LITERARY NOTICES. 



417 



stitutions to the really needy ; and that for 

 the accommodation of all others pay wards, 

 or separate pay institutions, should be pro- 

 vided. He makes a review of the hospitals 

 working successfully on this basis in other 

 countries, to show both the feasibility and 

 desirability of such institutions in Eng- 

 land. 



A Key to Ghostism : Science and Art 

 unlock its Mysteries. By Rev. Thomas 

 Mitchell. New York: S. R. Wells & 

 Co. Pp. 249. Price, 1.25. 



The author of this volume professes to 

 discredit the supernatural element of mod- 

 ern spiritualism, and to explain all its ef- 

 fects naturally. He holds to clairvoyance 

 and animal magnetism, and accounts for 

 everything of the kind by those agencies. 

 There does not seem to be much gained. 

 Of the science of the book we can not speak 

 very highly. A story is told of a woman 

 suspended horizontally in mid-air, with her 

 head resting upon her arm, and her arm 

 resting upon the the top of a rod. " The 

 lady weighs about one hundred and thirty 

 pounds ; and, while thus suspended, the at- 

 traction of gravitation is completely over- 

 come. Were the rod upon which her head 

 rests fastened into a scale, she would not 

 probably weigh twenty pounds." Indeed, 

 it is declared that all supports have been 

 removed, " and she left hanging in the air 

 without touching an object ; in which case, 

 of course, she would weigh nothing. . . . 



"The science of this phenomenon we 

 have already explained. Gravity consists 

 in the attraction of the atmosphere to the 

 earth, and by it. This is called atmospheric 

 pressure, which is fifteen pounds to the 

 square inch. The bulk and density of the 

 earth being so much greater than those of 

 the atmosphere, give all bodies on its sur- 

 face this superior attractive force to the 

 earth. . . . 



" In order to suspend this woman, it 

 was necessary to charge her with electricity 

 or magnetism, fifteen times higher than 

 that of her normal condition. This makes 

 her as positive as the earth itself ; and, as 

 two positives resist each other, she hangs in 

 the air just where she is placed. Now, if 

 she should be charged higher than this de- 

 gree, say sixteen pounds to the square inch, 

 she would, of herself, without a touch, rise 

 vol. xvii. 27 



from the floor to the ceiling, or to that 

 locality where she would be in equilibrium 

 with the attractive force of the air ; and, un- 

 til demagnetized, would there remain sus- 

 pended." 



And of such is the "Key to Ghostism." 



Common Mind Troubles, and the Secret of 

 a Clear Head. By G. Mortimer-Gran- 

 ville, M. D. Edited, with Additions, by 

 an American Physician. Philadelphia: 

 D. S. Brinton. Pp. 185. Price, $1. 



This volume is a reprint of two English 

 primers dealing with kindred topics, which 

 may very well go together. There are many 

 valuable hints in it regarding the care and 

 management of the mind, but the author 

 seems foolishly nervous lest somebody 

 should take him for a materialist. As the 

 main practical facts are independent of 

 speculation, why should he take pains to 

 put himself forward as a theorist and a par- 

 tisan ? Dr. Granville, however, has given 

 much attention to the subject of mental dis- 

 eases. 



Dwelling-Houses : their Sanitary Con- 

 struction and Arrangement. By Pro- 

 fessor W. H. Corfield, A. M., M. D. 

 Van Nostrand's Science Series. New 

 York : D. Van Nostrand. Pp. 156. 

 Price, 50 cents. 



This is a small volume of lectures re- 

 printed from "Van Nostrand's Magazine," 

 which will well repay attention to those con- 

 cerned about the hygiene of house-construc- 

 tion. The subject is of deep and increas- 

 ing interest ; Professor Corfield is an au- 

 thority upon it, and he is content with a 

 plain, common-sense statement of the sub- 

 ject. His lectures refer to English practice, 

 but the principles he expounds are applica- 

 ble everywhere, and if followed in this coun- 

 try would be productive of much advantage 

 both private and public. 



Our Homes. By Henry Hartshorne, A. M., 

 M. D. Philadelphia : Preslev Blakiston. 

 1880. Pp. 149. Price, 50 cents. 



This is one of the series of "American 

 Health Primers " and is an excellent and 

 concise statement of the conditions to be 

 fulfilled in order to have a healthy home. 

 The subjects considered are the site, the 



