420 



THE POPULAR SCIENCE MONTHLY. 



Practical Physics, Molecular Physics, 

 and Sound. By Frederick Guthrie, Ph. 

 D., of the Royal School of Mines, Lon- 

 don. New York : Henry Holt & Co. Pp. 

 156. Price, 60 cents. 



This is one of a series of hand-books now 

 being published, and which are said to be 

 designed for students and general readers. 

 The grade of these works is intermediate be- 

 tween the so-called Primers and the larger 

 works, professing to give detailed views of 

 the respective subjects. The author in his 

 preface says that his object is, to get beyond 

 mere word-knowledge of the subject. We 

 do not think he has succeeded in this with 

 his book. As a practical and experimental 

 teacher, he may take students through a 

 course in his laboratory and use the book, 

 but the guidance will be given by the instruc- 

 tor and not by the volume. It does not 

 seem to us to be at all a satisfactory guide 

 to that " practical work " which Professor 

 Gathrie says it has been the object of physi- 

 cists of late years to bring into their teach- 

 ing. Such books should be skillfully con- 

 structed to promote the self-help of pupils, 

 and we see no trace of this quality in the pres- 

 ent hand-book. There is a good deal of sci- 

 entific information in the volume, of course, 

 but much of it runs into mathematical ex- 

 pression which makes it unsuitable for gen- 

 eral readers and ordinary students. The il- 

 lustrations are indifferent, to say the least ; 

 the elementary experiments to illustrate 

 sound and waves are postponed to the close 

 of the volume, and no figures are given to 

 illustrate them. A list of the materials re- 

 quired to make such experiments closes the 

 volume. In short, the book seems to have 

 been produced by an inexperienced educa- 

 tor, though its author has evidently a good 

 knowledge of its subject. 



Hearing, and how to keep it. By Charles 

 H. Burnett, M. D. Philadelphia: Lind- 

 say & Blakiston. Pp. 152. Price, 50 

 cents. 



The multiplication of health-books is a 

 good sign. If they were not wanted they 

 would not be published, and if they are 

 bought it is to be inferred that they are read. 

 Attention is therefore being drawn to the 

 subject, and, when it is sufficiently thought 

 about and permanent interest in it awak- 

 ened, great practical good will be certain to 



result. Dr. Burnett's volume is the first of a 

 series of 'American Health Primers," and if 

 the subsequent works are as good as this the 

 series will be valuable. The first part of his 

 little volume is devoted to the structure and 

 physiology of the ear, and it is illustrated by 

 excellent diagrams. The second part is de- 

 voted to diseases of the ear, with hints re- 

 garding their management, and to the care 

 of the ear in health. It is a judiciously 

 written and very useful little monograph. 



The Art of Singing. By Professor Ferdi- 

 nand Sieber. Translated from the Ger- 

 man, -with the Addition of an Original 

 Chapter on the Hygiene of the Voice, 

 by Dr. F. Seeger. New York : William 

 A. Pond & Co. Pp. 175. 



Professor Ferdinand Sieber's " Cate- 

 chism of the Art of Singing " is a standard 

 work in Germany, where it has passed 

 through many editions, and Dr. Seeger has 

 done an excellent service to the community 

 in translating it. His familiarity with the 

 structure of the vocal organs and his wide 

 experience in treating them when out of 

 order have drawn his attention to the art of 

 singing as related to health, and induced him 

 not only to render into English Sieber's val- 

 uable work, but to prefix to it an interesting 

 and instructive essay on " The Hygiene of the 

 Voice." Those interested in the art of sing- 

 ing, either theoretically or practically, will 

 find this volume well worth consultation. 



A Popular Treatise on the Currency 

 Question. Written from a Southern 

 Point of View. By R. W. Hughes, 

 United States Judge of the Eastern Dis- 

 trict of Virginia. New York : Putnams, 

 1879. Pp. 222. 



The author of this essay argues against 

 " inflation," and warmly approves the na- 

 tional banking system. He condemns the 

 demonetization of silver, and holds that 

 " the public debts of the world can not be 

 paid, nor even their interest met, in gold at 

 an appreciated value. . . . The legal-tender 

 quality," he predicts, " will ere long be re- 

 stored to silver throughout Europe." But, 

 if that quality is not restored, then "there 

 will be left the alternatives of diluting the 

 currency there with paper money, or the 

 civil convulsions which the Socialists and 

 Communists stand ready to inaugurate." 



