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To the Editor:— In the London letter inThe Journal, January 20, page 266, under the title "Control of Venereal Disease in the War," is set out what purports to be a statement of the present policy of the British army authorities. This letter appears to be an extract of an article which appeared in the Lancet , Nov. 18, 1939, in which the author gave details of the policy of Ruritania toward venereal disease. In fact, the methods now employed in the British army do not include such things as arsphenamine injections three times a week, the use of liposoluble bismuth or the issue of leaflets on venereal disease to troops before they leave England. In addition, prophylaxis is not compulsory, nor was Col. B. L. Ank ("Blank"!) lent to the army by the Ministry of Hygiene. I should be very grateful, therefore, if you would take the earliest opportunity more...

OF making many books there is no end, but this is not true of text-books on venereal diseases published in Great Britain ; for this reason Dr. Marshall‘s manual is particularly welcome, more especially as it is full of sound teaching which should be valuable both to the student and to the practitioner. Venereal diseases have been with us since time immemorial, nor have they changed very much ; but their treatment is constantly changing, and this has been most marked since the introduction of the sulphonamides and penicillin. No doubt this was largely the reason for the production of a second edition so soon after the first. This second edition contains a number of minor changes and improvements, but is of chief importance in that it brings the therapeutic use of penicillin up to date and at the same time introduces new matter on intensive and semi-intensive arsenotherapy, non-gonococcal urethritis, which was so prevalent in most armies during the War, and Reiter‘s syndrome, which, if it is not venereal in origin, certainly brings many patients to venereal diseases clinics. Those who are not familiar with this condition will do well to read What Dr. Marshall has to say about it, because no doubt it is one which has been frequently missed in the past and is probably commoner than many suppose ; moreover, treatment is far from satisfactory, and patients are often rendered incapable of work for many weeks by the painful arthritis which is one of the prominent features. The Venereal Diseases A Manual for Practitioners and Students. By Dr. James Marshall. Second edition. Pp. xvi + 370. (London : Macmillan and Co., Ltd., 1948.) 21s. net. more...