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BOOK REVIEWS
Among the ocular complications are men tioned: xanthoma, abnormal pupillary reac tions including Argyll Robertson pupils ( i n patients with diabetic neuropathy), transi tory changes in refraction, muscular paraly ses especially of the external rectus, cata racts, vitreous opacities and hemorrhages, lipemia retinalis, and retinopathy. T h e vari ous stages of diabetic retinopathy are de scribed and although these usually occur only in patients with long-term diabetes they men tion seven cases in diabetics of less than two years' duration and two before 20 years of age. T h e incidence of blindness in long-term young diabetics is given as 10 percent. Dia betes is given as the cause of 17 percent of the blindness in the State of Massachusetts. Prevention through the proper control of the disease is felt to be the best answer to this problem. I n an attempt to treat retinopathy, the authors mention rutin (up to 1,000 mg. per d a y ) , vitamin P , vitamin B 1 2 , Heperiden, and estrogens, but express no enthusiasm. T h e y advise against such radical treatment as hypophysectomy, which has been advo cated. The management of diabetics undergoing surgery is discussed in detail, as well as the influence of pregnancy. Of interest is the study of the conjunctival blood vessels, paralleling the retinal changes, especially in the juvenile diabetic. I n a study of 189 cases of juvenile diabetes of 20 years' duration three percent of well-controlled cases showed retinopathy but 31 percent of poorly controlled cases showed severe reti nopathy. William A . Mann.
O R B I T A L PLASTIC. By D r . I. Csapody. Buda
pest, Akademia Kiado, 1956. 2nd edition. 112 pages, 90 illustrations, 7 tables, bib liography. Price: Not listed. The first edition of Orbital Plastic, pub lished in 1953, was reviewed in this space in October, 1954. T h e fact that a second edition
has appeared so soon is an excellent indica tion that the volume is being accepted by the profession as a guide for a procedure from which the majority of ophthalmic surgeons shy away. Csapody has changed the atypical proce dures ordinarily employed for plastics of the contracted socket to a typical procedure. This he has accomplished by means of a uniform metal pattern for full-thickness grafts and a mold of his own construction. Csapody has been able to add 20 new cases to the 150 cases on which the first edition was based. H e has given a very detailed description of his mold with precise measurements. A skilled instrument maker should be able to follow these instructions without difficulty. A welcome improvement is the description of the operation: instead of a narrative, the text has been broken up to serve as legends for the illustrations which make it much easier to follow the description of the proce dure step by step. Credit should be given to the publisher for using glossy paper. This permits a much more brilliant reproduction of the illustra tions. Stefan V a n Wien.
COMPARATIVE A N A T O M Y OF T H E E Y E .
By
Jack H . Prince, F . R . M . S . Springfield, Illinois, C. C Thomas, 1956. 418 pages, 274 illustrations, including seven in color, bibliography, index. Price: $8.50. In this contribution, Dr. Prince, formerly of London and now with the Department of Ophthalmology of Ohio State University, amplifies the adaptive mechanisms in com parative ophthalmology and thus comple ments his volume on Visual Development (1949) which was concerned primarily with evolutionary patterns. Among the carnivores the protective en closed orbit has become continuous with the temporal fossa to allow a greater gape and