In this book four hundred original accounts of disease are presented in English with pertinent material relative to the history of the disease and brief biographies of the various authors. For example, when dealing with diabetes mellitus Major selects the following accounts: that of the Papyrus Ebers (1500 B. C.), the fascinating descriptions of Aretaeus (second century A. D.), the article of Willis (dealing with the sweet taste of the urine), Kussmaul's account of air hunger and diabetic coma, Mering and Minkowski's observations on the production of experimental diabetes by pancreatectomy, Opie's description of the hyaline degeneration of the islets of Langerhans and finally the announcement of Banting and Best of the successful extraction of the internal secretion of the pancreas from degenerated pancreatic tissue. There are sections dealing with infectious diseases, metabolic diseases, lead poisoning, diseases of the circulatory system, diseases of the blood, kidney disease, respiratory diseases, deficiency