Perspectives in Biology and Medicine

up in the description of phonation as being a moderately important springlike device for returning the vocal cords toward a eupneic end-expiration position. In some respects this does represent the concentration of this monograph, and one cannot include everything. After three chapters of introduction, Fink briefly describes his functional classification and then goes into laryngeal function in the four areas of respiration , effort closure, swallow closure, and phonation. All of these are rather tough reading, and it would be most wonderful to have a model of the larynx with movable arytenoid cartilages so that one could have a clearer idea as to the special relationships, especially the movement of the cartilages, the vocal folds, and the like. There was much going back and forth in the book for recollection, and to this end it might be said that the index is occasionally inadequate. All things considered, however, this is an admirable book and one that could be well appreciated by the clinician, the anatomist, and the physiologist. I am sure it was a labor of love, and it does reflect clearly the scholarship and the extra effort that Dr. Fink has brought to bear on this generally difficult subject. Donald W. Benson, M.D., Ph.D. Department ofAnesthesiology University of Chicago Greek Medicine. By E. D. Phillips. London and Southampton: Thames & Hudson , Camelot Press, 1973. Pp. 240. £4.50. This is a worthwhile introduction to the topic. Although Phillips states that most of the general histories of medicine are antiquated, I believe that they are too brief with respect to the Greek period. This is a fault that Phillips is also guilty of on occasion. A useful feature of this book is the discussion of topics usually mentioned in a couple of sentences in general surveys. Three chapters deal with conceptions of early lay writers prior to the Hippocratic Corpus, medicine between the Hippocratics and the Alexandrians, and medicine from the Alexandrians to Galen. The material of the lay writers is valuable, but sketchy. Less sketchy but still brief is the treatment of the period between the Hippocratics and the Alexandrians. Here, and throughout the book, medicine is seen as evolving from individual to individual, from region to region, and from group to group. In the period between Herophilus and Erasistratus medical theory is related to the general philosophical trends, showing the harmful effects theorizing had on the previously short-lived burst of activity of an observational nature that occurred with the anatomy and physiology of Herophilus and Erasistratus . One is left with the question of why these two men stood out so vividly from their more speculative professional descendants. The book is divided into nine chapters which vary considerably in length; the Hippocratic Corpus receives the longest treatment and is a helpful summary. The treatment of Galen is too brief considering the importance of this man for the history of medicine. Phillips relies heavily on Rudolph Siegel for his citations, but he does carry 596 I Book Reviews through on his promise that "every particular statement made rests directly on some piece of ancient evidence which will be found in the Notes." In conclusion, this is a worthwhile book suitable for a large audience wishing to acquire a good start in the history of Greek medicine ... it is less for the professional or serious amateur than for the beginning student in the history of medicine. Melvyn Keiner Mercy College Dobbs Ferry, New York 08884 Prenatal Diagnosis and Selective Abortion. By Harry Harris. Cambridge, Mass.: Harvard University Press, 1975. Pp. 101. $6.00. The first two-thirds of this book deal with current knowledge of the subject of prenatal diagnosis. The summary is clear, comprehensive, and as up-to-date as one could reasonably expect in a rapidly changing field. The author emphasizes two main points, first, that the scope of prenatal diagnosis will expand considerably , and second, that the application of present knowledge could have only a very small effect on the incidence of inherited disease. More interesting is the last third of the book which deals with questions of ethics. Superficially, as the author points out, the issue of selective abortion would appear to be of less...