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of making it more complete or (as we should prefer) expanding the practical at the expense of the academic sections. And club-foot ought not to be left out in the cold.
STAINLESS STEEL IN ORTHODONTICS One cannot but admire the whole-hearted enthusiasm with which Dr. DE COSTER pursues his objective and unfolds his arguments in his essay on L'Orthodontie a Base D'Acier3 (the use of steel in orthodontics). That objective is to bring orthodontic treatment within the reach of'all, and stainless steel is the medium which is to make this possible. -His impulse is the conviction that a dental deformity is not a mere local affair, but of necessity has an injurious reaction on the whole organism, especially on the face and cranial vault-" I cannot understand," he says, " how in human medical practice the importance of the normal conformation of the head and of the face in the constitutional make-up of the individual has so long been neglected, while in veterinary practice an examination of the head plays a preponderating part in assessimg the animal from the point of view of its constitutional qualities." Every part of the body must develop in harmony. A dental deformity must have its reaction in some other part of the developing organism, probably the cranial vault, and early orthodonfic treatment will prevent a deep-seated interference with the working of the central mechanism of growth. To us the claim seems pitched too high, and it is fair to ask how many of Dr. De Coster's friends possess perfect dental arches and what proportion of them show stigmata of degeneration I But if enthusiasts alone will agree .with so far-reaching claims, every practitioner of orthodontics will be interested in his exposition of the actual use of stainless steel in this work. Joining one piece of stainless steel to another is the great difficulty in its use, and the author gives a clear, practical review of the methods hitherto worked out, recommending a method (of his own invention) for combining brazing with electric soldering (but here we do not gather what the liquid is that does away with the need of a current of hydrogen in the process). The method of making the metal rings used in the construction of "fixed appliances " seems to us especially noteworthy; the illustrations are numerdus, and often self-explanatory.

example, the general truth is emphasized that inflammation and its results are exactly the same no matter what part of the individual is affected. The chapter on the basis of the principles of surgery has been rewritten and forms Chapter I of the new edition, making an excellent introduction to the subsequent chapters. New matter includes reference to the endocrine glands and non-malignant diseases of the breast. Under the latter heading the point is stressed that tho breast may share pathological changes in all glandular organs of the body. The four methods of the dissemination of inflammation are ingeniously used in the discussion of the paths by which an irritant can be introduced into the tissues. The illustrations have been increased by forty-eight, and the new ones mostly apply to tertiary specific manifestations, tuberculosis, or malignant disease in the different situations. In many instances isolated illustrations in the previous edition have been grouped on one page, which tends to give the reader a better bird's-eye view of the conditions under consideration. It would be invidious to single out any particular portion, but the chapters on the causation and effects of inflammation, of gangrene, and of mechanical intestinal obstruction are particularly good, as is that on the resemblance between syphilis, surgical tuberculosis, and malignant disease. The book is of attractive size; the paper is good, and so are the printing and the illustrations. The small increase in its size is due to the larger number of illustrations. It well deserves a place on the bookshelf of every student, practitioner, or teacher.

edition. Bfistol: J. Wright and Sons Ltd.; London:- Simpkin MarshaU Ltd. 1935. (Pp. 367; 231 figures. 15s. net.)

A TEXTBOOK OF BACTERIOLOGY The book with this title,5 by Professor T. B. RICE of Indiana University, aims' at presenting the medical student and the practitioner with what is essential in bacteriology. The technical side of the subject has been reduced to a bare minimum and controversial matter omitted in order to give adequate treatment to those aspects of the subject which have a direct beiaring on the diagnosis, control, and treatment of infective processes in man. In general, one can say that the author has achieved his object. Starting with a short introcfuctory account of the history of bacteriology, he passes to a consideration of such general matters as the role of bacteria in everyday life, the place of bacteriology in modern medical practice, disinfection, and the way in which bacteria cause disease. Some of these are quite MORISON'S " INTRODUCTION TO SURGERY " good, and, in particular, the chapters devoted to the For the second edition of his Introduction to Surgery destruction of bacteria and to disinfection call for mention, Professor RUTHERFORD MORIsoN had the assistance of his since they are written in a thoroughly practical manner old pupil Professor C. F. M. SAINT of Capetown Univer- by one who obviously has first-hand knowledge of what sity, and both names appear again on the title-page of' he is talking about. These general questions occupy about the third edition.' While not replacing the ordinary a quarter of the book, and then come a series of chapters surgical textbook this publication is an important ancil- in which are discussed the various pathogenic bacteria lary, for, to quote from the original preface, it claims and the diseases caused by them. Each of these chapters to be an aid to the student " in thinking out for himself is constructed on the same lines. Opening with a brief the problems presented to him in the wards and in his historical sketch, the author then describes the main textbook." Its conception is to link up the understanding morphological and cultural features of the bacterial species of groups of diseases. In this it is remarkably successful, in question. This is followed by a description of the way and indeed the work is unique in imparting something in which this micro-organism causes disease, and the that no other book does. Because it is so interesting it chapter closes with sections on laboratory diagnosis, appeals to all students, who are helped to grasp the specific therapy, and prophylaxis. importance of surgical principles and their application; The scheme is good, and in the main the information also digestion of the principles enunciated assists them given is correct, up to date, and such as will prove to surmount any surgical problem presented. For valuable to the man in practice. There are some things, a L'Orthodontie a Base D'Acier. By Dr. Lucien De Coster. however, that are open to criticism. The chapter on Paris: Masson et Cie. (Pp. 204: 107 figures. 30 fr.) streptococci is a little out of date in some respects, and ' An Introduction to Surgery. By Rutherford Morison, M.D., 5 A Textbook of Bacteriology. By Thurman B. Rice, A.M., M.D. F.R.C.S., and Charles F. M. Saint, C.B.E., M.D., F.R.C.S. Third
Philadelphia and London: W. B. Saunders Company. (Pp. 551; 119 figures. 21s. net.)
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