LITERARY 2iOTICES. 



24.1 



interests them, they will find that the book 

 gives the clearest and fullest account of 

 the subject for common readers that has 

 yet been published. 



The following passages are from an able 

 review of it in the London Athenceum : 



" The present volume may be taken as a 

 general introduction to the previous one, and 

 is of much wider interest than it. Physiol- 

 ogists and botanists have come to recognize 

 and appreciate, much moi-e fully than here- 

 tofore, that the solution of many vexed prob- 

 lems in the life-history both of plants and 

 of animals is to be sought in the investiga- 

 tion of the mode of life of those so-called 

 lower organisms, fungi and algse. Speaking 

 in general terms, we may say that the phe- 

 nomena of reproduction are at least as well, 

 if not better, understood among these plants, 

 once considered se.Kless, as among organ- 

 isms of higher rank, and it seems highly 

 probable that when observers avail them- 

 selves of the joint use of chemistry and of 

 the microscope that the essential phenomena 

 of nutrition will also be made clear. Eng- 

 lish students not familiar with the modern 

 literature of Germany and France are at a 

 great disadvantage in this matter. "With 

 the exception of Mr. Berkeley salve magne 

 nomen! few have devoted themselves to 

 the study of these plants, and still fewer to 

 the study of their physiological history. It 

 has thus chanced that what little most Eng- 

 lish botanists know of these matters, they 

 have gained in a large degree from conden- 

 sations and abstracts in scientific journals 

 from the writings of German and French 

 observers. Happily, there have been indi- 

 cations of late that English students are be- 

 ginning to devote themselves to this difficult 

 but most promising field of inquiry. The 

 discussions on so-called spontaneous genera- 

 tion ; the inquiry whether or no fevers and 

 other diseases owe their origin to the intro- 

 duction and multiplication of germs within 

 the body ; the disastrous consequences fol- 

 lowing the attacks of fungi on vines and on 

 potatoes, all excited interest in the study of 

 these organisms, and induced observers to 

 turn their attention to them. 



"From this point of view, Dr. Cooke's 

 book is well timed. It comes at a period 

 when the importance of the study, both from 

 the stand-point of pure science and from 

 that of practical utility, is becoming clearly 

 recognized. Such an epitome of what is 

 4cnown as to the growth of fungi is, there- 

 fore, peculiarly welcome, the more so as no 

 modern work of the kind exists, Mr. Berke- 



VOL. VII. 16 



ley's 'Introduction to Cryptogamic Botany' 

 having been published several years ago, 

 while its style is obscure and its arrange- 

 ment not suitable to the requirements of 

 beginners. Dr. Cooke's book contains an 

 admirable resume of what is known on the 

 structure, growth, and reproduction of fungi, 

 together with ample bibliographical refer- 

 ences to original sources of information. 



" One of the most interesting chapters in 

 the volume to the general reader, who does 

 not care to follow the author in the technical, 

 and still somewhat obscure details of tiie 

 structure and classification of these plants, 

 is that devoted to the influences and eft'ects 

 of fungi. Apart from what are popularly 

 known as poisonous fungi, it is assumed by 

 many that certain diseases, such as cholera, 

 various fevers, measles, diphtheria, etc., are 

 actually caused by the introduction into the 

 system of fungus-spores. Now, there is am- 

 ple evidence to show that fungus-spores are 

 introduced, and that in some diseases, e. g., 

 diphtheria, fungus-moulds, the result of 

 the development of such spores, have been 

 found, but there is no certain evidence 

 either that the spores or the developed plant 

 has any thing to do with the disease. The 

 opinion of those best qualified to judge is 

 that the fungi are there in consequence of 

 the disease, not the disease in consequence 

 of the fungi. We are glad to see, with ref- 

 erence to this matter, that the author sum- 

 marizes the important conclusions of Drs. 

 Cunningham and Lewis the more so as 

 those conclusions, which are based on im- 

 portant observations, are contained in offi- 

 cial publications not I'eadily accessible to 

 the general public. Dr. Cunningham estab- 

 lishes without question that the air is always 

 charged more or less with these minute 

 spores, but that no connection can be traced 

 between the numbers of bacteria, spores, 

 etc., present in the air, and the occurrence 

 of diarrhoea, dysentery, cholera, ague, or 

 dengue, nor between the presence or abun- 

 dance of any special form or forms of cells 

 and the prevalence of any of these diseases. 

 On the other hand, it is a matter of dispute 

 at the present moment whether the minute 

 organisms called bacteria may not be devel- 

 oped in the body itself, and, in some cases, 

 produce fungoid structures in the tissues, 

 and, as a consequence, disease. Through- 

 out the volume we find evidence of the 

 care that has been taken to summarize the 

 most recent information, even to the rem- 

 edies proposed for the hollyhock-disease 

 in the gardening journals of the present 

 year." 



