Reviews and Notices of Books

968 movements ; the dorsal digit was not actively had tarsal articulations, but they possessed deformed mobile. A skiagram showed three supernumerary cartilaginous phalanges. These two toes showed the metatarsal bones, two of which belonged to the plantar normal arrangement of flexor and extensor tendons, toes, and the third, which was imperfect, to the while the dorsal rudimentary toe only possessed an dorsal toe. A wedge of tissue, including the abnormal extensor tendon. There are, in addition, two dorsal structures, was removed from the dorsum, and the interosseous muscles, but one of them had the appear- result showed little difference between the two feet. ance of being formed by the fusion of two adjacent Dr. PRIMROSE said that the wedge of tissue interosseous muscles. The greater part of the blood- removed bv Mr. Edington showed upon dissection supply of these toes was apparently derived from the that the dorsal rudimentary toe had only two first dorsal metatarsal artery by two arcuate vessels phalanges and a very imperfect metatarsal bone which crossed the two medial metatarsal bones which had no tarsal articulation. It was bound to dorsally. This suggested a relationship of all these the lateral side of the adjacent toe in a loose manner toes with the hallux which was of teratological by fibrous tissue instead of by ligament. The other significance. The digital cutaneous nerves were toes were much better developed. Their metatarsals relatively normal. AIDS TO DENTAL ANATOMY AND PHYSIOLOGY. and By ARTHUR S. UNDERWOOD, M.R.C.S., L.D.S., Reviews Notices of Books. Fourth edition. Revised by BAYFORD UNDER- wooD, M.B., B.S., L.R.C.P., M.R.C.S., L.D.S., Dental and Lecturer in Dental TOXAEMIAS OF PREGNANCY. Surgeon Anatomy, University College Hospital, Dental Department. By GEORGE W. KOSMAK, M.D., Attending Sur- London : Bailliere, Tindall and Cox. 1922. geon at the Lying-in Hospital, New York City. Pp. 170. 3s. 6d. London: D. Appleton and Co. 1922. Pp. 232. 21s. THE previous editions of this book by the late Prof. Arthur Underwood attained a considerable popularity, THIS monograph presents an important study of a which was well justified by the clear style and apt group of diseases of which we really know very little manner in which the essential facts of dental anatomy and which have a considerable incidence and a high were dealt with. Mr. Bayford Underwood has morbidity. In the present work, after a chapter on the attempted to retain as much as possible the original historical aspect of the subject, the author considers framework of the book, while bringing it up to date. the aetiology, symptomatology, and pathology of the In this he has been very successful and has preserved toxaemias of pregnancy, including special chapters on in great measure those personal qualities which marked the chemistry of the blood and urine. The chapter the earlier editions of the book. Occasionally phrases on the blood has been written by Dr. F. E. Sondern, are retained which seem out of harmony with the and that on the urine by Dr. J. A. Killian. In the more modern ideas which have supplanted the views section dealing with hyperemesis hardly enough stress current when they were written. In speaking of is laid on the more recent work which tends to prove Nasmyth’s membrane, the author states the older that in many of these cases the condition is a pure view held by Sir John Tomes, that it represents a thin neurosis and that the pathological changes present are layer of cementum, and the later view of F. T. Paul entirely secondary. The author also is inclined to that it is purely epithelial ; while agreeing with the place too much importance on the high ammonia findings of Paul, Mr. Underwood hazards the sug- coefficient which may well be entirely the result of gestion that both theories may be substantially true the accompanying starvation. An excellent chapter (p. 46). On p. 83 he states that " the theory that is that dealing with the aetiology of eclampsia, in Nasmyth’s membrane partakes in any way of the which all the many theories which have been advanced nature of cementum may now be definitely discarded." to account for this disease are described and critically In this latter statement Mr. Underwood follows reviewed. A perusal of this section, however, leaves modern views, and it is unfortunate that an incomplete one with the impression that we are just as far as ever revision has allowed the earlier statement still to be from a clear conception of the causation of this retained. Similarly, on p. 109- it is stated that obscure disease and that there is little to be said for lymphatics in the dental pulp have not yet been most of the so-called explanations which have been demonstrated, while in the next paragraph the work put forward by various authors. of Schweitzer and others proving the presence of In discussing the pathology the author concludes lymphatics in the pulp is described. The chapter on that the most constant lesions in eclampsia areI practical microscopy which was omitted from the haemorrhages, principally in the liver, and degenerative third edition has now been reinstated in the book, processes involving any one or all of the essential which will be found valuable, not to supplant the internal organs. Their distribution varies widely and larger text-books, but to illuminate some of their their cause would appear to be some toxic substance dark places. circulating in the blood. This toxic substance appears to predispose to haemorrhages through its solvent SOME PHYSICO-CHEMICAL THEMES. action on the endothelial of the vessels. In lining ALFRED W. Professor of considering the treatment of cases of By STEWART, D.Sc., eclampsia, in of Dr. Kosmak is on the whole in favour of reasonable Chemistry the Queen’s University Belfast. conservatism, which he states meets with good London: Longmans, Green and Co. 1922. results, and he further believes that collected statistics Pp. 419. 21s. appear to show that the avoidance of shock in the THIS book is intended to assist the advanced student handling of these cases has brought about marked of physical chemistry in filling up the gap between the reduction in the morbidity and mortality. It is usual text-books and original sources of literature, and disappointing to find very little mention in the special yet to be less highly specialised than a series of mono- chapter on the urine of the value of some of the graphs would be. The theory of residual affinities is more modern tests, such as the urea-concentration made the starting-point of a series of well-digested test or the diastatio test, personal opinion of these essays, all of which fulfil their main purpose of aids is almost absent. The final chapter on the imparting information, and many of them provide chemical changes in the blood in the toxaemias of really interesting reading as well. A discussion of pregnancy presents a useful resume of our knowledge double salt formation and oceanic salt deposits of this subject at the present time. naturally follows on the theory of residual affinities; This monograph is a sound summary of difficult then come complex ions and salts, pseudo-acids, and problems in metabolism; it should be useful both to this leads up to the theory of indicators. The subject practitioner and to teacher. of non-aqueous ionising media gives us the other side 969 of the picture of solution. The author then proceeds records has not been very successful, and in Fig. 100 to deal with colloids, adsorption, catalysis, the spectra the electro-cardiograms have been printed upside of the elements, chemical affinity (thereby referring us down. once more to the point from which the volume started The work proves once again the importance of out), the periodic law, and the structure of atoms. A electro-cardiography as an aid to prognosis. The welcome feature of the book is the fact that the bibliography is well selected and contains references author, being himself an organic quite as much as to many of the more recent original papers. a physical chemist, is not blind to the important of to and applications physical organic chemistry The Electrical Action the Human Heart. vice versa; a further attraction is that very little of By mathematics is involved in the working out of the AUGUSTUS D. WALLER, M.D., F.R.S., Director of the Physiological Laboratory, University of arguments. South London : Altogether the book is an example of how useful London, Kensington. University of London Ltd. 1922. 103. 7s. 6d. and interesting a treatise on physical chemistry Press, Pp. can be. THE book the substance of four lectures ___ _ gives delivered in 1913 and deals with fundamental facts and SENESCENCE : THE LAST HALF OF LIFE. principles concerned in the electro-cardiogram, rather By G. STANLEY HALL, Ph.D. London and New than with its application to clinical uses. In the York: D. Appleton and Co. 1922. Pp. 543. first chapter the author deals with his own work with 21s. the capillary electrometer, which was the instrument him that Dr. Hall’s book is and full of information. used by when, in 1889, he first showed very long of in human He has considered the of old from the tracings the electrical variations the subject age could limbs historical, the literary, the statistical, the biological, heart be obtained by leads from the and and the medical of view. He has based it mouth. The second chapter gives the results of points partly with to sent out to various experiments the string galvanometer.

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