Mental Retardation; Its Care, Treatment and Physiological Base

CHAVASSE'S SQUINT. By T. Keith Lyle, C.BE., M.A., M.D., M.Chir. (Cantab.), M.R.C.P.(Lond.), F.R.CS.(Eng.), and G. J. 0. Bridgeman, M.C., M.A., M.B., B.Chir.(Cantab.), F.R.CGS.(Eng.). Ninth Edition. (Pp. viii+392; illustrated. 52s. 6d.) London: Bailliere, Tindall & Cox Ltd. THE presentation and scope of this book have both changed considerably since it was first written by Claud Worth in 1903. The various editions which have followed have maintained the same high standard, and each in turn has been accepted as the standard text book on the subject of squint. Bernard Chavasse wrote the classical seventh edition thirty-five years after the original publication and added the sub-title of "The Binocular Reflexes and the Treatment of Squint." He regarded all squints as perversions of the normal binocular reflexes, caused by various obstacles during the developmental period. Normally the binocular reflexes are acquired and grounded between the ages of six months and five or six years. This explanation has been retained and elaborated upon, and other of Chavasse's apt and colourful statements introduce each chapter. The present authors, who were also responsible for the previous edition, state that they have largely rewritten the book to make the story of squint a more continuous narrative, and the subject more concise and easier to understand. They have admirably achieved these objects and have presented a book which is an encyclopedia on the subject of squint, and yet the reader's interest is retained as the various pitfalls of the binocular reflexes are revealed and the actions necessary to preserve or restore them are lucidly evolved. Some welcome changes in terminology have been introduced. The chapter on congenital ocular palsy has been rewritten and includes interesting descriptions of variations of defective ocular movement due to musculo-facial anomalies. A separate chapter on acquired ocular palsy has been added, and the book throughout is profusely illustrated. This has resulted in considerable enlargement of the present edition. The authors are to be congratulated on the masterly way in which they have presented the ninth edition. It is an invaluable reference book for the ophthalmologist, the neurologist, and orthoptist, and a fount of knowledge for the more aspiring student. V. A. F. M.