BOOK REVIEWS
BOOK REVIEWS By L. Guillaumat, P. V. Morax, and G. Offret. Paris, Masson et Cie, 1959. 1388 pages in two volumes, 464 figures, 11 color plates, references, in dex. Price: Unbound, 19,000 francs; bound, 21,500 francs.
NEUEO-OPHTALMOLOGIE.
Guillaumat is ophthalmologist to the Na tional Center of Ophthalmology of QuinzeVingts, Morax is ophthalmologist to the Hospital of Paris, and Offret is professor "agrégé" of the Faculty of Medicine in Paris and ophthalmologist to the hospitals. Each is an eminent authority, widely known for his contributions. Together, they have brought out a work that is definitive and formidable. It is a great achievement and those of us who cannot read French are great losers thereby. The first volume (652 pages) is titled "Neuro-ophthalmologic seminology." The second volume (693 pages) is titled "Neuroocular diseases from diverse affections of the nervous system." If there is anything missing from this complete coverage of the subject of neuro-ophthalmology which inci dentally had its birth in France with the works of Parinaud and Babinski, I have been unable to detect it. The text is lively and characteristically clear, as the French authors seem to write. The illustrations are excellent and the colored plates exceptionally good. Although we have our brilliant Clinical Neuro-Ophthalmology, by Frank Walsh to lean on, it would be good if these two fine French volumes were to be translated into English. Derrick Vail.
VISUAL
HANDICAPS· (VISUEEL
GEHANDI-
C A P T E N ) . Symposium by 32 contributors. Grave, Holland. St. Henry's Institute, 1959. 332 pages, 12 photographs. Price: Not listed. This commemorative volume is a tribute to the centennial of St. Henry's Institute at
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Grave, Holland. Originally founded for the education of blind boys, its program has ex tended to the semisighted and 138 pupils are now enrolled. The institute was established, maintained and enlarged by private contribu tions solely. It pioneered in braille instruc tion and has developed many special educa tional appliances, including the "arithmetic box" which has been adopted for blind stu dents in Grand Rapids, Michigan. The con tributors to this volume cover the problems of the visually handicapped from every phase. Besides the 26 Dutch papers, there are two each in French (P. Bailliart and P. Henri), German (C. Strehl and A. Fischer) and English (J. F. Clunk and J. E. Lebensohn). The Dutch writings include essays by Professors Kijn, Strasser, Van den Heuvel, van Houte, Weve and Zeeman. Schappert-Kimmijser presents in summary his elaborate study on the causes of blindness in Holland. James E. Lebensohn.
CARCINOGENESIS: MECHANISMS OF ACTION.
Edited by G. E. W. Wolstenholme and Μ. O'Connor. Ciba Foundation Symposium. Boston, Little, Brown and Company, 1959. 336 pages, 48 illustrations, index. Price: $9.50. Carcinogenesis in the eye, as elsewhere, remains a deep mystery. This symposium presents the various theories put forth and the reader will search in vain for a clue as to the etiology of the familiar ocular cancers. However, there is much of value in this vol ume. A full discussion of tumor production by the subcutaneous implantation of plastic films gives rise to a slight uneasiness when one considers the abandon with which plastic materials are being implanted into and onto the eye. The relationship of cancer to viruses is also explored and it is concluded that with the exception of leukemia in children "no type of malignancy in man has yet provided any significant evidence of being mediated by virus-like agents." If one generality can be made from a pe-