Biologie der Goethezeit

usual practice. Indeed, there are some instances where one would have wished that the authors had taken a more definite and critical position. Hurxthal and Musulin have, therefore, produced a book which serves one particular purpose, and serves it admirably. It is difficult to see how a more useful reference book for clinical use could have been compiled; but this is no book for the scholarly seeker after basic understanding, nor is it a book to be perused for pleasure. It has an extensive bibliography, which will be of aid to the student who is seeking an entry into the clinical literature, but it will be of only moderate help in respect to the literature relating to endocrine physiology. Moreover, it contains a fair number of textbooks and review articles which are useless as source material. Both books, therefore, have their merits and their disadvantages. The Talbot book is particularly recommended for the student who is interested in a basic understanding of the role of the endocrines in normal and abnormal situations. The book by Hurxthal and Musulin is chiefly useful as a reference book which offers a tremendous store of clinical information in easily accessible form.