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Every physician should know how to prepare a paper for presentation at a medical meeting or publication in a medical journal. Perhaps the most convincing reason for this is an altruistic one. Since writing is the only means the medical profession has of universally disseminating knowledge concerning new therapeutic concepts, medical discoveries, or clinical experience, it is the moral obligation of every physician who has made an original scientific observation, or has formulated from his own experience a new medical theory, to publish it for the information of his colleagues, and the ultimate benefit of mankind. Another good motive for writing medical articles is a purely selfish one. In addition to the sheer joy derived from effective self-expression, the physician who prepares an article on a certain subject broadens his own knowledge of that subject, for, before he can present his material in a comprehensive manner, he must have a

The American Board of Legal Medicine was incorporated in 1951. Its membership is limited to doctors who also possess a degree in law or who have had at least five years' medicolegal experience. Since its founding, this organization has sponsored a number of meetings. This book represents a collection of papers presented at these meetings on a number of medicolegal subjects. The papers themselves may be said to represent the expression of opinions of the men who have taken the time and trouble to present a point of view. Individually, the papers are of uneven quality. Collectively, they are of interest as they reflect the character of the sponsoring organization.

The title of this paper may seem rather an ambitious one, since the study of vital and social statistics, and their application to the comparative study of races and nations, is almost too new to furnish many principles that may serve as bases of induction. However, I purpose to state in a fragmentary way a few notes and observations bearing on the subject. More than usual experience as a traveller has brought me in contact with various races of men under different mesological conditions. Experience and observation in this line show that, in spite of physical and moral varieties, there exists practically, for the physician, but one people, since there are no wide differences, biologically or medically speaking, in the human species; and the infirmities of men, notwithstanding their physical inequalities and the extensive range of the nosological table, are much the same the world over, no matter whether they

This book is the 42nd in a series of public health papers published by the World Health Organization. In summary fashion it deals with the collection of perinatal epidemiological and statistical data, specific perinatal medical problems, the organization of care, and the required directions of perinatal training and research. Reading this book reacquaints one with the painful process of making decisions and recommendations by committee and the rapidity with which our technical world moves, dating some of the statements in this relatively recent publication. Most of the recommendations made in this book will find wide agreement among working perinatologists. There is even a recommendation that in the basic training of every physician "the time allocated to neonatology should be between a quarter and a third of that devoted to pediatrics." There are some portions of the book that are not particularly helpful. The discussion of the clinical terminology surrounding hyaline

The rationale for this book appears to be the editor's conviction that medicine should "rediscover" therapeutic uses of marihuana. In an attempt to buttress this thesis, he compiled 25 of the "better professional journal articles" from the past 133 years that pertain to various medicinal or scientific aspects of the drug. Most articles describe personal experiences, therapeutic applications with patients, acute clinical studies, or chemical and pharmacological endeavors. Only Musto's excellent review of the 1937 Marihuana Tax Act is not directly concerned with medical or pharmacological effects of cannabis. After O'Shaughnessy introduced marihuana into the Western pharmacopoeia in 1839 (his report is the first in this book), the drug was promptly recommended for an utterly endless list of disorders. Despite utopian claims, however, wide acceptance never evolved. The editor's primary explanation for this is that recent "recreational" use and the "resultant restrictive federal legislation" functionally ended medical applications of marihuana.

Mr. President and Fellow-members of the Ohio State Medical Society: The subject of fever—in its general aspect—has been deemed worthy of so much labor and study on the part of the physiologist, the pathologist and the clinician, and is of such practical import to all who practice our art in any of its branches, that no apology is necessary, I trust, for bringing one of its numerous phases before this society for consideration. Looking at its most constant and evident symptom—the pyrexia—the physiologist points out, and the pathologist, and clinician confirm the probable •existence of heat-producing, heat controlling and heat dissipating areas, situated in the central nervous system, and influencing by their abnormal action the production of this particular symptom. That the pyrexia, however, does not constitute the disease is quite evident, since, it may be absent, controlled or even eliminated, and yet the patient be far from well. While

Nowadays, we hear a lot about stress. Recently, Asher wrote a delightful comment upon the relationship between stress and organic disease. I quote from his Lettsomian lecture, published in the Lancet 2:417, 1959: "Consider the ubiquitous stress factor, now accepted as the origin of many modern diseases—peptic ulcer, asthma, and ulcerative colitis. Here is a particularly well-written passage of this subject, from the pen of a distinguished physician: 'Peptic ulcer—one of the pestilent camp followers of civilization—one of the penalties we pay for our boasted progress, seems to be more than keeping pace with our advancement, and to be attaching itself especially to certain forms and phases of civilization. There is reason to believe that it is, if not of modern origin, at least of modern growth, and that modern habits and modern modes of life have something to do with its propagation. This is essentially a feverish and fidgetty

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[Read at the meeting the of Section on Medicine of the British Medical Association, in Liverpool, August 2, 1883.] Mr. President and Gentlemen: The subject which I have selected for a short paper cannot, perhaps, be said to belong in the higher regions of pathology and practice, but it is one which, as it seems to me, has considerable material importance. Most writers on practical medicine at the present time, as in the past, recommend tapping, in cases of ascites, as a last resort, to be employed only when the dropsical accumulation has occasioned an alarming interference with respiration, and after other measures of treatment have proved ineffectual. The practice of most physicians now, as hitherto, I suppose to be in accordance with this recommendation. Many years ago I was led by reasoning and by clinical observation to advocate tapping early in cases of that affection. In 1863 I communicated

Paris, Ill., March 10, 1905. To the Editor: —A few days ago I received a pamphlet gotten out by a proprietary medicine firm, containing an editorial from theVermont Medical Monthly, attempting to justify the use of secret remedies. We are not surprised to find such articles in some so-called medical journals, but expect better things from the official organ of a state medical society. Some physicians throw secret remedy circulars into the waste paper basket at once, but I examine them, because some are well written, and because I enjoy separating the true from the false statements which they contain. After giving the subject a good deal of thought I have come to the conclusion that any physician who prescribes a secret remedy is not only very foolish, but does great harm to the community in which he pretends to practice medicine. He is like the physician who, when

It is the purpose of this paper to introduce to the otolaryngologist neosynephrin hydrochloride, a new vasoconstrictor which some pharmacologists believe to be superior to epinephrine and ephedrine for local intranasal application. Neosynephrin hydrochloride was accepted by the Council on Pharmacy and Chemistry of the American Medical Association about two years ago and is described in "New and Nonofficial Remedies," yet many otolaryngologists are not familiar with its biologic properties because investigators have reported their experimental and clinical results only in pharmacologic journals. In order to make this paper complete I wish to give, first, a brief resume of the chemistry of the drug and its relationship to other popular vasoconstrictors; second, a review of the previous biologic investigations and a report of the experiments on local intranasal application carried out for purposes of confirmation, and, finally, a resume of fifteen cases, with a summary of

THE PAPERS by Lobel which appeared, one in 1949 1 and its successor in 1951, 2 on the use of vitamin A for the control of tinnitus and chronic progressive deafness stirred the hopes of patients and the enthusiasm of the press by reason of the outstandingly good results reported. Otologists in the main kept their fingers crossed. Soon reports by other investigators appeared, some favorable,* some unfavorable.† It was of personal importance to gain firsthand knowledge of the rights of the matter; wherefore the following investigation was undertaken. It was noticeable that in three of the six case reports in the second of Lobel's papers, the patients were given vitamin B complex intravenously, the preparation and dosage unspecified. In the other three cases, and in the text of this and of the first paper, no mention was made of the use of vitamin B complex or of any of

Although hallucinogenic drugs have been used for various purposes for centuries, serious medical studies of them began only about one century ago. In more recent years the use of compounds like D-lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD-25), as well as congeners and derivatives, has become the subject of scientific scrutiny. Of major interest to the practicing physician is the value of these compounds either as therapeutic agents or as adjuncts to psychotherapy. While the evaluation of the psychotherapeutic procedure itself is certainly not readily achieved statistically, the psychopharmacologic action of these drugs can be and has been determined by replicable techniques on man. More than 1,000 papers have appeared on the general aspect of the subject since 1943. Previous conferences have tried to integrate results and to clarify the value of these drugs. The present volume covers an extended conference of the Royal Medico-Psychological Association in 1961. Here are reported the papers

To the Editor:— Dr. Collins' criticism of my definition of placebo is somewhat tangential to the main emphasis of my paper, which was on the etiological factors in the placebo effect and not on the definition. The basis for my definition was discussed extensively in another paper referred to in the article.1 Dr. Collins avoids the problem of proposing a formal definition. Hisimplieddefinition seems to be: "A placebo is what a somebody does to a somebody" which is thought by the latter to be helpful. This definition has several shortcomings: negative placebo effects, which may arise when the patient thinks the doctor isnothelping, cannot be included in his definition. I agree with Dr. Collins that the placebo should refer to therapies and that physician and patient, or their cultural and symbolic representatives, are essential to the definition. But a definition should include more than this

Problems of Psychiatry and Neurology is another in a series of English translations of the Russian scientific literature undertaken by the Pergamon Press with assistance from the National Institutes of Health. This volume concerns itself with the Transactions of the Leningrad Scientific Society of Neurologists and Psychiatrists and consists primarily of papers with clinical orientation. The similarity of clinical problems and interests of our Russian colleagues in the practice of medicine are readily evident in the titles of the various chapters. Hence, one finds papers dealing with treatment of epilepsy; clinical aspects of thrombosis of the basilar artery disease; technique of air encephalography; and state and tasks of soviet child psychiatry. These everyday problems of clinical practice are presented in a manner not too dissimilar to that which we ourselves encounter at local medical meetings and in regional publications. The papers are all brief, cover the essentials of the problem

This book offers a compendium of papers presented at the Third European Congress of Perinatal Medicine held in Lausanne, Switzerland in April 1972. It is in three main parts: (1) three introductory lectures offer overviews of perinatology from differing perspectives; (2) roundtables in which a number of original papers are presented on each of four major topics, perinatal pharmacology, cesareian section deliveries, prognosis of the high-risk newborn, and monitoring and intensive care in perinatal medicine; and (3) free communications, which number more than 200 brief abstracts of original research projects. The symposium itself is most commendable in that it represents another bringing together and opening up of further dialogue among those concerned with the welfare of perinatal patients: pediatricians, obstetricians, clinical pharmacologists, and biomedical engineers. The vast majority of contributors are from Europe. Unfortunately, most of the presentations by members of one discipline will be of real interest only to

The Veterans Administration Department of Medicine and Surgery, the three Armed Forces, and several other organizations have engaged in a well-coordinated cooperative study of the chemotherapy of tuberculosis since the close of World War II. The 18th Conference was held in St. Louis, in February, 1959. This paper-bound volume is a complete transcript of fifty papers presented there along with spontaneous discussions and comments—sometimes of more worth than the formal presentations—thirty-one papers read by title, and committee reports which deal largely with future study plans. This conference had world-wide representation and can be expected to continue to exert a major influence in tuberculosis practice. The Transactions are devoted chiefly to drug therapy for tuberculosis—primarily pulmonary, of course—but they touch on several extra-thoracic forms of the disease as well. Other modalities of treatment, especially resectional surgery, receive attention. Several good papers are devoted to laboratory methods and the bacteriology of the

At the meeting of the New York State Medical Association on October 23, 1890, I gave my experience with the use of strophanthus in eight cases of Graves' disease. The paper was printed in The Journal of the American Medical Association in Vol. xv, No. 21, 1890, page 785. Previous to writing that paper only two or three references to the use of strophanthus in this disease had been seen by the writer in current medical literature, and since that time the year books and journal articles recommend other therapeutical measures as a rule—rarely referring to this recent addition to our materia medica. While my own use of the drug in this particular disease antedated by more than a year any reference to it in the medical literature, still it had been recommended before the publication of my cases, so that I have no claim to originality or even priority

Here is an example of the confusion or corruption of physicians who beat the drum in a symposium on treating "stress" with hesperidin. This throw-away item appeared under the aegis of the Wayne County Chapter of The Michigan Academy of General Practice. Much scientific work has indicated that hesperidin is a not inexpensive placebo. Controlled studies reported by Shils and Goodhart indicated that such flavonoids are without therapeutic effect. It is not surprising that they have been used to treat hypothetical states or diseases for which there is no known cure and others for which better methods of therapy are known. Perhaps the best that can be said for the papers is that they represent the testimonial approach—statements unsupported by evidence. The papers reveal ignorance of disease and of the experimental method. The Michigan Academy of General Practice has done itself and medicine conspicuous disservice in supporting the hard sell

This book, the sixth in a series entitled Progress in Respiration Research (the first was published in 1962), comprises papers presented at the 1969 meeting of the European Society for Pathophysiology of Respiration. All papers pertain to chronic bronchitis. Of the 71 contributions, 36 are in German, 20 in English, and 15 in French; consequently, the book will have limited value for physicians who read only English. The dust jacket's statements that the contributions indicate how "research work is having a significant effect on the daily practice of medicine" and that the volume gives an excellent summary of therapy of bronchitis are unwarranted. There are only a few papers on treatment, and one of these concludes that "judgment of results of therapy of chronic nonspecific obstructive lung diseases is a very complicated problem." Although the volume is not one of those logorrheic products of symposia and although the papers are

With 23 papers on unrelated problems of clinical rheumatology, the editor, Dr. Allan St.J. Dixon, has selected his contributors so that all the topics are handled with authority and freshness. His contributors, mostly from England but some from the United States, include some senior clinicians such as Professor Bywaters who, with Dr. J. T. Scott, has contributed an excellent review on systemic diseases of connective tissue. Many of the papers are by younger rheumatologists, however, and often they have brought to their topics new knowledge, enthusiastically presented. It is not possible to comment on all the individual topics, but Dr. D. A. Brewerton described the hand deformities of rheumatoid arthritis with great clarity. A paper on surgical correction of the hand lesions, by Dr. Peter Casagrande, made an excellent sequence on this complicated but important clinical feature of the disease. Dr. Malcolm Thompson's description of the multiple clinical features of

IN A PAPER published in theArchivesin 1964, Conrad et al 1 present the results from a double-blind study of long-term oral anticoagulant therapy for the prevention of recurrences of myocardial infarction. In the introduction to their paper we find the following words: "Unfortunately, past medical trials conducted to test the effectiveness of long-term anticoagulant therapy in preventing recurrences of myocardial infarction have been designed so poorly that they do not qualify as controlled medical trials." We should, ourselves, be hesitant to apply such rigorous critical standards, but their adoption by the authors arouses admiration and gives rise to a keen sense of anticipation as to the quality of their own study. It was, therefore, with some dismay that we found ourselves unable to accept many of the interpretations which the authors put on their own results. Some readers may have accepted the authors' conclusions without a careful scrutiny

One needs but to examine the literature and to see who writes upon the topic, to ascertain beyond question that the subject of insanity receives but little attention from the general practitioner. After looking over the reports of the last five sessions of the Oregon State Medical Society, and calling to mind the work of the Portland Medical Society during the same period, it seems safe to say that not a paper upon this subject has been presented by a physician of this State at any of these meetings during such time. Papers upon almost all medical topics have been presented before these societies by physicians of this State, but the great field of psychiatry has been during this period ignored. The history of medicine in Oregon in this particular is, to a great extent, the history of medicine everywhere, and it teaches us that the general practitioner is leaving

To the Editor .—Dr. Grand's letter states that an error was made in the use of the phrase, "The original description of this clinical entity...." in my paper on "Acute Diarrheal Disorders of Newborn Infants," in the April 1950 issue of theAmerican Journal Of Diseases Of Children. I am fully aware that Barenberg, Levy and Grand published their observations on an "Epidemic of Infectious Diarrhea in the New-Born" in the April 11, 1936 issue of The Journal of the American Medical Association . Table 2, line 4, and the accompanying text in the paper by Rice, Best, Frant and Abramson, in the Aug. 14, 1937 issue of The Journal of the American Medical Association , accord proper recognition to the publication of Barenberg, Levy and Grand in the chronologic summary of the early outbreaks in New York city that were investigated by the department of health. Table 1 in the paper

The correspondent regrets the lack of emphasis upon homosexuality and the part it plays in maintaining infectious syphilis in a community. To those interested in syphilis this fact is neither "forgotten, unknown, nor neglected." This topic had a prominent place on the program of the World Forum on Syphilis and Other Treponematoses last September. In a more expanded paper read at the Forum, the author of the communication in question gave attention to this topic, and the reference list was more extended. The contracted paper was to point up the need for an awareness by the practicing physician of his responsibility in epidemiological control. The physician already knowledgeable in this area is well aware of the role of homosexuality. In the implementation of education for the unknowledgeable, the role of homosexuality will, no doubt, not be forgotten by the physician-teacher nor by the health officer. Regarding another item in the

Presented in Section on Practice of Medicine and Materia Medica of American Medical Association, May 8, 1884. Dr. Formad opened the discussion on this subject, but refrained from presenting it for publication, as a similar paper, by himself, and giving his views in full, had just been published in The Journal of theAmerican Medical Association, April 26, 1884. He said, in the remarks which he read before the section, that he was not at liberty to present any additional matters upon the subject, being about to publish, in conjunction with Professor William Pepper, Provost of the University of Pennsylvania, a monograph on tuberculosis, in which the whole of his research and experiments, upon which his views were based, will be related with full details. Dr. Formad's paper elicited the following DISCUSSION. Dr. Austin Flint, Sr., thought that if tuberculosis was an infectious disease, produced by a parasite, its contagiousness

In view of the tact that modern medicine is chiefly occupied in bacteriological investigations of a more or less practical nature, it is perhaps too much for one to expect a subject as old and apparently wellworn as that selected for discussion in the present paper, to attract much attention, or excite a great deal of interest. I am convinced, however, that there are those present who, if they so choose, can express views upon the action of heat and cold, and upon hydrotherapy in general, which will be both interesting and profitable. A desire to hear such expressions of opinion upon a subject in which I am greatly interested, rather than the hope of adding greatly to our general fund of information, must be my apology for presenting this paper. The usefulness of water in its various forms in the prevention and treatment of disease is very great, and

Turn on the radio, casually glance through advertisements in papers and periodicals or read the signs which are scattered everywhere along the highways, and it soon becomes evident how important symptoms of dyspepsia have become to the laity. All these advertising mediums give instructions on how to return to gastronomic happiness by easy and inexpensive means. In this paper we shall outline some of the more frequent causes of chronic dyspepsia and submit evidence pointing to the danger, particularly at certain ages, of the layman's attempting to cure himself by taking advertised therapeutic nostrums. Physicians are in part responsible for this lamentable situation, because a diagnosis of "dyspepsia" is frequently made although, as is well known, this condition is not a disease but only a symptom. In the hope that certain symptoms are transitory and inconsequential, the physician sometimes advises easily available medications which have previously been found to be

The participants of this Symposium were predominantly British psychiatrists with a few representatives from "overseas" such as Himwich and Brodie (USA) and Pletscher (Switzerland). The avowed aim of this book "is to review the present state of knowledge of the clinical and therapeutic effects and the mode of action of the various psychotropic drugs." It is divided into five sessions, namely—Basic Concepts, Major Tranquilizers, Anti-Depressants, Anti-Anxiety Compounds, and General Considerations. In general the subject matter is presented in a lucid and clear-cut style, though the papers by pharmacologists such as Pletscher and Brodie are difficult for the clinician to assimilate. Each major session consists of a few main papers, followed by two formal discussions, and finally a general discussion. In the opening session on general concepts, Hamilton has much to say that is worthwhile both reading and remembering. He stresses the importance of accurately

To the Editor:— I am writing concerning my article "The Family Physician and Heart Disease" inThe Journal, Nov. 7, 1953. I wish to state that some of the material used in the first part of my paper was taken from a paper presented to the Florida State Medical Association in April, 1953, by Dr. Sidney Davidson of Lake Worth, Fla. Dr. Davidson's paper was later published in the January, 1954, issue of the Journal of the Florida Medical Association . It is my wish to give Dr. Davidson due credit for the material that I used from this paper.

Twenty-five investigators, in 16 contributions (in part reprinted) focus on the psychological and sociological aspects of abortion. This collection has pragmatic interest, for it reviews the experiences of patients and physicians in the light of changing laws. An introduction by the editor gives an overview of the problem and puts the papers in a wider perspective. Indeed, among the great values of this collection are the extensive bibliographies. In the first section, on attitudes, Pohlman examines abortion dogmas. Stone et al ask the intriguing question, to whom does the child belong? Polsky reviews other legal aspects. Ayd succinctly states the Catholic viewpoint. Beck looks at abortion from the little-studied perspective of the mental health consequences of unwantedness, while Alvarez and Wingate present the seldom-solicited attitude of the gynecologist. The second section presents reviews and studies, many of which shatter the prejudices and dogmas cited by Pohlman. Simon's paper should silence

IN THE SECTION on Dermatology of the American Medical Association (AMA), we try to have a diversified program. Papers are accepted which deal with new drug evaluations, and it is always hoped that these are controlled studies. New or improved treatment approaches will be given a place on the program. An attempt is made to appeal to clinicians as well as basic science investigators in the field of dermatology. A rather large number of papers are reviewed and it is our purpose to try to judge these on quality as best possible. We also endeavor not to overbalance the program with a single individual or institution. National geographic distribution is taken into consideration with all papers. The section feels that this meeting gives another opportunity for the relatively unknown individual to present his work for review.

This agglomeration of eight papers from two 1967 international congresses—chemotherapy (Vienna) and dermatology (Munich)—falls disappointingly short of providing the up-to-date reference work the title suggests it might. Two thirds of the book covers the antibiotic therapy of syphilis in monotonous and repetitious detail. Additional chapters briefly consider gonorrhea in the male, trichomoniasis, and nonspecific urethritis, but other venereal diseases are entirely ignored. Inevitably, with a heterogeneous group of authors such as this, the scope, style, content, and overall quality of individual papers vary greatly. "Antibiotic Treatment of Syphilis" by Guthe and Idsoe and "Trichomoniasis — Metronidazole" by Durell et al best fulfill the intent of this book, with concise and informative discussions of recent advances and problems encountered in therapy. "Late Syphilis— Prevention and Treatment" by A. Perdrup and "Causes and Treatment of Nonspecific Urethritis in the Male" by J. Meyer-Rohn, on the other hand, contribute little and would better

In 1920, C. Morton Smith, 1 in a paper read before the American Dermatological Association, made the statement that "It seems probable that secondary and tertiary lesions of syphilis will continue to occur less and less frequently." In the discussion on this paper, various observers agreed with him in this and also in the observation that teaching material was becoming more scanty. The belief seems to have been that acute syphilitic eruptions were gradually diminishing in numbers, and that teaching material would eventually become so scarce as to constitute a serious handicap for future students of medicine. At that time it was our impression that a similar state of affairs obtained at the Washington University Medical School. We then began gathering the material for this statistical study. It seemed wiser, however, to wait a little longer and to include the years 1921 and 1922 in order to observe postbellum effects

The first third of the book is a review of the history of psychosomatic medicine from the earliest days of metaphysics down to the more recent days of metaphysics. After criticizing Cartesian mind-body dualism throughout the first chapter, the authors write the following clause in the second chapter, "... Freud, who drew our attention to the mighty influence which the psyche has in the soma." The book is a survey, not a critical analysis. Anecdotes, quotations from philosophers and commentators, unique cases, and carefully done experiments are all assigned equal weight. The second third of the book describes in great detail the literature on psychological and sociological variables in rheumatoid arthritis, asthma, and duodenal ulcer. Part of this is quaint; the only definition of rheumatoid arthritis quoted in the book attributes the disorder to "focal infection." Part induces despair. Paper after paper presenting case studies of rheumatoid arthritis, asthma, and

J. B. Cole and R. W. Gerard, Editors. Proceedings of a Conference on the Evaluation of Pharmacotherapy in Mental Illness, sponsored by the National Institute of Mental Health, the National Academy of Sciences-National Research Council, and the American Psychiatric Association, Washington, D. C., Sept. 18-22, 1956. Publication 583. Price, not given. Pp. 662. National Academy of Sciences-National Research Council, Washington 25, D. C., 1959. This volume summarizes the knowledge of psychopharmacology existing in 1956 under the following headings: I. General Review Papers; II. Preliminary Screening of Drugs; III. Patient Selection and Controls; IV. Test Conditions, and V. Evaluation. Each paper is thoroughly discussed, and at the final session published under the heading VI. Main Conference the overall reports of each of the five sections are discussed. The volume contains a wealth of material and should be carefully read by all persons concerned with any phase of psychopharmacology.

To the Editor:— Although Sister Kenny's concept of treating poliomyelitis in the acute stage had a purely empiric origin, her observations were so acute that they approached truth, as truth is revealed in nature. The rationale of her physical therapeutic methods is finding accruing support as the newer knowledge of the pathologic physiology of this disease unfolds. The five papers inThe Journalwhich were originally read in the Panel Discussion on Poliomyelitis at the Ninety-Third Annual Session of the American Medical Association enable the reader to contrast and weigh the contributions of the science of medicine, and the art of its practice, to the treatment of a single important disease. Having read these papers, one feels that, although physical therapy is a tool admittedly replete with dogma, it is neither just nor fair to blame the technical assistant for the poor results of a treatment prescribed by the doctor.

Dear Sir: —A paper under the above title recently appeared inThe Journalwhich called out some comment to which the author has objected in the last issue (March 19). In this last note he seems to have gone quite as far as the reviewer in refuting his former claims. From the comprehensiveness of the title and from the tenor of his paper one would naturally suppose he had some information to impart about asthma, but he now claims that he was not writing about asthma, but about "a rarer form of the disease." Every laryngologist, and probably nearly every general practitioner, knows that cauterization of the turbinated bodies will cure rare cases of asthma. If the gentleman had entitled his paper "A Case of Asthma Benefited by Treatment," and had confined his subsequent remarks to a statement of facts as pointed out in the review, he would not have

Physicians interested in the treatment of cancer of the head and neck, who were unable to attend this extensive symposium devoted to many aspects of the topic, will welcome this book. By no means a monograph, these papers are from "an outstanding group of specialists who devote their entire life to these problems... encouraged to give their personal opinions on the basis of their experience, hoping that the information would be... provocative." Although not a composite compendium of all methods and techniques, these papers—some old, but most new—interpret truly international concepts and are everything the editor had planned. Several articles are reviews of previously published papers; the majority have a personal touch and a philosophy invariably present in symposia of this type. A few carry the ornate prose of the speakers, which undoubtedly would have been edited in a monograph; most of the articles are extremely full. It must have

Foreword In the Aug. 25, 1956, issue of The Lancet Dr. Raymond Whitehead, reader in pathology, University of Manchester, had a special article on "English for Doctors." It was so interesting and seemed to be so valuable for all of us who are reading and writing for medical and surgical journals that he was asked if he would write a somewhat similar article for the A. M. A.Archives of Surgery. This he has done, and his paper on "Principles of Medical Writing" appears in this issue. I am sure that our readers will find it an article of real interest. Waltman Walters, M.D. The physician can hardly escape writing something. If he is a teacher, the writing of scientific papers will be an important part of his work. Others may practice in silence for years; then comes the request for a presidential address, or some shorter piece, such as

In a paper already published by one of us, 1 the value of intravenous injections of typhoid vaccine in acute arthritis was discussed. In the present study, we have confined ourselves to the determination of the value of foreign protein in the treatment of the more obstinate chronic cases of arthritis. The observations contained in this paper cover a period of four years, and during that time we have endeavored to find answers to a number of important questions relative to this subject. We have attempted to determine whether it is possible to actually and permanently cure cases of chronic arthritis by this method of treatment, or whether, in the absence of a cure, it is possible to improve the patient's condition without at the same time doing him harm. In using the word "cure" we wish to convey the meaning of decided improvement of motion, and cessation of arthritic pain.

To the Editor:— Dr. Iago Galdston's paper "The Birth and Death of Specialties," which appeared on pages 2056-2061 in the Aug. 23, 1958, issue ofThe Journal, was read as the sixth Herman L. Reiss Memorial Lecture at the New York Academy of Medicine Building on Oct. 28, 1957, on invitation by the New York Institute of Clinical Oral Pathology. We believe that the readers ofThe Journalmight like to have this additional information, since there was no reference to it in the footnote when the paper was published.

In the year 1869 at its annual meeting the Assembly of the American Medical Association adopted a resolution which recognized the specialties as proper and legitimate fields of medical practice. A few of the specialties were then organized into sections, but dermatology was not represented until eighteen years later. In the meantime, J. V. Shoemaker of Philadelphia read a paper on "Mechanical Remedies in the Treatment of Skin Diseases" before the Section of Practice of Medicine and Materia Medica in 1883. In 1884 in the same section Louis A. Duhring read a paper on "Dermatitis Herpetiformis." In 1887 Henry J. Reynolds addressed the section, his subject being "A New Method of Producing Local Anesthesia of the Skin." In the same year L. Duncan Bulkley presented two papers, one on "Infant Feeding, Especially with Reference to Subjects with Infantile Eczema" before the Section on Diseases of Children, the other on "The

When invited by the Secretary of this Section of your Association to prepare a paper to read before so intelligent a body of scientific men, representing the two noblest professions to which men have ever devoted time, toil or study, I instinctively shrank from the duty imposed with the conviction that there were many older and more experienced men in the profession who could present subjects of far greater interest than I; but your Secretary persisted and I reluctantly consented to prepare a paper on the above named subject. While casting about for a topic on which to write, this subject was suggested to my mind, not because of anything of an original character which I had to present, but by a little episode to which I was compelled to listen while at dinner, and which may not be wholly out of place if related at this time. On the

In order to vary the routine Wartman has continued his most interesting discussion of what one might call the etiology if not the pathogenesis of this "Year Book." Last year he took us behind the scenes explaining the process of editing. This year he discusses the problem of the journals which contain the papers of interest to pathologists. One-third of the articles abstracted were from foreign journals, though relatively few were not in English. The journals abstracted comprise a highly selected series with obvious and admitted bias. It is of some moment to internists that forty-two per cent of the articles abstracted come from journals devoted to the basic sciences and internal medicine, which Wartman ascribes to the great investigative vigor in these areas. The second point of particular interest to editors is the fact that relatively few of the papers abstracted had been published in journals of pathology. As

This book should contribute to a better understanding of scleroderma and other connective tissue diseases. It does, but there are serious faults. Much of the volume is written in French. These contributions are excellent, but for those who do not read French they are of little value. Since the papers were presented at a symposium by many authors, unevenness is present. Some papers are cursory reviews, others exhaustive. For the most part, the nondermatologic symptoms and findings of scleroderma are especially well delineated with several new findings of biologic interest. This volume is recommended to the dermatologist and internist who are interested in the group of connective tissue diseases.

Dear Sir: I have read with much interest Dr. Nunn's paper, and the discussion had thereon, published in your issue of June 13, and take pleasure in adding my testimony to the value of biniodide of mercury in the treatment of severe cases of diphtheria. While pleased, however, with the admirably written paper, I was disappointed at finding no reference to the prophylaxis of the disease. Is it not as much the duty of the physician to prevent disease, or check its spreading, as it is to cure existing cases? In the Therapeutic Gazette , some seven years ago, I published my theory of the prophylaxis of diphtheria, and the article was largely copied by medical journals in this country and Canada. Having then had only a few opportunities for testing the trustworthiness of the theory, I requested practitioners who might test it, to send the results to me; and I

Highly technical papers should, I believe, be read before special societies and published in our two national publications. The papers of this section should be published byThe Journal, where they will get the greatest circulation and will be of the greatest educational value.The Journalwants papers on subjects which are of general interest and feels that highly technical papers which are only of interest to specially trained radiologists should be published elsewhere. It must not be forgotten that the majority of medical men who graduated more than ten years ago and many who have graduated since that time are surprisingly unfamiliar with the value of the x-rays in the diagnosis and treatment of many conditions familiar to the radiologist. The Radiological Society, the American Roentgen Ray Society and the American College of Radiology do not have the opportunity of putting our work before the general medical profession as

The abiding interest of the rosacea complex is indicated by the appearance in dermatologic literature of at least six major papers on this subject since 1920: those of Ryle and Barber, 1 Lortat-Jacob and Legrain, 2 W. H. Brown, 3 Rulison, 4 Eastwood 5 and Hachenburg. 6 These studies are marked seriatim by an increasing appreciation of the variety of factors involved and an increasingly searching inquiry into the mechanisms, especially the gastro-intestinal. In this paper, we aim to extend the discussion to include the psychogenic phase and to review the highly significant gastro-intestinal phase. Treatment based on the constitutional indications will then be seen to have at least the skeletal outlines of rationality. MATERIAL Our study is based on eighty-three white patients observed in the private practice of one of us (J. H. S.) over a six year period, with special attention to constitutional background and history. We have

It is a fact—striking though sad—that more cases of morphinism are met with among medical men than in all other professions combined. It is too true that a very large proportion of cases in general are found in our own fraternity. In a paper, "Opium Addiction among Medical Men," presented in the Medical Record , eleven years ago—June 9, 1883, reference was made to the dismissal within a week of a half dozen doctors recovered from this disease, and attention called to the surprising frequency with which it occurs in this particular class. Another decade of professional work exclusively given to the betterment of such patients has brought no decrease in this number; indeed the reverse has quite steadily obtained, so that in a paper, "The Ethics of Opium Habitues," Medical and Surgical Reporter , Sept. 8, 1888, in a resume of 300 cases, we noted 118 doctors, and of 125 most