CORRESPONDENCES ITHFIm3RWNA 371 example, but an important one, it affords the true explana. tion of the inability of dilated intestines to empty themselves of their contents.-I am, etc., Dublin, Feb. 2Oh.
This is a well-written and timely book. Professor Brockington has wide experience of the public health service and has maintained over the years a close interest in academic teaching and field research. This book has the great quality of being a personal document. Although much of his material is highly compressed, he never hesitates to use vivid illustrations from his own experience. In fact this is a. first-rate example of how to write a short book on a large subject without making it synoptic and dull. It is vivid and interesting, comprehending much in few words. Professor Brockington handles figures with ease, and he might have been tempted to produce acres of tables; instead of this he weaves the figures into the pattern of the story in such a way as to add to their interest. He goes a step further indeed: "The use of numbers in epidemiology," he says wisely, " (and in a book about people) is unavoidable, and, although they may at first sight seem to be impersonal and lacking in human qualities, to those who come to understand them figures are in reality as full of meaning and poignancy as any descriptive writing; each is the record of a human life and in the aggregate of groups of people or of the whole nation."He is not afraid of verbal imagery even when he is using words with the utmost economy. In discussing mental illhealth, for-example, he says, "A large fraction of the time and energy of the State is concerned to cope with the end results-hospitals, institutions, clinics, home care, and supervision; the operation of courts of law in crime, delinquency. and divorce; the problem of absenteeism from work-yet this may be proportionately not more than the visible part of an iceberg is to the whole floating mass." Sometimes the compression is too great, and a comma or two become displaced, with curious results. The reader may be a little startled by the remark about medical officers of health: " He cannot like his colleague, the family doctor . . . " until he discovers that the sentence is governed by what follows: " apply whatever treatment he thinks appropriate."This book is an admirable statement of principles and the author never loses sight of his main objects. He may be a trifle optimistic about the future unification of the health services, but he states his case cogently and shows evidence of a deep understanding of the position as a whole. He restates with great skill and restraint the scope and functions of the medical officer of health, and does battle valiantly to secure the general practitioner in his rightful place. This book should be read by all who are interested in the development of the public health service and particularly in the health of the community in its broadest sense. The blemishes are trivial in a book at once so interesting and comprehensive.J. M. MACKINTOSH.
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