Dr. Benda's contributions to the study of mongolism (Down's syndrome), which are based on personal observation of over 1,000 patients, are well known. His first book, Mongolism and Cretinism, was published in 1946 and was followed by a second edition in 1949. A third edition under the title, The Child With Mongolism, appeared in 1960. The present revised edition includes much material previously published and adds several new observations.
The chapters on epidemiology and clinical aspects follow on the whole previous editions and conclude with the reaffirmation that Down's syndrome represents a "decelerated development" and an "arrest of differentiation" of most systems of the body. The 38-page chapter on hematology and biochemistry deals with tests which are mostly routine. The results show a wide range of values but no consistent major abnormalities are apparent from the detailed data presented by the author.
Almost one third of the book is devoted