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SCIENCE 



[N. a Vol. XXXIX. No. 1004 



pyroxene is subordinate. One wiio is not a 

 beginner knows that most andesites contain 

 more pyroxene than mica or amphibole; and 

 in many instances pyroxene without either 

 mica or amphibole. The impression is also 

 given that granite does not contain lime-soda- 

 feldspar. There are numerous inaccuracies of 

 statement and definition that might be pointed 

 out, which may be charged to the attempt at 

 simplification. It does not seem desirable that 

 students who intend studying petrology thor- 

 oughly should begin by studying it in an in- 

 adequate manner, and experience the neces- 

 sity of remodeling some of their fundamental 

 concepts. Joseph P. Iddings 



An Introduction to the History of Medicine, 

 with Medical Chronology, Bibliographic 

 Data and Test Questions. By Fielding H. 

 Garrison, A.B., M.D. Philadelphia, W. B. 

 Saunders Co. 1913. 



The reproach that has been brought against 

 modern science to the effect that it looks only 

 to the present and future and gives little con- 

 sideration to the past, probably finds the least 

 amount of justification in the case of the med- 

 ical sciences, if one may judge from the rapid 

 increase within recent years in the amount of 

 literature, both periodical and monographic, 

 that deals with the history of these sciences. 

 But it has been to Prance, and more especially 

 to Germany, that we have been principally 

 indebted for compendious treatises on the his- 

 tory of medicine, the only works of that na- 

 ture written within recent years by English- 

 speaking authors being the brief " Epitome " 

 of Dr. Eoswell Park and the delightful " His- 

 tory of Physiology " by Sir Michael Poster. 

 The publication of the work before us is, 

 therefore, an event of no little interest, since 

 it places in the hands of English readers a re- 

 liable, comprehensive and interesting account 

 of the development of medical theory and 

 practise, from the earliest times down even to 

 the present day. It is noteworthy also in that 

 its production has been made possible by the 

 unequalled collection of works dealing with the 

 history of medicine that has been brought to- 



gether in the library of the surgeon-general at 

 Washington. Dr. Garrison is to be heartily 

 congratulated upon the excellent use he has 

 made of it. 



The book opens with an introductory chap- 

 ter on the identity of all forms of ancient and 

 primitive medicine, and then follow chapters 

 on Egyptian, Sumerian and Oriental, Greek 

 (under which are included the Alexandrian 

 and Roman schools), Byzantine, Mohamme- 

 dan and Jewish, and medieval medicine, all 

 these being treated in the brief space of one 

 hundred and thirty pages. Then follows a well- 

 balanced chapter on the period of the Ren- 

 aissance, but the greater part of the book, 

 nearly five hundred pages out of six hundred 

 and sixty odd, is devoted to the history of the 

 sixteenth to the twentieth centuries, the chap- 

 ter on the twentieth century giving a welcome 

 review of the development of our knowledge 

 of such subjects as the internal secretions, the 

 synthesis of proteins, parasitology, chemo- and 

 sero-therapy. 



Each chapter consists of a biographic and 

 a general portion, the former setting forth the 

 main features of the lives, endeavors and ac- 

 complishments of those who have contributed 

 in any degree to the advancement of medicine, 

 while the latter sums up succinctly and clearly 

 the conditions under which they lived and 

 worked. As appendices there are added a use- 

 ful medical chronology, a bibliography and a 

 number of test questions, many of which sug- 

 gest interesting topics for further study and 

 investigation. Finally, mention should be 

 made of the excellent indexes, one of persons 

 and another of subjects, both of which appear 

 to be entirely satisfactory. 



Dr. Garrison's book forms a trustworthy 

 reference for those who are interested in any 

 phase of the development of medicine. No 

 name worthy of mention, unless it be that of 

 Dodoens, seems to have been omitted, and al- 

 though the treatment is fundamentally bio- 

 graphic, the subject index makes it easy to 

 ascertain the essential events in the develop- 

 ment of special departments of medicine. 

 And yet with all this thoroughness in so small 



