PREFACE TO THE FIFTH EDITION. 



In the preface to the second edition of this manual the 

 author states that: "the purpose of this book is to give in 

 the smallest possible space the facts which a physician must 

 know, with some of those which it is desirable that he should 

 know, and a little of that which he may learn if his needs or 

 inclinations lead him to go further." While n the present 

 edition this purpose has been kept in mind by the reviser, 

 nevertheless it has been necessary to make many alterations 

 in order to place the work abreast of the progress which has 

 been made since the publication of the last edition. Some 

 things which have become obsolete have been omitted, much 

 that is new has been added, and the scope has been somewhat 

 widened. 



Since the book is designed primarily for medical students, 

 the method of expression, as in former editions, is often more 

 definite than is perhaps justifiable, and it must be understood 

 that this form is adopted merely in order to make a clear 

 presentation of the subject, not that the matter is in every 

 such case finally settled, nor that the views as stated are 

 necessarily shared by the author or the reviser, but that they 

 are held by those whose opinions are worthy of consideration, 

 and are the interpretation of the results of painstaking investi- 

 gation, but which, nevertheless, may be in time modified or 

 abandoned as a result of further research. 



Those who are familiar with the former editions of the 

 book will find that the arrangement of chapters is the same as 

 heretofore. Many references to the literature have been added, 



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