Transactions of the British Society for the History of Pharmacy

Rene Marie and fIuchard's lengthy review were regarded as no more than contributions to this seemingly endless dispute. Physicians at this period were preoccupied with physical diagnosis by means of percussion and auscultation in which respect coronary disease was a sterile field. Herrick's paper of 1918 at last supplied the missing link, namely a physical sign in the form of an abnormal electrocardiogram, and once this had been confirmed, the diagnosis of cardiac infarction was no longer difficult and almost overnight the modem epidemic of coronary heart disease erupted. Dr. Leibowitz's review covers most of the familiar landmarks and adds some which are less familiar such as Vulpian's case of cardiac infarction and Nicholls's account of the ruptured heart of King George II whose role in the history of cardiac infarction is comparable with that of King Edward VII in the history of appendicitis. The illustrations are specially well chosen to enhance the interest of the book. The bibliography of twenty-four pages adequately covers the British, American and German publications in the nineteenth century but those in French seem somewhat neglected and one misses the names of Germain See, Merklen, Peter and Danielopolu, but this is a minor criticism having regard to the wealth of historical information incorporated in this volume of modest size and reasonable cost. Any lacunae in the bibliography are probably covered by the historical surveys which are separately listed. Professor Leibowitz's review of the twentieth century covers anticoagulants and intensive coronary care which are still subjudice and have as yet scarcely found a place in history, but a contemporary evaluation will doubtless interest future historians. In a book likely to become a historical source book, the index plays an important role and great pains have obviously been taken to make it a reliable reference guide to the text. The general style and arrangement of the book is admirable as befits a publication by the Wellcome Institute of the History of Medicine. In studying the motion of the heart, Harvey emphasized the imperative need first to know what has been thought of these things by others in their writings, and Dr. Leibowitz's book will enable all concerned with coronary disease to do so with pleasure and profit, and at relatively modest cost. By bringing together in a single volume information otherwise scattered over a vast literature, the book will also prove a useful reference guide to medical historians.