Cardiology

This book opens with a discussion of the physical examination of the heart and blood vessels. Murmurs appear to be overemphasized while percussion has been tossed overboard and is replaced by roentgenograms. There is an excellent discussion of the arrhythmias including their electrocardiographic and clinical recognition. The author again belabors the circus movement of auricular fibrillation. A fair presentation of congenital cardiovascular disease follows but without benefit of angiocardiography. A chapter headed "endocarditis" considers the various forms of bacterial endocarditis as well as rheumatic heart disease, and not too well either. Acute rheumatic fever is discussed in somewhat less than two pages. The valvular lesions of rheumatic heart disease are dealt with more adequately although it is difficult to see why the treatment of one type of valve lesion should differ materially from that of another. The section on aortitis is good. Hypertension is discussed as a total entity. The