Pierre Rayer (1793–1867): un demi-siècle de médecine française

indecision and resistance to change all hindered plans set out so hopefully in Tenon's fifth memoir, with his vision of 'How splendid hospitals can be'. It is tempting to see parallels in some of the problems faced by Tenon in drawing up his reports and in the politics of the finance, administration and location of hospitals today. The recent Tomlinson Report on hospitals throws the same shadows of the debates within the medical and political professions as were seen in the late eighteenth century. And many people today would agree with Tenon that "hospitals are a measure of civilisation" and that a country's ability to give adequate care to its citizens is a crucial yardstick. This publication is made all the more useful with a helpful introduction discussing the 1772 fire in the H6tel-Dieu which started the debate about its future, the background to the production of the Memoirs, and Tenon's career itself. In addition, reproductions of plans, elevations and sections of a number of hospitals, biographical sketches, a glossary of technical terms, and a bibliography of Tenon's work round off the translation. This is an excellent reasonably priced study.