action and the evaluation of their merits and applicability under present conditions. Social medicine is aliving concept, but its objectives, content, place among the scientific disciplines, methodology and relationship to such fields as preventive medicine and public health are far from clearly defined. At present the term social medicine is used to denote some or all of the following subject matters: the bearing of socioeconomic conditions on the health of the individual and the community ; the effect of illness on the socioeconomic conditions of the individual, family, community and nation ; the importance of socioeconomic methods to the prevention of disease and the reduction of its frequency and severity, and the organization and administration of health service and medical care programs.Directly or indirectly all these subjects receive attention in this carefully edited, systematically arranged and well printed book which embraces the labors of many men from widely diversified fields of experience. The broad ramifications of what is interpreted as social medicine become apparent, much useful information is imparted and a forceful argument is presented for more orderly study of the many intricate problems involved as well as for more systematic coordination of effort.