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The discovery of the therapeutic properties of x-rays was the outcome of the observation of damage to tissues as the result of prolonged exposure. Any therapeutic agent that is dangerous to tissues or to life must be administered according to standardized dosage, which must be determined by experience and animal experimentation. Before the dangerous properties of x-rays were known, some of the early patients were the victims. Steps were then taken to attempt to prescribe a safe limit for irradiation, but several years elapsed before this could be accomplished in an entirely satisfactory manner. The operator of the equipment was exposed to the radiation to a less amount than the patient, but continually, and the early roentgenologists, technicians, and even manufacturers became the victims of damage to their skin which was later found to be irreparable. The chronic and irritated ulcerations became the seat of cancerous degenerations in many instances

Emphasis on change in undergraduate curriculum has resulted in a general awareness of the modifications. Within the specialty of radiology, less generally recognized nontraditional concepts are being developed. The requirements established by the American Board of Radiology in 1934 have in part determined the distribution of time for resident training. The requirement, since 1957, for certification in Diagnostic Radiology or Therapeutic Radiology has further directed residency programs. The introduction of a four-year program in general radiology or an optional three-year training program in either diagnosis or therapy enabled residents to determine the viability of any of these programs by selection. The residents are in a position therefore to affect future training programs of a given institution. In 1969 the American Association of Academic Chief Residents of Radiology was created. Its first annual symposium in Berkeley, Calif., permitted an interchange of opinions and experience among advanced reside...

This volume is the latest in a comprehensive series of German reference works on diagnostic and therapeutic radiology which have been published since 1963. The editors state that "in non-malignant diseases radiotherapy has fallen into neglect" and that this book "... should help to ensure the wider use of this form of treatment." The relatively impartial reader can glean reasons for the former statement from the text, but not for the latter. The 15 contributors present the subject matter without relation to its contemporary importance and only occasionally concede the obsoleteness of the information. The undoubtedly definitive presentation of the use of x-ray therapy for angina pectoris(!) occupies 26 pages. Various methods are recommended, from irradiation of the stellate ganglia to irradiation of what is hoped to be the adrenal medullas. One is more chagrined by the absence of controlled evaluations of therapy than enlightened by the impartially recorded disputes. One