The expression, j'adoube , requires no explanation for a chess player. For the benefit of the pinochle pack, it indicates the intent of a player to adjust the position of one of his pieces on the square already occupied by that piece. Should a player touch his piece without this statement of intent, he must make a definitive move with that piece. Non-chess-playing authors should be familiar with this expression when contemplating a second (or subsequent) edition. Perhaps they should be required to state in their preface, j'adoube , and justify it, or to indicate the nature of the definitive move they have made. Parenthetically, a second law of the chess board might apply to authors of scientific articles. If a player touches his opponent's material, he must capture it. The second version of Dr. Dacie's treatise on the hemolytic anemias represents a definitive move by a master player. The advances of