A history of American neurology

speciality, or with neurologists. They cover a remarkable range of topics, a variety that is directly proportional to the diversity of their scholarly quality and the number of Whiggish comments they contain. Only a few of the papers warrant being mentioned by name, but there are others of considerable merit. Among the latter are the biographies, which deal with Elizabeth Garrett Anderson, Horsley, Carswell, Thudichum, Willis, Gordon Holmes, BrownSequard, Houston Merritt, Charcot, and Gilles de la Tourette. Francis Schiller in his usual scholarly style writes on electrotherapy, but his main message concerns terminology, of which he is a master. J. D. Spillane's account of paralysis and sensory ataxia is also worthy of comment, although he draws little from German sources. 'The seat of the soul' by G. W. Bruyn is a curious, superficially scholarly piece, with the ostentatious use of Greek and Latin in the text and marred by recurrent opacities and the use of material that has already appeared elsewhere. One of the few outstanding contributions is by Dr. K. Dewhurst on Willis and British neurology. Whereas most of the papers display "internalist" history, Dewhurst, and also Schiller, bring a broader spectrum to their writing. Also of special interest are the papers on neurology in Norway, India, and Japan, about which little has been written so far. There is a brief appreciation of Dr. Critchley and a list of his publications, but regrettably no mention of his historical interests. And yet this is a prominent feature of a multi-faceted genius, and presumably the reason for the theme of the symposium and Festschrift. No one, for example, can forget Dr. Critchley's celebrated lecture on the history of Huntington's chorea, his account of European neurology, or his use of history in teaching. Dr. Critchley's many contributions to the history of neurology literature are worthy of comment, and it would have been useful if even the titles of his historical books and papers had been listed separately. But, like the entries themselves, the list is incomplete, because the important paper, 'Neurology's debt to F. J. Gall (1758-1828)' (Br. med. J., 1965, ii: 775-781), has been omitted. And finally, a critical comment on the high price of a fascinating and valuable book is inevitable; no doubt the many illustrations have contributed to the cost, and some pruning of those that have appeared again and again in previous publications would have achieved some economy. Nevertheless, we must congratulate the contributors for their devotion and the editors for their industry, but, more importantly, Dr. Macdonald Critchley for having generated so much reverence, inspiration, and affection throughout the world. Edwin Clarke Wellcome Institute