English Hospital Statistics, 1861–1938

to prevent it through improvements in hygiene, diet and clothing; enormous problems which were the heartfelt concern of the three thoughtful and conscientious physicians. The extracts also emphasize that improvements were not only delayed by conservatism and by administrative red-tape, but also because sound empirical observations were often frustrated by incorrect theory. One ofthe greatest hindrances to medical progress during the period covered in the book (and for many years afterwards) was the unsound theories about the causes of infectious diseases which included, for example, that of spontaneous generation, a doctrine inimical to constructive ideas for preventing the spread of contagious diseases. Another problem was to explain, in the absence of knowledge of vitamin C, why the many recommended anti-scorbutics were effective. It must be remembered that Lind believed that many vegetables and fermented beverages, besides the lemon, had therapeutic value. It is a pity that space could not have been found for Lind's discussion of the antiscorbutic value of vegetables as it would have rationalized the many antiscorbutics mentioned in the extracts from Lind's work. But it would be unfair to criticize on the grounds of what might have been included, for the aims of the book are admirably fulfilled. This indexed volume will not only fascinate those with a passing interest in the subject, but also provide a valuable introduction for those directly involved in the study of eighteenth-century naval and medical history and who will eventually wish to turn to the original works themselves. It must also be pointed out that the extracts include some of the source material for volume III of Medicine and the Navy 1200-1900, (1961), by Lloyd and Coulter, a volume which is indispensable background reading to this first publication of the Navy Records Society to deal with medical history. will prove valuable as a reference book. It will also be welcomed by research workers, for it will save them much time and effort. Although the book is only small, it is patent that an enormous amount of labour has been involved in collecting a mass of statistics and reducing them to comprehensive and comprehendable tables. That the study was necessary at all, reveals once again the blatant shortcomings in the Government statistical and information service, particularly in the nineteenth century. The author's achievement lies in his overcoming the difficulty of having a chaos of data provided in varying degrees of accuracy by …