1914] Books Recetved 541 



Artificial parthenogenesis and fertilization. By Jacques Loeb, memb. of 

 the Rockefeiler Inst. Originally translated from the German by W. O. Redman 

 King, assis. lecturer in zoology, Univ. of Leeds, Eng. ; supplemented and revised 

 by the author. Pp. 312 — 6^ X 3H', $250 net. Univ. of Chicago Press, 1913. 



A presentation, in the author'g accustomed masterly manner, of the " meth- 

 ods by which the unfertilized egg can be caused to develop into an embryo and 

 the conclusions which can be drawn concerning the mechanism by which the 

 Spermatozoon produces this effect." The voluminous mass of facts recorded 

 and discussed by the author not only supports his theory that at least two factors 

 are involved in this process — one (" essential") which induces a change in the 

 surface of the egg; a second which is "corrective" — but also relates to such 

 Problems as the " natural death of the ovum and the Prolongation of its life by 

 fertilization; the fertilization of the egg by foreign blood and the immunity of 

 the egg to blood of its own species; the relations between heterogeneous hybridi- 

 zation and artificial parthenogenesis, between fertilization and cytolysis, and 

 between permeability and physiological efficiency of acids and bases." Gies. 



Materia medica: pharmacology: therapeutics : prescription writing. By 



Walter A. Bastedo, assoc. in pharmacology and therapeutics, Columbia Univ. 

 Pp. 602 — 7X4; $3-50. W. B. Saunders Company, Phila., 1913. 



The work is divided into three sections. Part I serves as a general intro- 

 duction and is especially commendable for the excellent discussion of the con- 

 stituents of organic drugs. Part II deals with the individual remedies, which 

 are considered on Schmiedeberg's plan. The discussion of the action and uses 

 of the cathartics is unusually practical and valuable. The forty odd pages 

 devoted to an explanation of the action of digitalis is justified by the importance 

 of the drug and by the great increase in our knowledge of cardiac physiology 

 and therapeutics. The action of digitalis is discussed in an original way, which 

 makes more easy the apprehension of the complex action of this drug. The 

 changes in the circulation are taken up according to the action on the sinus 

 node, the cardiac muscle, the A-V bündle, the coronary and the systemic arteries. 

 The action on each structure is first studied separately and the combined effects 

 are then made clear. The numerous polygraphic tracings accompanying this 

 chapter are unusually good, but it seems unfortunate that they are not elucidated 

 by diagrams. The section dealing with the general anesthetics is also worthy 

 of note. Part III, devoted to prescription writing, is short but comprehensive. 

 Enough Latin grammar is given to facilitate prescription writing for those who 

 have not studied Latin. The pages devoted to practice in prescription writing 

 will prove a boon to students and teachers. It is to be regretted that preference 

 is given throughout the book to the apothecaries' System of weights and meas- 

 ures rather than to the metric system. There are, as is to be expected in a first 

 cdition, numerous typographic errors. Some of these are most unfortunate, espe- 

 cially the confounding of grains and grams. To add to the confusion, the grain 

 doses are expressed in Arabic figures instead of in Roman and many of the 

 grain fractions are written as decimals. The suggestions as to treatment are 

 conservative and are based on laboratory research as well as on clinical expe- 

 rience. The author has succeeded in his attempt to emphasize the value of 

 research, both in the laboratory and at the bedside, and he pleads for a more 

 scientific, and therefore a simpler, therapy. Lieb. 



