The author seemed motivated to his task because "concurrent disorders of the skin and alimentary system have been surprisingly neglected by physicians." His compendium is likely to suffer the same fate.
Should a monograph be produced solely to enumerate diseases shared by two organ systems, with a brief description of signs or symptoms in the respective organs? The author implies there is a deserving merit in such a disease-compilation effort, "in order to emphasize their importance to the practiceing physician and to assist in elucidating the nature of pathological processes." Although these are noble aspirations, the final product smacks of being the scholar's armchair version of that tantalizing urge which drives some men to climb a challenging mountain —"because it is there."
Even great works such as the Bible, or the complete Shakespeare, have relatively weak sections. Beethoven unquestionably produced some decidedly undistinguished music, even though we have the testimony