50 years ago it was possible for one man to write a masterly survey of the whole field of medicine or pathology. Today, 17 expert contributors are called upon to give an account of a single tumour which has only recently been defined and is not prevalent outside Africa and New Guinea. This is as it should be, for the result is most stimulating, and every chapter bears the imprint of knowledge soundly based on personal experience. Nothing could demonstrate better the importance of the tropics to current medical research.

M. S. R. HUTT (Chap. 1) begins with a review of the literature from which he concludes that Burkitt's lymphoma is a specific entity which has its origin in " transformed " lymphocytes. D. P. BURKITT (Chaps. 2 & 3) deals helpfully with clinical presentation and differential diagnosis according to the situation of the tumour. W. P. COCKSHOTT (Chap. 4) gives a useful account of the value and limitations of radiography and A. K. ADATIA (Chap. 5) discusses dental aspects. Photographs illustrate the quite dramatic remissions that can sometimes be obtained with chemotherapy, and with a relatively good prognosis (D. P. BURKITT, Chap. 6). Alkylating agents, especially Orthomerphalan, are found to be superior to the antimetabolites, but much depends on the immune response (P. CLIFFORD, Chap. 7). D. H. WRIGHT (Chap. 8) describes the distribution of the tumour, its gross pathology and microscopic features. He emphasizes the value of stained imprint preparations in establishing the identity of the tumour; Burkitt's cells are characteristic in all having approximately the same degree of immaturity.

If the first half of the book gives a clear and authoritative account of the tumour, which should be of great value to practising clinicians and pathologists, the second half will probably be of more direct benefit to those concerned with cancer research, though it contains much of general interest. Unfortunately it is not possible to mention all the contributors by name. B. O. OSUNKOYA (Chap. 12) describes the technique and applications of shortterm tissue culture, and M. A. EPSTEIN (Chap. 13) the interesting results obtained with longterm culture. The lymphoblastic nature of the cells of all the in vitro strains is not in doubt, and these cells have the same IgM specificity as the cells of a Burkitt lymphoma. The electronmicroscopists support the view that the cell type in most tumours is closely related to a lymphoblast. But some of the other evidence is conflicting and the problem of histogenesis has not been fully resolved.

The important question of the immunological defence against the tumour is dealt with from the clinical and experimental aspects. It is the immunological and, more important, the epidemiological evidence which give grounds for thinking that the cause is in part a virus, the isolation of which is described in the last 2 chapters. The geographical distribution of the tumour, which was the original reason for postulating a virus, on closer inspection points much more forcibly to a relationship with malaria and " big spleen disease ", which remains to be fully worked out. All the various facets of Burkitt's lymphoma, the most instructive of tumours, are considered at length, engagingly though not without a little repetition.

The book is beautifully produced and well illustrated. It is as up-to-date as can be, with references to 1969. No one who is concerned in any way with Burkitt's lymphoma would want to overlook this very worthwhile contribution to the subject. D.S. Ridley.