Public Medical Care

and a consideration of the procedures of studying atmospheric pollen. A systematic description follows of the principal plants responsible for atopic allergy in North America. The final section is devoted to regional surveys; this is especially useful to the practicing allergist, as well as to the victim seeking relief, since a glance at the tables will reveal to him the situation prevailing in a given area with respect to the nature of the pollens, their quantity , and their seasonal occurrence. The illustrations are most helpful, though some photographs might not have been out of place. The publishers, too, merit special commendation for the unusually distinguished character of the printing and the general construction of the volume. Public medical care is defined as that which is administered by an agency cf government and is supported by taxation. Section I, which includes three-fourths of the monograph, is devoted to a history of the "haphazard growth" of public medical care in America and Europe; Section II, headed "Directed Growth," discusses critically the several directions that planning for public medical care has recently assumed in this country and abroad. Those who regard current developments leading toward "state medicine" as an abnormal outgrowth of our troublous times will learn from Dr. Gold-man's exhaustive historical presentation that public medical care came to us in colonial times as an undesired and neglected child, that it has grown hap. hazardly to a large but untrained youth, and that it is apparently destined to mature into a vigorous adult. This development is pictured as a natural expression of democratic philosophy. Dr. Goldman implies that our concern is that organized medicine will participate actively and intelligently in directing the further evolution of the movement toward the best interests of the people and the medical profession. Unification of the multitude of directing agencies concerned with the distribution of health services is emphasized as essential for the efficient administration of any large-scale program. Dr. Goldman makes no claim that universal extension of public medical care will either elevate or even maintain present standards of medical service and practice. Moreover, from some of the comments and data presented one is led to wonder whether we have sufficient doctors to launch a nationwide and all-inclusive program of government-controlled medical care, and whether the trained medical leadership for the administration of socialized medicine is available in this country. The monograph offers instructive and stimulating …