﻿REVIEWS. 



A Compend of Genito-Urinary Diseases and Syphilis, Including Their Surgery 

 and Treatment. By Charles S. Hirsch, M. D. Cloth; 70 illustrations in 

 the text; 1 plate. Pp.,xvi + 351. Price, $1.00. Philadelphia: P. Blakiston's 

 Son & Co., 1906. 



The abortive treatment of gonorrhoea is given a place in this book, 

 though it does not enter into the modern treatment of the disease. 



The metric systm is not used, nor are the .metric equivalents of the 

 apothecaries' weights and measures, which latter are used throughout, 

 given. It is much to be desired that all American text-books on scien- 

 tific subjects either be printed in the metric system or give metric 

 equivalents for other terms used. 



In the treatment of the seminal duct and vesicle no mention of 

 the very valuable treatment of chronic affections of these organs by 

 irrigation and drainage of the seminal ducts and vesicles through the 

 vas deferens is made, although Belfield's first paper on this subject was 

 published in the Journal of the American Medical Association in April, 

 1905. 



In the article on circumcision silk sutures are recommended. Silk, 

 as either a suture or ligature material, has scarcely any place in modern 

 surgery and especially not in operations upon parts of the body much 

 exposed to contamination by the excretions. 



Under the treatment of the infection of the bladder, vesical amoebiasis 

 is not mentioned. 



The statement that suprapubic cystotomy is contraindicated in children 

 is contrary to the best modern surgical practice. The suprapubic method 

 is preferred by surgeons to the perineal operation in children, especially 

 young children, if the calculus is too small or too hard to be easily 

 removed by crushing. The article on suprapubic cystotomy tells us 

 that the bladder must be tightly sutured about the drainage tube for 

 fear of infecting the prevesical space by the escaping urine. This is 

 not necessary. There need be no fear of infection of the prevesical 

 space so long as there is free drainage. 



We are told that a floating kidney may be retained in position by a 

 pad placed over the caecum. Assuming that this treatment is intended 



67 



