BOOKS AND CURRENT LITERATURE 



Absorption and Secretion. — Even though an enormous volume of 

 experimentation bearing upon absorption and secretion has come from 

 both animal and plant physiologists, some fundamental facts relative 

 to these phenomena are too little understood, as indicated by text books 

 dealing with these subjects and by a number of recent researches. Fur- 

 thermore, the animal physiologist has failed to familiarize himself with 

 the investigations of the plant phj^siologist and vice versa, so that there 

 has been in some instances a duplication of effort to no purpose and a 

 failure to coordinate similar problems in the two fields of stud3^ A re- 

 cent book by Fischer,^ written by one who has employed animal tissues 

 throughout his investigations, is the most lucid and illuminating account 

 which has ever been written on the subject of absorption and its mirror 

 image secretion, and the relation of these two phenomena to the patho- 

 logical states called oedema, nephritis, glaucoma, etc. It should be 

 read with equal enthusiasm by both plant and animal physiologist and 

 should be far reaching in its influence in eradicating many misconcep- 

 tions which are now being promulgated by teachers of physiology It 

 is idle to suppose that any adequate notion can be given of Dr. Fischer 's 

 treatment of the subject in a brief review, but it is hoped by this means 

 to call the attention of physiologists and pathologists to a stimulating 

 and meritorious work whose presence is not generally known to them. 



The subject matter of a book on oedema published several years 

 earlier by the same author has been enriched by subsequent experimen- 

 tation, and he has combined with it his studies upon other pathological 

 states following abnormal absorption or secretion. 



He has summarized in the form of a resume, occupjang the first thir- 

 ty-four pages, his conclusions, based upon observations and clinical data 

 presented in detail in the remainder of the book. His conclusions all 

 center around the view that the absorption of water, whether normal 

 or abnormal, by the living organism is determined by the colloids con- 

 thesia, how salines decrease generalized oedema and relieve uremia, 

 tained in it and their state. The acceptance of this view constitutes 



ipischer, Martin H. Oedema and Nephritis: A critical, experimental and 

 clinical study of the physiology and pathology of water absorption in the liv- 

 ing organism. Second and enlarged edition, pp. 695, New York, 1915. 



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