In this book a three thousand year old subject is effectively handled by two competent authors who have had extensive experience with the material in the Orient and elsewhere. The book proper is divided into six sections: history and distribution, epidemiology and communicability, prophylaxis, etiology, clinical observations and treatment. These sections are followed by appendixes containing eighty-eight photographs. The material is well organized, with an index and bibliography.
The history of the disease is recognized as being inseparable from the clinical aspect and is infiltrated throughout the book, forming the background on which our sparse scientific knowledge of this disease is presented. Along with the history is the presentation of the public health attitudes, both ancient and modern.
The section on treatment is up-to-date (including a consideration of calcium, penicillin and streptomycin). The current drugs are considered concisely and in the light of the authors' extensive experience.
The book is readable