July i8, 191 8] 



NATURE 



3S. 



edition will soon be engaged on a translation of 

 the second. 



In no sphere of war work have our French 

 Allies done better than in that for the relief of 

 suffering caused in the war. The volume befofc 

 us gives ample evidence of the advances that have 

 been made in surgery and its essential accompani- 

 ment, radiography. The fact that the surgeon and 

 the radiographer must work hand in hand is 

 demonstrated in a perusal of the pages of the book. 



The letterpress is extremely clear, the descrip- 

 tions of apparatus and methods being very lucid. 

 The illustrations amply figure the conditions 

 referred to in the text; several are of particular 

 interest, notably two plates of the thorax showing 

 a bullet in the heart. The particular interest lies 

 in the rapidity of the exposure, which must have 

 been instantaneous, if one can judge from the ex- 

 treme sharpness of the pictures. The value of radio- 

 grams of this quality is self-evident. 



The subject is dealt with widely from all points 

 of view, particularly from the surgical, and all, 

 or practically all, methods of localisation are 

 described. The description of the principles under- 

 lying the practice of localisation is very clear, and 

 cannot fail to be instructive and helpful to all. 



The useful methods of localisation are well dealt 

 with, and attention must be directed to the com- 

 bined method which is referred to as "extraction 

 k I'aide de controle intermittent." The method 

 so named is carefully described and must be of 

 great value to surgeons at the present time. Sur- 

 geons and radiographers are recommended to 

 read these chapters carefully, particularly those 

 dealing with the dangers accompanying the 

 method. 



An interesting feature of the book is the descrip- 

 tion of radioscopic stereoscopy, which has been 

 perfected in France by Dr. Lifevre. This is a most 

 important advance in technique, and if the method 

 is accurate and protective measures are assured, it 

 should enable the operator to remove foreign 

 bodies under screen observation in the minimum 

 time, thus saving his time and ensuring 

 the safety of the radiologist, who may have to do 

 screening for a large number of operations. 



(2) The title of this book admirably covers the 

 full subject-matter of the volume, which is 

 an excellent precis of the technical and clinical side 

 of radiography. An interesting historical resume 

 of the discovery of the X-rays, and the subsequent 

 development of the technique resulting from their 

 use in medicine, forms the opening chapter of the 

 work. Instrumentation is well described, and 

 detailed descriptions are given of the most impor- 

 tant pieces of apparatus. We note with approval 

 a good description of the Coolidge tube. The 

 question of protection against the injurious effects 

 of X-rays is entered into fully. There is an excel- 

 lent discourse on the physics of radiography — the 

 physical facts underlying the use of the rays arc 

 fullv considered. It will well repay the advanced 

 radiologist to read these chapters carefully. 



The chapter dealing with "application a 

 I'homme normal " is particularly good. It 

 NO. 2542, VOL. lOl] 



deals successively with the technique of examina- 

 tion of the normal parts, and gives good 

 descriptions of the composition of each picture. 

 The whole is a very complete account of what the 

 radiographer must be familiar with before he pro- 

 ceeds to an investigation of the abnormal. 



The third section of the work deals exhaustively 

 with "le radiodiagnostic en clinique." Many valu- 

 able plates illustrate this section, which will prove 

 to be a most useful guide to the many workers in 

 radiography at the present time. 



Radioscopy is dealt with thoroughly. 



The almost strict adhesion to French types of 

 apparatus will strike the British reader forcibly. 

 It would have been a useful addition to the value 

 of the book if a number of American and British 

 models had been described ; but this is almost 

 exclusively a French book, and from a perusal of 

 its pages readers here will be able to under- 

 stand what our x'Vllies are doing in this important 

 branch of science, and to appraise the value of 

 their war effort in the field of radiography. 



Naturally, at the present time our energy on 

 both sides of ihe Channel is devoted to the dis- 

 covery of the damage done by projectiles, their 

 localisation and removal from the body, and the 

 diagnosis and treatment of injuries to bone and 

 the vital organs. It is with pleasure that we recog- 

 nise that our French confreres are in this, as in 

 all other branches of medicine, occupying a posi- 

 tion which is worthy of their great past and pro- 

 mises a still greater future. 



Normal radiography is gone into fully, and a 

 number of good plates illustrate this section. 

 Various abnormalities are described. The diagnosis 

 of gastro-intestinal diseases, diseases of the 

 thorax and of the urinary system, and the diseases 

 and injuries of bones receive adequate description. 



The book, as a whole, is a good one, and can 

 confidently be recommended to British readers as 

 a first-class production and a trustworthy guide 

 to the practitioner and specialist — embodying in 

 its pages the best work of a distinguished French 

 radiologist. 



THE EDUCATION OF ENGINEERS. 

 The Education of Engineers. By H. G. Taylor. 



Pp. vii'+64. (London: G. Bell and Sons, Ltd., 



1917.) Price 25. net. 

 T^HE author of this little book endeavours to 

 J- maintain the thesis that engineering is an art 

 and not a science, and that since mechanical arts 

 cannot be taught at a university, courses in 

 engineering in unirersities are, in consequence, 

 futile, and fail to contribute to the training of an 

 engineer. This point of view is not novel, but it is 

 surprising to find it supported by a university lec- 

 turer in civil and mechanical engineering. 



The author's criticisms of university engineer- 

 ing training revolve around its academic character 

 and lack of relation with practice. While, in a 

 large measure, this view is correct, it is not neces- 

 sary to return to the primitive methods of train- 

 ing engineers in order to find a remedv. Such 



