75 6 



THE POPULAR SCIENCE MONTHLY. 



is said by the author of this work to have 

 been insane. 



The chief contents of the volume, con- 

 sisting of personal sketches, anecdotes, and 

 accounts of lawsuits, are, as might be ex- 

 pected, only of local interest. 



The Art of Projecting. A Manual of 

 Experimentation in Physics, Chemistry, 

 and Natural History, with the Porte- 

 Lumiere and Magic Lantern. By Prof. 

 A. E. Dolbear, Tufts College. Illus- 

 trated. Boston: Lee & Shepard. Pp. 

 158. Price $1.50. 



This is a valuable little volume for all 

 teachers and professors who desire to cul- 

 tivate the art of illustrating their numerous 

 scientific subjects by the projection of op- 

 tical images of objects upon screens for the 

 inspection of classes, or lecture-room au- 

 ditories. Full attention is first given to 

 the construction of apparatus, much of 

 which, the author says, can be extempo- 

 rized ; and the author then points out how 

 a surprisingly large number of experiments 

 can be performed with these instruments 

 in numerous departments of science and 

 art. The book is full of neat woodcuts 

 which aid the text in the description of 

 operations, and it seems a thoroughly well- 

 executed manual for helping on the work 

 of scientific instruction. 



A Text-Book of Physiology. By M. Fos- 

 ter, M. A., M. D., F. R. S., Prelector of 

 Physiology, and Fellow of Trinity Col- 

 lege, Cambridge. New York : Macmil- 

 lan & Co. Pp. 559. Price, $6. 



Dr. Michael Foster has here given to 

 the world a first-rate book on physiology. 

 He is a good investigator, and a clear, 

 pointed, and vigorous writer, and, with ex- 

 cellent scientific judgment in presenting the 

 proportions of a subject, he has prepared a 

 volume trustworthy in exposition and agree- 

 able in its style. It is designed for medi- 

 cal students, and does not aim to be ele- 

 mentary, as the author proposes to begin 

 about where Prof. Huxley's physiology 

 leaves off. In fact, he hopes his book may 

 come to be considered as a kind of ad- 

 vanced companion to Huxley's smaller vol- 

 ume. 



The work contains a few simple dia- 

 grams, but it cannot be said to be illus- 



trated, and herein we are inclined to think 

 the author has made a serious mistake. 

 His reasons for it are as follows : " I have, 

 moreover, given neither figures nor elabo- 

 rate descriptions of physiological instru- 

 ments and apparatus. These must be seen, 

 not read about ; the student can learn more 

 by five minutes' inspection of a piece appa- 

 ratus, especially one at work, than by hours 

 of study of even the most expensive and 

 finished pictures, and most detailed verbal 

 descriptions." True, but shall we therefore 

 give up illustrations ? It is always better 

 to see the thing itself, and it should be the 

 first law of education to get at the thing 

 itself, and not take a picture in place of it, 

 wherever that can be done. But then figures 

 do no harm ; they may be still helpful to 

 those who have had the opportunity of in- 

 spection, while in the case of multitudes 

 who have no such chance the pictures are 

 much better than nothing. No one can look 

 over the fine and accurate illustrations of 

 such a work as Flint's " Manual of Phys- 

 iology," for example, without recognizing 

 the great advantage that most students will 

 gain by referring to them. 



The Fleets of the World. The Galley 

 Period. By Foxall A. Parker, Com- 

 modore of U. S. Navy. New York : D. 

 Van Nostrand. Pp. 235. Price, $5. 

 This neat and elegantly-illustrated vol- 

 ume is a kind of introduction to the history 

 of naval warfare. It is devoted to an ac- 

 count of sea-fights in old times, and it can- 

 not fail to be very interesting to all who 

 have a concern in the subject. We have 

 greatly admired the finely-executed illustra- 

 tions of the lubberly old ships that were 

 employed before the improved modern craft 

 came into use. 



PUBLICATIONS RECEIVED. 



The Microscopist : A Manual of Micro- 

 scopy By J. H. Wythe. Third edition, 

 rewritten and enlarged. Pp. 259. With 

 Plates. Philadelphia: Lindsay & Blakis- 

 ton. Price, $4.50. 



Michigan State Board of Health, 18/6. 

 Pp. 254. Lansing: W. S. George & Co. 



print- ^ ttt.it 



Acoustics, Light, and Heat. By William 



Lees, A. M. Pp. 299. New York : Put- 



nams. Price, $1.50. 



