A Text-book of Physiology for Medical Students and Physicians . By William H. Howell, Ph.D., M.D., LL.D. Second edition. Philadelphia and London, W. B. Saunders Co. 1907.

Howell's Textbook of Physiology, revised and brought up to date, now appears in its eleventh edition. This textbook is so well known and popular amongst medical students and physicians that little more need be done than draw the attention of readers to the publication of this new edition. As in previous editions, the animal cell and elementary tissues are omitted and relegated to the practical class, of histology. Section I begins with the physiology of muscle and nerve. Section VII, which is devoted to the physiology of digestion and secretion, includes not only the endocrine organs but also the organs of excretion. The sections on the central nervous system, on the circulation of blood and lymph, and on respiration, are specially good and comprehensive. Under -Y-ray examination of the heart, reference is made to the orthodiagraph apparatus for making the rays pass through the chest in parallel lines thus giving a shadow of the exact size of the heart. The value of this apparatus in studying normal and pathological conditions of the heart is explained, as for instance, its use in demonstrating an increase in the size of the heart during muscular exercise. In the section on respiration the effects of low barometric pressure, such as is met with in residence at high altitudes and in aviation, are discussed. These two passing references show the value of this textbook to physicians as well as to medical students. The only criticism one has to offer is that neither in the index nor in the body of the work is one able to find any reference to the reticulo-endothelial system.