YALE JOURNAL OF BIOLOGY AND MEDICI NE Volumne 31, September 1958
always the vise physician, Dr. Means gives credit to the loyalty of the ward's benefactors and staff. The style is informal and lucid. Apparently writing for both medical and nonmedical readers, the author boldly explains complex metabolic in- terrelationships for the benefit of all-with the aid of a glossary that would serve handsomely in any textbook of medicine. To Dr. Means, Ward 4 symbolizes freedom of inquiry, scientific prog- ress through the interchange of ideas, and the critical role of the patient in medical learning. His account of its first thirty-two years should pro- vide inspiration and pleasure for all those interested in the making of modern medicine. WILLIAM A. TISDALE
THE INCURABLE WOUND AND FURTHER NARRATIVES OF MEDICAL DE-
TECTION. By Berton Roueche. Boston, Little, Brown, and Co., 1958. 177 pp. $3.50. This is the second collection of narratives to be presented in book form by Mr. Roueche. As was the case with his first book, Eleven Blue Men, each of these narratives has appeared first in The New Yorker magazine. The contents of this volume include six narratives which concern them- selves respectively with the following subjects: amnesia; the direct trans- mission of rabies to man by insectivorous bats found in this country; a case of carbontetrachloride poisoning; the history of aspirin-its role as an analgesic and antipyretic and its potential as a poison; the operations of the Poison Control Center in New York City's Department of Health; and the case history of a patient with periarteritis nodosa who exhibits a clinical picture consistent with manic-depressive psychosis while receiving large daily doses of cortisone. Each of these narratives gives adequate demonstration of the author's thorough study and comprehension of the medical subject matter at hand. This combined with his talent as a story-teller results in exciting reading for the lay and professional person alike. Whereas Sir Arthur Conan Doyle brought the skill and techniques of the diagnostician to detective fiction, Mr. Roueche has enhanced these narrations of medical topics with his skill as a writer of mysteries. In summary, this volume offers light, informative, intelligent, and enjoyable relaxation for the clinician or acad- emician who is not a regular reader of The New Yorker. WILLIAM L. KISSICK
[Public Health 1973-May Vol. 87 Iss. 4] - Effectiveness and Efficiency_ Random Reflections on Health Services_ by a. L. Cochrane.pp. 85. London, Nuffield Provincial Hosp (1973) [10.1016_s0033-3506(73)80082-4] - Libgen.li
