Host-Parasite Relationships in Living Cells

discussed, and he points out that merely because a disease is found to be familial in incidence does not mean it is hereditarily transmitted; leprosy, for instance, was long held to be a hereditary disease, and a law was actually proposed in the Norwegian Parliament forbidding the marriage of lepers for that reason. It was only with the discovery of the leprosy bacillus by Hansen that the true nature of the disease was recognized. The phenomenon of ectopic growth and its causes are discussed, as is surgical transplantation. The importance of elucidating the mode of action of bacteria and its clinical significance is also discussed; indeed, this remains an important field of basic medical research today. The book contains an interesting introduction on scientific methodology by Professor Rather, and Virchow's essays are certainly stimulating and thought-provoking. This is an interesting and enjoyable book which serves as a fitting tribute to one of the truly great men of medicine.