436 JOURNAL OF THE SOCIETY OF COSMETIC CHEMISTS foolish inclusion of ingredients, such as pancreatin (which will be metabolised in the stomach) in antacids. Two chapters exhaustively examine the need for a variety of lubricants and laxatives, mild and drastic regarding the malfunction of the lower bowel, he demol- ishes many long-cherished lay beliefs - the results of which in some instances have literally been absorbed with mother's milk! On the subject of ineffective "cold-cures", he notes that the infected sleeper awakes with a dry crusted nose and yet within 10 minutes of rising has cascading nostrils: perhaps if science knew the reason an effective cold cure might be found at last? Apropos of the virtuous feeling of restricting infection by enduring the cold in bed, he produces the delightful metaphor "gilding the lily of repose with the lacquer of virtue" but overlooking thereby the original reference to "painting the lily". He regards as inconclusive the small amount of evidence that massive doses of vitamin C may have curative or prophylactic effect on the infection. In contrast to their literally vital importance in medically prescribed quantities, he stresses the risk of hypervitaminosis from overzealous unsupervised taking of the other vitamins, whether by fallacious association with vitality, alleged curative functions or an excess in infant diet additives. In this and many other contexts he hammers home the hazard of false causal relationships, wherein the correct proprietary treatment of symptoms of one condition may be useless or even harmful for apparently similar symptoms of a different disease. In passing one notes that it is chemically incorrect (although no doubt clinically desirable) to write baldly (p.121) that "nico- tinic acid has nothing whatever to do with nicotine". There is an expos6 of extravagant claims, e.g. those for tonics and tonic wines, and the use, abuse and plain misconcep- tions of the taking of alcohol and tobacco are considered and contrasted with the stimulant effect of tea and coffee. In assessing the beneficial use of patent medicines as a whole, there is a confusing use of the terms "guilty" and "not guilty" the definition on p.156 is presumably back-to-front. Reviewing the speiific groups of patent medicines that he has examined Dr. Bradshaw classifies them as 'dangerous', 'harmless' or 'mildly useful'. In a further series of chapters he then considers the reasons for the "old fashioned stupid look to many patent medicines" (sic). In part he blames the ambivalent attitude of medical practitioners, who may object to lay diagnosis of mild symptoms, yet would be incapable of dealing with the vast volume of trivial short-term physical and nervous disorders. The legacy from half a century ago, when the doctor's nostrums competed with those of the local patent medicine manufacturer and with old wives' remedies, has no relevance today. Dr. Bradshaw concludes that the medical profession has a double responsibility - "to educate and guide the general public" and "to advise and push the manufacturers". He considers that the admittedly overworked Dunlop Committee on the Safety of Drugs should take a retrospective look at existing patent medicines and perhaps ensure that advertisements correspond with the submitted claims but this would surely need a significant enlargement of the, at present, very much hard pressed secretariat. Other potentially controllable aspects that Dr. Bradshaw touches upon include manufacturing conditions, quality control, the mystique of labelling in pharmaceutical Latin, the restriction of the sale of medicines to pharmacies and, very topically, the dichotomy between a pharmacist's professional and commercial activity. He also objects to expression of composition by percentage but one would expect the non-mathematical layman to be just as confused by an absolute weight in strange units per arbitrary dose, quite apart from the question of which ingredients are "active". Astringent attention is given to the astronomic sums

BOOK REVIEWS 437 spent on, and more or less extravagant claims of, proprietary advertising. An account is given of the rather numerous voluntary committees that seek to restrict the greater excesses, without showing overt application of sanctions against the transgressors. It is much more difficult to prove that the advertising codes have been infringed in spirit rather than the letter: the former breaches seem less offensive to the author on the rather dubious analogy of parking offences he lists five species of contraventions: popular misconceptions, a grain of truth, false superiority over others, imputed need, pseudoclinical reports. The most serious result is that patent medicines may thereby be taken for ailments that are non-existent or require different treatment. Some teeth might be given to control of advertising, the author suggests, by a body the counter- part of Dunlop, with sanctions to prohibit further advertising for up to, say, a year from an offence. What is the alternative? Scrap the lot? Could GPs cope with a load that would probably be double the present number of patients? - Dr. Bradshaw thinks not. He dismisses too readily the prospect of professional advice from retail pharmacists (in contrast to suggestions for health education made by W. Duffy at a recent Pharma- ceutical Society branch meeting). His revolutionary proposal is that the patent medicine advertiser should be required to devote some space (or time) to approved health education relevant to his product. Otherwise the author foresees little major change: his main purpose is enlightenment. G. F. PHILLIPS. INFRA-RED INSTRUMENTATION AND TECHNIOUES. A. E. Martin. Pp. x q- 180 q- Ill. (1966). Elsevier Publishing Co., Amsterdam-London-New York. 65s. In a very brief preliminary historical survey the reader is reminded that short- range research single-beam spectrometers were well known in 1900 and he is then equally briefly introduced to the key stages in the development of the wide range of double-beam recording ir spectrophotometers that are available today. The first half of the book is divided into short sections in which are described the basic components: source, slit condensing system, monochromator, detector, amplifier and spectrum presentation. Five individual sources are critically assessed, with very brief notes on power stability. Reference is made to a variety of detector types and the corresponding optical systems. For monochromators, the design and operation of prism and grating are contrasted: the section on prism- and filter-controlled gratings is particularly instructive and includes descriptions of the means used to achieve linear scales for either wavelength or wavenumber and a clear comparison of the relative advantages of the two presentations. There is also a very helpful discussion of slit inequality difficulties. The optics of single, and a variety of double, beam operating conditions are examined and their relative merits .contrasted. Following this general exposition, some commercial spectrometers are described: only UK and the better known American instruments are included. It is very helpful to find some indication of the refinement that may be expected for finite price ranges. There is a useful accouni of the design features of spectrometers for very long (beyond 1511 ) wavelengths, with commercial examples of the complexities to which the design- ers are driven.