Electricity, the Rontgen Rays, Finsen Light, Radium and Its Radiations and High Frequency Current. By DAWSON TURNER, B.A., M.D., F.R.C.P. (Edin.), M.R.C.P. (Lond.), President Royal Scottish Society of Arts, Vice-President British Electro-Therapeutic Society, Fellow of the Physical Society, Lecturer on Experimental Physics, Surgeons' Hall, Edinburgh, etc. Fourth edition, revised and enlarged. University series. London: Bailliere, Tindall & Cox, 8 Henrietta Street, Covent Garden. 1904. Canadian agents: J. A. Carveth & Co., Toronto.

It is but two years or so since we had the satisfaction of reviewing the third edition of Dr. Turner's excellent work, and now we have before us the fourth edition still further enlarged. In his edition of 1902, the author devoted a good deal of space to a subject which was new then, viz., the treatment of disease by means of the ultra violet light, and since then it has been proved what rapid improvement can take place by this method in malignant cases. In the last edition, Dr. Turner has paid a good deal of attention to the use of sinusoidal currents in treatment, and also to the consideration of radium and its uses. He also goes into the therapeutics of high frequency currents. Quite a number of illustrations have been added.

The Clinical Study of Blood-Pressure.

A Guide to the Use of the Sphygmomanometer in Medical, Surgical and Obstetrical Practice. With a Summary of the Experimental and Clinical Facts relating to the Blood-Pressure in Health and Disease. By THEODORE C. JANEWAY, M.D., Lecturer on Medical Diagnosis, University of Bellevue Hospital Medical College, New York City. With seventy-five illustrations in the text, many in colors. New York and London: D. Appleton & Co. 1904.

Instruments of precision for ascertaining blood-pressure have not been of much service in the past, but this author believes that, with modern instruments in the hands of those who understand their use, diagnosis, prognosis and therapeutics cannot but gain in efficiency through blood-pressure determinations at the bed-side and in the office.

The work is divided into three parts. Part I. deals with the

purely physiological aspect of blood-pressure along the same lines that are followed by our leading text-books on physiology.

Part II. deals with the technical construction and application of various kinds and makes of instruments. The author favors the use of the modern instrument called the sphygmomanometer, several varieties of which are described, and attention is drawn to their several advantages and disadvantages.

The main interest centres in Part III., where the clinical aspects of the subject are discussed under such headings as, "The "966 In blood-pressure in disease in general," "In internal disease," nervous and mental diseases," "In surgical conditions," and "In obstetrical conditions."

Practical results have been obtained in nephritis, in perforation and hemorrhage complicating typhoid fever, in shock and collapse from various causes, and in a host of other conditions. During the administration of chloroform, any serious depression of the blood-pressure is at once indicated, and shows that the chloroform should be stopped and ether substituted.

In obstetrics, the greatest importance attaches to the arterial pressure as a means of foretelling, and, as a consequence, possibly forestalling, an eclamptic seizure. The author says, Το take the arterial tension is far easier than examining the urine, and the information thus obtained is no whit less valuable."

It is impossible, from a hasty perusal of the work, to determine the practical clinical value of obtaining blood-pressure as a routine practice in all cases. There can be no doubt, however, that the value of such tracings is very great in some, if not all, cases. I am sure that everyone who reads this work will be pleased with it.

A. E.

Insanity in Every-day Practice. By E. G. YOUNGER, M.D. (Brux.), M.R.C.P. (Lond.), D.P.H., etc.; Senior Physician Finsbury Dispensary; Late Senior Assistant Medical Officer, London County Asylum, Hanwell; Formerly Assistant Medical Superintendent, Metropolitan District Asylum, Caterham. London: Bailliere, Tindall & Cox, 8 Henrietta Street, Covent Garden. 1904. Canadian agents: J. A. Carveth & Co., Toronto.

This little book is an excellent illustration of what may be accomplished by an intelligent and determined attempt at condensation. The usual experience of an author when undertaking to write on the subject of mental diseases is that so much important material presents itself to his mind that a large work is compiled before he can forgive himself for bringing it to a close. Dr. Younger, however, has contrived to present a comprehensive view

of his subject within the compass of 106 octavo pages, and one reason why he has been able to successfully accomplish this surprising result may be found in the simple symptomatological classification which he has adopted. The wide divergence in the classification of various authors constitutes one of the discouraging difficulties to the professional mind in acquiring a knowledge of mental diseases, and Dr. Younger spares his readers by refraining from the introduction of a new terminology. He only refers to his monograph as an "outline chart," but certainly the masterly clearness and completeness with which he has sketched these outlines will cause every reader to hope that he may soon be induced to give the profession what he would regard as a more exhaustive treatise on mental diseases.

N. 11. B.

Tuberculosis and Acute General Miliary Tuberculosis. By DR. G. CORNET, of Berlin. Edited, with additions, by Walter B. James, M.D., Professor of the Practice of Medicine in the College of Physicians and Surgeons (Columbia University), New York. Handsome octavo volume of 806 pages. Philadelphia, New York, London: W. B. Saunders & Co. 1904. Canadian agents: J. A. Carveth & Co., 434 Yonge Street, Toronto. Cloth, $5.00 net; half morocco, $6.00 net.

This is the seventh volume to be issued in Saunders' American Edition of Nothnagel's Practice. Professor Cornet's exhaustive work appears at a time when the subject of tuberculosis has a peculiar claim upon the attention of mankind. Within a few years both professional and general public interest in the disease has made great advances. In almost every civilized community societies for the prevention of tuberculosis are being organized, and these are composed not only of physicians, but of laymen, while governments themselves are taking an active part in the movement. Under these circumstances, and at this time, the work is of interest to practitioners, for there is no other treatise which gives an equally clear and comprehensive view of this subject.

As to the relation of human to bovine tuberculosis, it is pointed out that while the bacilli of bovine tuberculosis are more virulent for cattle, and those of human tuberculosis for man, the two are, nevertheless, to some degree interchangeable, and we are, therefore, not justified in relaxing our efforts to prevent the use of milk and meat from tuberculous cattle.

However, the fact cannot be reiterated too often, that the great danger lies in dried tuberculous sputum. This is the great source of infection for human beings at all ages, from birth to A second fact of equal importance is that bacilli die

old age.

within a few hours if exposed to sunlight, and within a few days in diffused light. In the light of these facts, all that is required to prevent the spread of tuberculosis is cleanliness, light and fresh air.

The editor is to be congratulated on the excellence of the translation. His own additions, though few, are excellent, and materially add to the value of the work. A. M'P.

The Practical Medicine Series of Year-Books. Comprising Ten Volumes on the Year's Progress in Medicine and Surgery. Issued monthly, under the general editorial charge of GusTAVUS P. HEAD, M.D., Professor of Laryngology and Rhinology, Chicago Post-Graduate Medical School. Vol. V.. Obstetrics. Edited by Joseph B. DeLee, M.D., Professor of Obstetrics, Northwestern University Medical School. April, 1904. Price, $1.00. Vol. VI., General Medicine. Edited by Frank Billings, M.S., M.D., Head of the Medical Department and Dean of the Faculty of Rush Medical College, Chicago; and J. H. Salisbury, M.D., Professor of Medicine, Chicago Clinical School. May, 1904. Chicago: The Year-Book Publishers, 40 Dearborn Street. Price of series, $5.50; of this vol., $1.00.

These volumes are parts of a series of ten issued at monthly intervals and covering the entire field of medicine and surgery. Each volume is complete for the year prior to its publication on the subject of which it treats. These volumes are published primarily for the general practitioner, but being arranged in several volumes, those interested in special subjects may buy only the parts they desire.

Volume V., on Obstetrics, takes up Pregnancy, Labor, the Puerperium and Operative Obstetrics.

Volume VI., on General Medicine, treats of Typhoid Fever, Malaria, and Diseases of the Digestive Organs. General medicine, being a large subject, is divided into two volumes, viz., May and October. We are very much pleased with these volumes, and can recommend them to our friends.

W. J. W.

Epilepsy and Its Treatment. By WILLIAM P. SPRATLING, M.D., Superintendent of the Craig Colony for Epileptics at Sonyea, N.Y. Handsome octavo volume of 522 pages, illustrated. Philadelphia, New York, London: W. B. Saunders & Co. 1904. Canadian agents: J. A. Carveth & Co., Limited., 434 Yonge Street, Toronto. Cloth, $4.00 net.

If for no other reason than that it is now well over a quarter of a century since any work of any account on epilepsy has come.