716 



SCIENCE 



[N. S. Vol. XXXVI. No. 934 



nephritis, tumors of the spinal cord, examina- 

 tion of urine, are presented in a most effective 

 manner. Equally well handled are the surgi- 

 cal subjects. Especially worthy of mention 

 are the titles aneurysm, gunshot wounds, 

 hernia, surgery of the intestines, neck and 

 stomach. 



Diagnosis forms a valuable part of the 

 work. Besides the portions on diagnosis under 

 the various diseases such general titles as 

 physical diagnosis of the abdomen, examina- 

 tion of the blood, examination of the chest 

 and heart, pain, are presented in a concise 

 and most interesting manner. The same 

 observation applies to the portions which give 

 the treatment of the various diseases. 



Among the specialties the eye is especially 

 skiKuUy treated. The titles cataract, cornea, 

 glaucoma, lenses, trachoma, deserve special 

 mention. 



The work contains the latest discoveries in 

 medicine. We find in it an account of Bier's 

 hyperemic treatment. Brill's disease, hook- 

 worm disease, immunity, opsonines, pellagra, 

 serum therapy. The title syphilis contains 

 the latest additions to our knowledge of this 

 disease; it gives a clear and concise exposi- 

 tion of the Wassermann reaction and of the 

 new treatment with salvarsan. 



And now we come to the defects; they are 

 few. Some subjects are perhaps too lengthily 

 treated, as for instance, climatology, consti- 

 pation, life assurance, the latter title taking 

 up more than six pages, which is out of pro- 

 portion to the general concision of the work. 

 We miss some titles like adalin, decompres- 

 sion of the brain, intratracheal insufflation, 

 vestibular nystagmus, pantopon and a few 

 others. But all in all the work is as complete 

 as can be expected. The few defects are easily 

 outweighed by the many merits the work pos- 

 sesses. 



A number of tables of the arteries, muscles, 

 nerves, poisons, reflexes, tumors, etc., form a 

 valuable addition. There are 653 illustrations, 

 those on anatomy and surgery being especially 

 good. On the whole it may be said of this 

 work that its defects are few, its merits many 



and the general practitioner will find it a val- 

 uable aid in the daily routine of his work. 



A. Allemann 

 Aemy Medical Museum 



Genera Insectorum, 122me Fascicule. Der- 

 maptera. By Malcolm Burr, D.Sc. Brus- 

 sels, Wytsman. December 15, 1911. Pp. 

 112, 9 plates. 



Since De Borman in 1900 gave to the world 

 in " Das Thierreich " his " Monograph of the 

 Dermaptera," the number of species known to 

 science has been doubled and the number of 

 genera erected by various authors has been 

 quadrupled. In 1910 Dr. Malcolm Burr pub- 

 lished a volume upon the Dermaptera of 

 India, Burmah and Ceylon, which was issued 

 as one of the volumes of " The Fauna of Brit- 

 ish India" which is being printed under the 

 auspices of the Indian government. At the 

 time of its appearance that work was noticed 

 by the present writer in the columns of Sci- 

 ence. The work before us is an advance upon 

 the former treatise in so far forth as it en- 

 deavors to outline the classification of the 

 dermapterous fauna of the world, giving the 

 characters of the various genera, lists of the 

 known species, and their synonymy. 



The author recognizes three suborders. The 

 first, the Arixenina, is parasitic, and thus far 

 is known by but one genus and species, 

 Arixenia esau, described by Dr. Karl Jordan 

 in 1909. This curious insect has the eyes only 

 feebly developed, is apterous, and inhabits the 

 pouch of the Javan bat Cheiromeles torquatus 

 Horsfield. The second suborder, the Hemi- 

 merina, is likewise represented by a single 

 genus and species. It is also parasitic, living 

 on the widely distributed African rodent, 

 Cricetomys gamhianus Waterhouse. It is 

 viviparous, apterous and totally blind. The 

 third suborder comprises the Eorficulina, or 

 ear-wigs proper, which are oviparous, have 

 fully developed eyes, are either winged or 

 apterous, and have the cerci developed into 

 horny forceps. None of them are parasitic. 

 In the latter suborder the author recognizes 

 three super-families, the Protodermaptera. 



