The Science of Signs and Symptoms

Some years ago Dr. McDowall wrote a book on clinical physiology. This book met with marked success, and two editions in England and America have become exhausted. This is not surprising, for it was a very useful publication, and indeed invaluable to all students preparing for the higher examinations and for those who wished to understand the relation between their physiological knowledge and clinical experience. Dr. McDowall has expanded his previous work and has changed its name. The result is excellent and the author adequately discusses the scientific bases of all the more important signs and symptoms. It is not possible in a short review of this kind to deal in detail with the large amount of material that is collected in this volume. It must be sufficient for the reviewer to state that the common symptoms of all deranged functions receive their due share of notice and explanation. Nothing is omitted and it is all of great interest and value. The medical student who wishes to obtain a logical reason for his clinical experiences will find it here. The older practitioner, who may have forgotten to some extent the sciences on which his rules of diagnosis and methods of treatment are based, will find new knowledge set out in a manner that is simple and most interesting. The seeker after higher medical degrees cannot afford to do without this work. It is very well arranged, printed and produced. There is a selected bibliography and a complete index.