MEDICAL PARASITOLOGY

The third part is a discussion of the metabolic processes involved in growth and differentiation. The vast amount of material covered is very well handled under many subdivisions which make it easy to refer to special topics. Since the text is thoroughly documented the reader will find in the 70 pages of bibliography and 19 pages of index a ready source to the original literature. No student of the biological sciences should fail to grasp even the more technical phases of the subject, for a glossary of 9 pages dealing with special terms has been included. The book is richly illustrated with 328 figures, 4 of which are in color. It is refreshing at this time to see a work appear as extensive as this (787 pages) dealing with the harmonious beginning of life while human activities throughout the so-called civilized world have so much to do with the antithesis of life itself. The book is a scholarly achievement and will play an’ important role in stimulating research in a field which has many open spaces for exploration. In the present revision of Dr. Huddleson’s invaluable text the advances made during the past four years have been integrated. Of the newer material included special mention may be made of the descriptions of dissociative processes in this group of microorganisms , and of the directions for the determination of virulence by means of catalase activity. The discussion and evaluation of the methods for treating human brucellosis have been brought up to date. An increase of over 25 per cent in the excellent bibliography attests to the current continued interest is this important disease. The stated objective of the author in presenting this volume is “to supply a small book useful chiefly to medical students and medical practitioners in which these perhaps will find a resume of the significant information upon the animal parasites of medical importance.” The first section is concerned with a survey of general problems of parasitic infection, epidemiology, immunity, diagnosis, therapy, and prophylaxis. The major part is devoted to the various infections caused by animal parasites, with the emphasis placed on clinical, pathological, therapeutic, and epidemiologic data rather than on the detailed presentation of the morphology of the offending parasites. A large numhber of particularly well-selected photomicrographs enhance the value of this work.