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Rivers attempts unsuccessfully to show how rheumatic fever, rheumatoid arthritis, osteo-arthritis, fibrositis, hypotension, hypertension, the common cold, hay fever, bronchial asthma, pyloric stenosis, catarrhal gastritis, gastric ulcer, gastric carcinoma, dysuria, enuresis, dysmenorrhea, menorrhagia, erythema, urticaria, glaucoma and other diseases and syndromes are closely related to dysfunctions of the autonomic nervous system and are all of a rheumatic syndrome. He vaguely refers to amines as the exciting agents. He cites his own laboratory and clinical observations, drawing conclusions to support his idea. There is no discussion of any detail in the book in regard to the methods and apparatus employed, conditions existing at the time of the studies or any factors that should be made known to the reader. He states, however, that his laboratory is insufficiently equipped for thorough and proper experimental studies. At the same time, he speaks of the "modern laboratories" with abhorrence and admits unacquaintance with them,