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THE POPULAR SCIENCE MONTHLY. 



School-Books on Physiology and Hygi- 

 ene. By Stanford E. Chaille, of the 

 University of Louisiana. 



Having received many requests for ad- 

 vice respecting the best school text-books 

 on hygiene, Dr. Chaille examined the vari- 

 ous books in the market, for comparison 

 with one another and with his own stand- 

 ard of merit, which was that they should 

 give predominance to teaching the care and 

 proper use of the organs and the preserva- 

 tion of health. Of twenty books regarded 

 as living candidates for favor, three were 

 found fairly suitable for children ten or 

 twelve years of age, while the others were 

 more or less adapted to the comprehension 

 of youth of different greater ages. Of the 

 more advanced works, Draper's, Dalton's, 

 and Huxley and Youmans's " are excellent," 

 and the two latter and Foster's primer (pri- 

 mary) " bear the unmistakable stamp of the 

 master's hand," and illustrate the rule "that 

 even the most elementary books can be 

 better written by distinguished experts." 

 The pervading fault of most of the books 

 is that they pay too little attention to hy- 

 giene. 



The Evolution of the American Trot- 

 ting-Horse, pp. 5 ; and The American 

 Trotting-Horse : why he is and what 

 nE is, pp. 28. By Professor William 

 II. Brewer, of Yale College. 



Professor Brewer regards the trotting- 

 horse as essentially a development of the 

 present century, and as still in process of 

 evolution. His training has been stimulated 

 by a combination of influences. The an- 

 cients did not have " trotters," and did not 

 want them, because, not possessing light 

 spring-wagons, they knew nothing of driv- 

 ing for pleasure, and for riding they pre- 

 ferred animals of more even gait. A little 

 attention seems to have begun to be paid to 

 trotting at about the time of the close of 

 the Revolutionary War ; the first mention of 

 a " trotting-stallion " is found in 1788. The 

 first definite notice of trotting on the course 

 is in 1806, when Yankee trotted a mile in 

 two minutes and fifty-nine seconds. At 

 about this time a prejudice, resulting in the 

 enactment of prohibitory laws, was devel- 

 oped against horse-racing (competitive run- 

 ning), and trotting-matches against time 

 were introduced. A demand for trotters 



sprang up in the French West Indies ; and 

 light spring-wagons were invented, and, as 

 they became fashionable, the taste for fast 

 driving increased. These and kindred cir- 

 cumstances favored the development of the 

 trotting-horse, and it has gone on speedily. 

 In 1806, 2-59 was the fastest time that had 

 been made by trotting; 2 40 became the 

 synonym for speed in 1824. In 1S43, one 

 horse, Lady Suffolk, had trotted a mile in 

 less than 2-30; in 1882, 1,654 horses had 

 made that record, and the fastest time had 

 been reduced by Maud S. to 2*10J. 



Natural Cure of Consumption, Constipa- 

 tion, Bright's Disease, Neuralgia, 

 Rheumatism, Colds (Fevers), etc. The 

 Origin, Prevention, and Removal of Dis- 

 ease. By C. E. Page, M. D. New York : 

 Fowler & Wells. Pp. 278. Price, $1. 



TnE author maintains that bad living is 

 the primary cause of the diseases named ; 

 that no mere accident of exposure, like 

 those to which they are commonly ascribed, 

 is competent to produce them unless the 

 system has already been made peculiarly 

 sensitive to them by habitual overloading 

 of the stomach, living in bad air, or indo- 

 lence ; and that they are susceptible of be- 

 ing cured by adopting and adhering to a 

 " natural " treatment and regime. In all 

 this Dr. Page agrees fully with Dr. Oswald, 

 and quotes him freely. He gives several 

 remarkable examples of wonderful cures 

 which he knows of having been effected by 

 following the principles he lays down. 

 Whether the course he recommends will be 

 quite as effective, in all cases, as he seems 

 to believe it will be, or not, he has laid 

 down principles which may be followed 

 with profit, and the following of which 

 may relieve many cases regarded as des- 

 perate ; and he has given the public a most 

 valuable manual of hygiene. 



" The Medico-Legal Journal." Vol. I, No. 

 1, June, 1883. Published under the 

 Auspices of the Medico-Legal Society of 

 New York. Pp. 118. Price, $3 a year. 



This is claimed to be the only journal in 

 any part of the world devoted exclusively 

 to the science of medical jurisprudence. It 

 will publish the leading papers of the Medi- 

 co-Legal Society, and a summary of its 

 transactions and contributions from all 



