The rheumatism department of the West London Hospital was first opened in 1938 with the collaboration of the Empire Rheumatism Council. Since that time its work as a referral center has continuously increased except for the war. It is noteworthy that under miscellaneous "rheumatic" conditions referred to the department were included cases of multiple myeloma, osteomyelitis, herpes zoster, multiple sclerosis, acromegaly, myxedema, malignant diseases and scleroderma. As pointed out in this report, these figures emphasize the fact that a rheumatism department should be part of a general hospital and that workers in this field should have a solid training in general medicine.
Several interesting articles are included in this booklet which may not receive the attention they deserve because of its restricted circulation. One article, which was Dr. W. S. C. Copeman's Hunterian Oration, deals with the rheumatic diseases in the eighteenth century. Other papers are on psychogenic rheumatism by