'02 



THE POPULAR SCIENCE MONTHLY. 



mains, if they be properly laid, and or- 

 ganic material, such as hemp, be avoided 

 in making the joints. 



Health. By W. H. Corfield, M. D., Pro- 

 fessor of Hygiene and Public Health at 

 University College, London. New York : 

 D. Appleton & Co. Pp.361. Price, $1.25. 



The contents of this volume were de- 

 livered as a course of lectures at the rooms 

 of the London Society of Arts, under the 

 auspices of the National Health Society. It 

 is an unpretentious but useful statement of 

 the most important principles of personal 

 hygiene, and the precautions necessary for 

 the prevention of disease. Dr. Corfield's 

 reputation as a practical student of this 

 subject sufficiently attests the care and ac- 

 curacy of his statements ; and the style of 

 the book is so plain and simple as to be easy 

 to all readers. In speaking of the health 

 of ,the individual his statement of the he- 

 reditary feature is especially clear. Half a 

 dozen lectures are first given to preliminary 

 physiology, and then " The Air," " Food and 

 Drink," " Drinking-Water," " Houses," and 

 " Communicable Diseases " are treated in 

 the remainder of the course. 



The Child's Catechism of Common Things. 



By John D. Champlin, Jr. New York : 



Henry Holt & Co. 1879. Pp. 289. 



Price, 60 cents. 



This little book gives a large mass of in- 

 formation about common things, arranged in 

 such a manner as to be interesting to and 

 easily consulted by a child. The subjects 

 are classified under the mineral, vegetable, 

 and animal kingdoms, the information under 

 each being given, as the name indicates, in 

 the form of questions and answers. An ex- 

 cellent design, illustrating the inquisitive at- 

 titude of the child toward the things around 

 him, appears on the cover. 



Free Land and Free Trade: The Lessons 

 of the English Corn-Laws applied to 

 the United States. By Samuel S. 

 Cox. New York : G. P. Putnam's Sons. 

 1880. Pp. 126. Price, $1.25. 



The main purpose of this work is as an 

 argument in favor of the principles ex- 

 pressed in the leading title. The author be- 

 lieves that " we are rapidly outgrowing the 

 market to which our tariff walls practically 



limit us," and that "we must have the oppor- 

 tunity and privilege, the liberty, to trade," 

 for which we must be free to buy as well as 

 to sell. He sees, also, a great danger of a 

 land monopoly, the first signs of which 

 have appeared in the practices, the freight 

 combinations, and the high rates charged 

 for transportation by the railroads. The 

 corn-laws of England and the land troubles 

 of England and Ireland are discussed as 

 affording historical illustrations of the au- 

 thor's views. 



Sea-Air and Sea-Bathing. By John H. 

 Packard, M. D. Philadelphia: Presley 

 Blakiston. 1880. Pp. 121. Price, 50 

 cents. 



This is number eleven of the monographs 

 on hygienic subjects issued under the title of 

 " American Health Primers." Dr. Packard 

 has aimed to give such information concern- 

 ing the subject, and such practical directions, 

 as will be of use to those seeking recreation 

 at the seaside. Such questions as how long 

 to remain in the water, how to bathe, what 

 care to take against accidents, and what to 

 do in cases of apparent drowning, are among 

 those considered. 



Radical Mechanics of Animal Locomotion. 

 With Remarks on the setting up of Sol- 

 diers, Horse and Foot, and on the sup- 

 plying of Cavalry-Horses. By Colonel 

 William Pratt Wainwright. New 

 York: D. Van Nostrand. Pp. 294. 

 Price, $1.50. 



Though the heading of this work is 

 professional, the problems it discusses are 

 both of extreme scientific interest, and of 

 wider application than to the training of 

 soldiers. The writer aims to determine the 

 fundamental mechanical principles of loco- 

 motive activity in animals of the vertebrate 

 structure with a view to cultivating those 

 habits of body by which movements shall 

 become most harmonious and efficient. The 

 point of view from which the book has been 

 prepared is well indicated in the opening 

 paragraph. " Many are the expedients 

 which, in the training of soldiers, have been 

 and still are adopted, in order to overcome 

 that fault of body, whatever it may be, 

 which, in ninety-nine men out of every 

 thousand from civilized nations, tends to 

 hinder the man from marching in a straight 



