Extrasystoles and Allied Arralythmias

increased the number of pages by i io and the figures by 73. A considerable part of the increase in size is due to an expansion of the section dealing with the nervous system; so far as this results in a more adequate account of the cytology of the neurone and of the other constituents of the nervous system such as neuroglia, this can be welcomed unreservedly, but the addition of a little neuroanatomy, much of which is covered in elementary textbooks of biology, is of doubtful value. Several other chapters have been rewritten, notably that dealing with the cell, which now forms an excellent introduction to modem ideas and methods in cytology. The chapter on the liver has been rewritten and that on the kidney very largely rewritten. Most chapters in fact have received some addition or modification and there is no doubt that the general result has been to improve the text considerably and to bring it into closer relationship with recent advances in histological knowledge and technique. While the illustrations have also been improved, quite a large proportion of the microphotographs are less good than one would expect in a book of this price and standard of production. It is very satisfactory that the book should have survived the modifications necessary in a second edition without losing any of the excellent qualities of the first. It remains an exceedingly readable and intelligent introduction to the study of histology, and has avoided that dreary and impersonal quality which is so characteristic of most textbooks. It is intended primarily for the undergraduate medical student, and naturally is written from the point of view of undergraduate needs and difficulties. Histology, however, enters very largely into almost all aspects of post-graduate medical work. Most post-graduates find that they need special knowledge in some aspect of the subject, and if they are not already expert histologists the relevant sections of this book will be extremely helpful. No textbook, of course, and certainly not one which is limited to a single volume, can provide the detailed knowledge of specialized aspects or applications which postgraduate work may require. It will nearly always be necessary to consult original papers, and for this the classified lists of references given at the end of each chapter will be of great value.