On Jan. 29 and 30, 1948, a symposium on the diagnosis of viral and rickettsial infections was held in the New York Academy of Medicine. After brief introductory remarks by Dr. Horsfall, of the Hospital of the Rockefeller Institute, twelve papers were presented. These dealt with laboratory procedures usable in studying viruses and with the diagnosis of mumps, the psittacosis-lymphogranuloma group of infections, primary atypical pneumonia, neuropathic virus infections, herpes simplex, rabies, dengue, infectious mononucleosis, Rocky Mountain spotted fever and infectious hepatitis. Each of the papers was presented briefly and pointedly by an authority on the topic under consideration. The volume in which the papers are compiled is informative and of unusual interest.
Those who enjoy attempting to trace the development of medical knowledge may recall that a similar symposium was held nearly a decade ago at the Harvard School of Public Health; although chief emphasis was laid on the