PREFACE TO THE FIRST ENGLISH EDITION, 



The fact that Professor Landois' "Lehrbuch der Physiologic cles Menschen " 

 has already passed through Four large Editions since its first appearance 

 in 1880, shows that in some special way it has met the wants of Students 

 and Practitioners in Germany. The characteristic which has thus com- 

 mended the work will be found mainly to lie in its eminent practicality; 

 and it is this consideration which has induced me to undertake the task 

 of putting it into an English dress for English readers. 



Landois' work, in fact, forms a Bridge between Physiology and the 

 Practice of Medicine. It never loses sight of the fact that the Student 

 of to-day is the practising Physician of to-morrow. Thus, to every 

 Section is appended after a full description of the normal processes 

 a short resume' of the pathological variations, the object of this being to 

 direct the attention of the Student, from the outset, to the field of his 

 future practice, and to show him to what extent pathological processes 

 are a disturbance of the normal activities. 



In the same way, the work offers to the busy physician in practice a 

 ready means of refreshing his memory on the theoretical aspects of 

 Medicine. He can pass backwards from the examination of pathological 

 phenomena to the normal processes, and, in the study of these, find new 

 indications and new lights for the appreciation and treatment of the cases 

 under consideration. 



With this object in view, all the methods of investigation which may 

 with advantage be used by the Practitioner, are carefully and fully 

 described ; and Histology, also, occupies a larger place than is usually 

 assigned to it in Text-books of Physiology. 



A word as to my own share in the present version : 



(1.) In the task of translating, I have endeavoured throughout to 

 convey the author's meaning accurately, without a too rigid adherence 

 to the original. Those who from experience know something of the 

 difficulties of such an undertaking will be most ready to pardon any 

 shortcomings they may detect. 



(2.) Very considerable additions have been made to the Histological, 

 and also (where it has seemed necessary) to the Physiological sections. 

 All such additions are enclosed within square brackets [ ]. I have to 



