132 



THE POPULAR SCIENCE MONTHLY. 



faith in 

 Deity ! 



him." What a notion of the 



Health Primers: No. 1, Exercise and 

 Training; No. 2, Alcohol, its Use 

 and Abuse; No. 3, The House and 

 its Surroundings; No. 4, Premature 

 Death, its Promotion or Prevention ; 

 No. 5, Personal Appearance in Health 

 and Disease ; No. 6, Baths and Bath- 

 ing. New York : D. Appleton & Co. 

 1879. Pp. 96 each. Price, 40 cents. 



The deep and widespread interest that 

 has of late years been taken in matters per- 

 taining to the preservation of health has 

 caused the publication, among much that 

 is good, of a great deal that is bad on the 

 subject of hygiene. This has usually ap- 

 peared in the shape of crude and untrust- 

 worthy compilations, that when made the 

 basis of practice have been productive of 

 positive injury, and have led to a general 

 distrust of all hygienic teaching. These 

 Primers originated in a desire to change 

 this state of things by supplying, in a form 

 suited to the wants of the general reader, 

 trustworthy information capable of practi- 

 cal use on the more important every-day 

 questions relating to personal and family 

 hygiene. Their preparation has been un- 

 dertaken by several eminent medical and 

 scientific men in London; the choice of 

 topics and critical supervision of the work 

 being intrusted to an able and responsible 

 committee. 



The series, when complete, will consist 

 of fifteen volumes ; six of these have now 

 been published, and, as will be seen from 

 the titles given above, they are all on sub- 

 jects of the first importance. The writer in 

 every case has been selected for his special 

 acquaintance with the subject he was to 

 treat, and as a consequence each Primer is 

 filled with substantial and useful informa- 

 tion, presented in a simple and elementary 

 form, that brings it within the reach of the 

 average reader. 



Some idea of the valuable practical in- 

 formation contained in these volumes may 

 be gained from the following resume of the 

 contents of those already published : 



No. 1, on " Exercise and Training," is 

 illustrated, and" deals first with the "Gen- 

 eral Principles" of the subject ; this is fol- 

 lowed by " The Exercise suitable for Differ- 

 ent Ages, Sex, and Physical Conditions " ; 



and the Primer closes with a chapter on 

 " Training," in which the relations of differ- 

 ent dietaries to exercise, the amount of ex- 

 ercise required, its due regulation, etc., are 

 considered. In No. 2, on " Alcohol," the 

 properties of this substance are first de- 

 scribed in an " Introduction " ; then come, 

 the forms in which it is used as a beverage ; 

 its effects when taken sparingly and in ex- 

 cess ; the diseases it gives rise to ; and its 

 right use, if used at all. No. 3, on " The 

 House and its Surroundings," opens with a 

 chapter pointing out the common defects 

 observed in houses ; treats next of site and 

 construction ; then of drainage ; water-sup- 

 ply ; closets and plumbing ; warming and 

 lighting ; bedrooms, kitchen, etc. ; and the 

 operations of purification. No. 4, on " Pre- 

 mature Death," begins with a statement of 

 the proportion of people who die before 

 their time ; this is followed by a description 

 of the principal causes of premature death ; 

 and, lastly, we are told what to do to se- 

 cure a reasonable length of days. In No. 5, 

 on " Personal Appearance in Health and Dis- 

 ease," the form and size of the body, with 

 their healthy variations, are first described ; 

 the changes that take place in the fatty 

 layer or tissue are next discussed ; then the 

 changes observed in the bony framework ; 

 the changes in the organs due to develop- 

 ment, etc. ; artificial alterations of shape ; 

 color and changes of color; and, lastly, 

 temperament and habit. No. 6 treats of 

 the "Physiological Action of Baths"; va- 

 rieties of baths ; bathing localities ; and the 

 uses of the bath. 



Draper's Scientific Memoirs. New York : 

 Harper & Brothers. 1878. 



We briefly noticed this interesting work 

 some months ago, with the intention of re- 

 curring to it again at a favorable opportu- 

 nity, to enforce some points not then con- 

 sidered. Meantime there has appeared a 

 review of the volume in the " London, Edin- 

 burgh, and Dublin Philosophical Magazine," 

 that is both so authoritative and so pertinent 

 that we can not do better than transfer it to 

 the columns of " The Popular Science Month- 

 ly." Dr. Draper contributed numerous ar- 

 ticles descriptive of his important researches 

 to the pages of that magazine at the time 

 his investigations were made. Many of the 



