Infant Nutrition

amounts of material. Up to the present the task of correlating these studies has not been attempted. Perhaps no one is better qualified to undertake this labor than is Peters, the author of the present volume. This volume serves a two-fold function, in that it brings together most of the contributions of value (as is evidenced by a bibliography of 875 references) and attempts, with success, to harmonize these fra mentary and isolated observations. The spirit of the critical analysis of the book is best expressed by the following quotation (p. 77) :-"To stretch physicochemical laws to fit unsuitable data is no whit better than to take refuge in frank vitalism. Both courses give a specious sense of wisdom and accomplishment. It is safer to proceed no further than the facts warrant, in this case to appreciation of directional agreement with theory, and to continue without 'inhibitory preconceptions' to seek the reasons for quantitative disagreement." Were the book devoted solely to a compilation of data it would justify its publication. The stimulating discussion and analysis of experimental data, however, greatly add to its worth. The author disagrees vigorously with certain current theories and offers alternative hypotheses of his own. This is particularly well seen in the second chapter devoted to "The nature and movements of interstitial fluid and lymph." There is an added virtue in discussions of this type in that the author never fails to point out where fact ends and theory begins. The treatment of the chapters devoted to "Exchanges between blood cells and serum" and "Renal excretion of filterable organic -solutes" is possibly more detailed than is warranted on the basis of the analytical data, but this criticism hardly detracts from their interest. This book will be welcomed heartily by physiologists, students, and clinicians interested in the important problem of "Body Water," since it fills in admirable fashion a great gap in the literature of clinical physiology.