PART SECOND. Bibliographical Record. ART. I. Ophthalmic Hospital Reports and Journal of the Royal London Ophthalmic Hospital. Edited by J. F. STREATFEILD.— London. Nos. IV. to XII. inclusive. - Ir is now three and a half years since the above-named periodicalthe only one in England devoted exclusively to ophthalmic considerations was undertaken; and we are glad to find that it has fully attained that high position which in our notice of the first three numbers (see the Review for October, 1857) we ventured to predict would be accorded to it, provided the scientific and practical character with which it started were maintained. The chief structure of the material brought together in its pages has been the same throughout all the numbers, but in the fourth one a modification as regards the quarterly reports of operations at the Ophthalmic Hospital was made, rendering them less formal and conspicuous, and consequently less tending to confer importance on the practice of a single institution; and this arrangement has been adhered to ever since. In the first number existed some expression of doubt as to the co-operation of the profession in contributing to its pages. We now have to congratulate Mr. Streatfeild and the other authorities of the Ophthalmic Hospital that much good literary support has been forthcoming from so many quarters. The monographs which appear are of the most varied character. To select from them for special mention would be an invidious task when so much excellence characterizes all, and to attempt a description of the original communications which would be of any real value would require more space than we have at our disposal. We shall therefore content ourselves with giving a simple enumeration of the various papers presented in the last nine numbers of the 'Reports.' Commencing in No. IV. with a notice on the Operations for Cataract among the natives of India, by Mr. W. Martin, we pass on to the continuations of Mr. Poland's paper on Protrusion of the Eyeball, and of Mr. Hulke's on the Growth, &c., of the Crystalline Lens; and these are followed by a dissertation, by Mr. Hutchinson, on Hereditary Syphilitic Disease of the Eye. In No. V., Mr. Hutchinson's paper is continued, and we have one by Mr. V. Solomon on Reclination of Cataract with Two Needles, one by Mr. Critchett on Iriddesis, and another by Dr. Bader on the Ophthalmoscopic Appearances of Secon dary Syphilis. No. VI. contains Dr. A. S. Taylor's contribution on Ophthalmia from Arsenical Wall-papers, Mr. France's contribution on Cataract and Diabetes, Mr. Dixon's on the Extraction of Foreign Bodies from the Vitreous Chamber, and two papers by Mr. Hulke, one being on Dacryops and one on Injuries causing Rupture of the Eyeball. In No. VII. will be found a paper by Dr. Letheby on the Iris, and one by Mr. France upon the Forceps in Extraction of Cataract. In No. VIII. we have the continuation of Mr. Hutchinson's paper on Syphilis, &c., one by Dr. Bryson on Night Blindness in connexion with Scurvy, as also the first part of Dr. John Wells's paper on Paralytic Affections of the Muscles of the Eye, which is continued in all the succeeding numbers. No. IX. furnishes Further Remarks on the Formation of Artificial Pupil by Mr. Critchett, and a paper by Mr. Bowman on Conical Cornea and its Treatment by Operation. In No. X. Mr. White Cooper writes on Foreign Bodies in the Eyeball, and Mr. Poland continues his observations on Protrusion thereof. No. XI., more bulky than its associates, comprehends a short paper on Glaucoma and the Optic Papilla by Dr. Mackenzie of Glasgow, a continuation of Mr. Poland and Mr. Hutchinson's above-mentioned observations, and a lengthy paper by Mr. Streatfeild, the editor, on Corelysis, or pupil-freeing (kópn and Xvoic). The last and twelfth number, forming the first one of Volume III., embraces the conclusion of Dr. Wells's paper before mentioned, and also a paper by Mr. Hancock, On the Division of the Ciliary Muscle in Glaucoma. Of the above original communications it may be observed that wellnigh all are practical, and altogether in other respects of such a nature as to elevate the specialty of British ophthalmic medicine with which they are connected. Besides original matter, the Reports contain a vast assemblage of facts, observations, and selected cases by numerous observers; and we observe in No. XII. that a novelty exists in the shape of a "Periscope of Foreign Ophthalmology." This, we are particularly glad to see, is promised as a permanent addition to the 'Reports;' and the more so, as in our own quarterly chronicles we have so little room for supplying English readers with foreign science of this kind. We heartily hope the ener getic and able editor of this ophthalmological quarterly may find such additional support, both literary and pecuniary, that he may be the better enabled to render the volume committed to his charge a full exponent of the particular department of knowledge to which it is devoted. ART. II.—A Practical Treatise on Mechanical Dentistry. By JOSEPH RICHARDSON, D.D.S., M.D., Professor of Mechanical Dentistry in the Ohio College of Dental Surgery. With 110 Illustrations.London, 1860. pp. 427. DR. RICHARDSON's work is a desirable addition to those we have on this subject. It contains a valuable amount of information, which cannot fail to command the attention of all those who are interested in this branch of the profession. It has been said, “That any one who has had great experience in his art, and is sufficiently generous to give a candid result of his opportunities of study to his fellow practitioners, is entitled to the thanks of the whole profession." No one will be found more worthy in this respect than Dr. Richardson. We are well aware that the mechanical branch of dentistry can only be acquired by practical manipulation; still, it is of the first importance to the student, and a great boon to the young practitioner, to have at command the experience of one who has devoted so much study to elucidating the difficulties that occur in practice as Dr. Richardson has done. Only those who have had to overcome such difficulties without such a help can fully appreciate the benefits conferred by such a work. The first part of the book is devoted to " Metals employed in Dental Laboratory Operations, with preliminary Observations on the different Modes of applying Heat." The author differs from the majority of dentists as to the quality of the gold that should be used as a base for artificial teeth. The standard he recommends is higher than that generally used. The advantage of which, however, we conceive to be somewhat counteracted by the larger proportion of copper recommended in the alloy. The second part of the work is devoted to "Artificial Dentures," and consists of no less than eighteen chapters. In the chapter on "Treatment of the Mouth preparatory to the Insertion of Artificial Dentures," the author says: "It rarely occurs that all the structures of the mouth are in such condition as will render it proper to insert an artifical appliance without some prepa. ratory treatment. This important requirement cannot, in any material respect, be disregarded by the practitioner without endangering the utility and permanence of the substitute, and inflicting upon the patient a train of cousequences alike distressing and pernicious. These consequences cannot be wholly averted by the most skilful manipulation, but they may be greatly magnified by a defective execution of the work, or by a faulty adaptation of the appliance to the parts in the mouth." (p. 110.) In the article on Pivot Teeth, the destruction of the tooth pulp is thus described: "Its extirpation may generally be readily effected with the use of a three or four-sided, barbed, untempered broach; which, being small enough to penetrate freely to the apex of the fang, is thrust quickly to the bottom of the canal, rotated, and withdrawn: when, if the entire nerve does not come away adherent to the broach, the operation may be repeated, with comparatively little pain, until all portions of it are removed." (p. 181.) This is an operation more ingenious, we fear, than pleasant. "The object of the labor and skill bestowed in making and adapting an artificial velum is not attained when the instrument is completed, be it performed never so skilfully, for the speech remains almost unchanged; nor is there much involuntary improvement, but at first only a sufflated tone, like that of a person with a cold. There remains a course of vocal practice to be entered upon and patiently persevered in, before any great improvement in speech is attained.” (p. 407.)* The two articles on "Holding Pieces in the Mouth by Atmospheric Pressure," and "Vulcanite Base," are fully and most ably treated; but to discuss these subjects would occupy more space than we have at our command. The scope of the whole work is thoroughly carried out; and to any one desiring a theoretical knowledge of dental mechanics, Dr. Richardson's book will be found a most efficient guide. ART. III.-The Scale of Medicines with which Merchant Vessels are to be furnished by command of the Privy Council for Trade; with Observations on the Means of Preserving the Health of Seamen, &c. &c. By-T. SPENCER WELLS, F.R.C.S. Second Edition.-London. pp. 212. THIS edition has been most carefully revised, and is superior to the previous one of 1851, inasmuch as it contains notice of all recent information bearing on the matters with which it is concerned. Well known and highly valued as was the earlier edition, the present one is rendered still more serviceable, as it embraces the latest alterations made in the scale of medicines, as also the clauses of the "Registration Act,” the "Merchants' Shipping Act, 1854," and the "Passengers' Act, 1855." pp. 16. ART. IV.-1. Um Typhussóttina, eda Taugaveikina, er menn kalla hjer á landi, orsakir hennar og medferd. Stutt leidbeining fyrir almenning, er eigi nær til læknishjálpar, af landlækni Dr. J. HJALTALIN.-Reykjavík, Einar Thordarson. 1860. Large 8vo, On Typhus, or Weakness of Fibre, as it is here popularly termed, its Causes and Treatment. A short guide for those of the public who are not within reach of medical advice. By Dr. J. HJALTALIN, District Physician. 2. Islenzka Homöopathian og Nordlenzku Prestarnir, ritad af Dr. J. HJALTALIN.-Reykjavík, E. Thórdarson. 1858. 8vo, pp. 48. Icelandic Homoeopathy and Northern Parsons. Written by Dr. HJALTALIN. 3. Vísindin, reynslan og Homöopatharnir." Af Dr. J. HJALTALIN. -Reykjavik, 24th Nov., 1856. 8vo, pp. 16. Philosophy, Experiment, and the Homœopaths. THREE brochures, by the same author, and reaching us from a district which so rarely seeks our editorial notice as Iceland does, may well, though treating of very different subjects, be classed together. In a short preface to the first work in the above list, the writer informs us that typhus has long been endemic in Iceland, and he states his belief that there is no other region in Europe where it prevails to an equal extent, having fully kept pace with the increase of population. Hence it is often mentioned in the annals and year-books of the island. He appears to hold the doctrine of the unity of typhus and typhoïd fever, for he says that there are various species of the disease, two of which are the most common-viz., "typhus contagiosus" and "typhus abdominalis," and that the latter may run into the former chiefly in proportion as the debility increases. The author treats at length of the symptoms of typhus fever in its several stages, of which he enumerates five-viz., the stage of incubation, the incipient stage, the stage of eruption, the nervous stage, and the stage of crisis. Of the course of typhoid fevers he makes a similar division. The third section of the work is devoted to the etiology, and the fourth to the treatment of typhus and typhoïd diseases. The title of the book indicates that the brochure is intended chiefly for the use of non-professional readers. Of the works on homœopathy it will suffice to record the titles. Such essays may, perhaps, still be required in Iceland, but to revert to this delusion in our pages would be pure and simple loss of time. ART. V.-1. Operative Surgery adapted to the Living and Dead Subject. By C. F. MAUNDER, &c. Part II. 1861. pp. 174. 2. A Manual of Minor Surgery and Bandaging for the use of House Surgeons, Dressers, and Junior Practitioners. By CHRISTOPHER HEATH, F.R.C.S., Surgeon to the West of London Hospital.— 1861. pp. 200. BOTH these works have the considerable merit of telling their readers what they want to know in intelligible terms, and in very short compass. We have already had the pleasure of speaking in commendation of the first part of Mr. Maunder's book on Operative Surgery, and have examined this second part with considerable attention. It appears to us to be as good as any of the manuals on the subject yet published, while its very low price will no doubt recommend it to the patronage of medical students. Mr. Maunder has been almost prodigally liberal in illustrating his book. Many of the cuts are both useless and, to say the truth, hideous also. Witness the frightful cut of amputation at the hip-joint on page 65, in which the man's figure is absurdly out of drawing, the knife far too short, and the whole gives no exact idea of the place at which the knife should be entered and brought out, and therefore might have been omitted without detriment to the book; witness also the horrid drawings on page 137, to illustrate the operation of extraction of the lens, where the knife appears to us out of all proportion, and the staring head of the patient does not seem to be of any use except to give fastidious readers "the horrors." A few of these and such-like cuts may be usefully expunged from the next edition, and perhaps Mr. Maunder may think it right to confine his book more exclusively to operative surgery, excluding the short and very insufficient references to the after-management of cases and other general topics which the present work contains. The book, * See British and Foreign Medico-Chirurgical Review, Oct. 1860, p. 476. |