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Ophthalmologists for Africa
BOOK REVIEWS
CORRESPONDENCE PROF.
ISHIHARA'S
BIRTHDAY
Editor, American Journal of Ophthalmology: The 77th birthday party of Prof. Shinobu Ishihara was held by his pupils in Atami City, which is near Tokyo, on November 5, 1955. At the party on that day, he talked with us and told of his color-blindness test ing work for 40 years and discussed how to use his test. Professor Ishihara, among other things, mentioned that it had come to his notice that his charts are now being used for testing the degree of any kind of color blindness. This is not his aim. The chief purpose of Ishihara's charts is for finding accurately and quickly whether or not a per son is color blind. He emphasized that his charts for the classification of color defi ciency are not complete but that it is better to have something to go on than nothing at all. (Signed) Tutomu Sato, .Bunkyoku, Tokyo, Japan.
OPHTHALMOLOGISTS FOR AFRICA
Editor, American Journal of Ophthalmology: We are making a national survey at this time to locate ophthalmologists, or physicians desiring to train in ophthalmology, who might be interested in serving in Africa with Eyes for Africa, Inc., a nonprofit, Christian corporation dedicated to treating Africans with eye disease, of which there are hun dreds of thousands. We are hoping that T H E JOURNAL might know of someone who would consider volun teering his services for such work. We would greatly appreciate any assistance. (Signed) Burton Lindau, 1700 Canal Street, Room 372, New Orleans, Louisiana.
155
BOOK REVIEWS MEDICAL RESEARCH : A MIDCENTURY SUR
VEY. Published for The American Founda tion, Westbrook, Connecticut. Boston, Massachusetts, Little, Brown and Com pany, 1955. Two volumes: I. American Medical Research: In Principle and Prac tice (765 pages); II. Unsolved Clinical Problems: In Biological Perspective (740 pages). Price: (2 vol.) $15.00. My attention to these fascinating volumes, so fraught with meaning to all our people and to medical scientists in every field, was directed by the able editor of the A.M.A. Archives of Ophthalmology. I am grateful to him for this courtesy and I am eager to pass on to all of our subscribers the informa tion that these volumes exist and to urge them to read them carefully. An editorial, or leader as it is called, in the Lancet of January 7, 1956, suggests that these studies "may have as much influence on American medical research as (the famous) Flexner's reports of 40 years ago had on American medical education." The work is a massive one, completed after 15 years of study, under the leadership and authorship of Miss Esther Everett Lape, member-in-charge of the American Founda tion Studies in Government, her immediate associates, and a committee of consultants whose names are by-words in medical educa tion and research. The first volume is concerned with (1) medical research in the perspective of bio logical, chemical, physical, and mathematical sciences and discusses the orienting of medi cal research under the umbrella of these dis ciplines; (2) current trends and problems in the United States, incorporating concepts, conditions, trends, role of government and its relation with science, and social influ ences; (3) research agencies, describing cur rent and specific university departments, medical schools, foundations, research insti tutes, industrial organizations, governments, societies, and so forth; (4) clearing results and controlling products of medical research. This chapter includes ways and means, such
CORRESPONDENCE PROF.
ISHIHARA'S
BIRTHDAY
Editor, American Journal of Ophthalmology: The 77th birthday party of Prof. Shinobu Ishihara was held by his pupils in Atami City, which is near Tokyo, on November 5, 1955. At the party on that day, he talked with us and told of his color-blindness test ing work for 40 years and discussed how to use his test. Professor Ishihara, among other things, mentioned that it had come to his notice that his charts are now being used for testing the degree of any kind of color blindness. This is not his aim. The chief purpose of Ishihara's charts is for finding accurately and quickly whether or not a per son is color blind. He emphasized that his charts for the classification of color defi ciency are not complete but that it is better to have something to go on than nothing at all. (Signed) Tutomu Sato, .Bunkyoku, Tokyo, Japan.
OPHTHALMOLOGISTS FOR AFRICA
Editor, American Journal of Ophthalmology: We are making a national survey at this time to locate ophthalmologists, or physicians desiring to train in ophthalmology, who might be interested in serving in Africa with Eyes for Africa, Inc., a nonprofit, Christian corporation dedicated to treating Africans with eye disease, of which there are hun dreds of thousands. We are hoping that T H E JOURNAL might know of someone who would consider volun teering his services for such work. We would greatly appreciate any assistance. (Signed) Burton Lindau, 1700 Canal Street, Room 372, New Orleans, Louisiana.
155
BOOK REVIEWS MEDICAL RESEARCH : A MIDCENTURY SUR
VEY. Published for The American Founda tion, Westbrook, Connecticut. Boston, Massachusetts, Little, Brown and Com pany, 1955. Two volumes: I. American Medical Research: In Principle and Prac tice (765 pages); II. Unsolved Clinical Problems: In Biological Perspective (740 pages). Price: (2 vol.) $15.00. My attention to these fascinating volumes, so fraught with meaning to all our people and to medical scientists in every field, was directed by the able editor of the A.M.A. Archives of Ophthalmology. I am grateful to him for this courtesy and I am eager to pass on to all of our subscribers the informa tion that these volumes exist and to urge them to read them carefully. An editorial, or leader as it is called, in the Lancet of January 7, 1956, suggests that these studies "may have as much influence on American medical research as (the famous) Flexner's reports of 40 years ago had on American medical education." The work is a massive one, completed after 15 years of study, under the leadership and authorship of Miss Esther Everett Lape, member-in-charge of the American Founda tion Studies in Government, her immediate associates, and a committee of consultants whose names are by-words in medical educa tion and research. The first volume is concerned with (1) medical research in the perspective of bio logical, chemical, physical, and mathematical sciences and discusses the orienting of medi cal research under the umbrella of these dis ciplines; (2) current trends and problems in the United States, incorporating concepts, conditions, trends, role of government and its relation with science, and social influ ences; (3) research agencies, describing cur rent and specific university departments, medical schools, foundations, research insti tutes, industrial organizations, governments, societies, and so forth; (4) clearing results and controlling products of medical research. This chapter includes ways and means, such