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THE POPULAR SCIENCE MONTHLY. 



individual ; and social. The history of the 

 study of criminality is next sketched, and its 

 importance is indicated. The physical char- 

 acters of criminals are considered and com- 

 pared with those of other men, after the ex- 

 ample set by Lombroso, with reference to 

 various anatomical peculiarities as well as 

 to the broader factors of general structure, 

 physical sensibility, and heredity. Of psy- 

 chical factors, moral insensibility, intelli- 

 gence, vanity, emotional instability, senti- 

 ment, and religion are presented as those to 

 the influence of which, on one side or the 

 other, the most importance may be attached. 

 The working of these factors is illustrated 

 by reference to the custom of tattooing, 

 thieves' slang, prison inscriptions, criminal 

 literature and art, and criminal philosophy. 

 The results of criminal anthropology are re- 

 viewed in the fifth chapter ; they are some- 

 times obscure and even contradictory ; but 

 we can not afford, in dealing with criminals, 

 to dispense with such science of human na- 

 ture as we may succeed in attaining. The 

 lesson is drawn that criminality is a natural 

 phenomenon to be studied gravely and care- 

 fully, according to natural methods ; and 

 that by natural and reasonable methods 

 alone can the problem of its elimination be 

 faced with any chance of success. The gen- 

 eral character of some of these methods is 

 indicated. 



Protoplasm and Life, one of the Fact 

 and Theory papers series, published by 

 N. D. C. Ilodges, New York, contains two 

 biological essays by Charles F. Cox. In 

 the former essay, entitled The Cell Doc- 

 trine, the author reviews the history of the 

 theory of protoplasm and the discussions 

 upon it, and reaches the conclusions that 

 the original idea of the cell, as propounded 

 by Schleiden and Schwann, has gradually 

 faded away ; that there appears to be no one 

 visible and tangible substance to which the 

 name protoplasm is rigidly and exclusively 

 applied,; and that life is as much a mystery 

 as ever. In the second essay, which is on 

 the Spontaneous Generation theory, he en- 

 deavors to show that a transition from not- 

 living matter to living forms is an essential 

 step in the process of evolution ; that at the 

 point at which experimental proof is appli- 

 cable (namely, present and continued arche- 



biosis) the theory of such transition is dis- 

 credited, if not disproved ; and that " the 

 general theory of evolution is still in the 

 stage of hypothesis, and that in the gap be- 

 tween lifeless substances and living forms 

 we have the veritable ' missing link.' " 



In preparing his book on Tornadoes (New 

 York, N. D. C. Ilodges, Fact and Theory pa- 

 pers) Prof. H. A. Hazen has aimed to pre- 

 sent in popular style the theories bearing on 

 the subject, and the facts that have accumu- 

 lated from year to year, otherwise scattered 

 through many volumes. Efforts have been 

 made to sift theories to their sources ; to re- 

 view Espy's work, which lies at the basis of 

 modern theories of tornado formation ; to 

 obtain an estimate of the tornadoes that 

 have occurred in this country since 18*73 ; 

 and to compare the destruction by tornadoes 

 with that by fire. Some suggestions are given 

 about tornado insurance. The sun-spot the- 

 ory and the possibility of predicting torna- 

 does are touched upon. The Louisville torna- 

 do is described ; and directions are given for 

 observing tornadoes. 



The Chief Signal Officer of the Army 

 complains in his Report for 1889 that the 

 military branch of the corps is deteriorating 

 for the lack of facilities for the practical 

 training and drilling of the officers and men, 

 but makes a full exhibit of meteorological 

 work. The issue of weather forecasts and 

 storm warnings has been continued, and the 

 demands for them have increased. As the 

 field to which they are applied expands, 

 modifications have to be made in their 

 shape ; they become more general, and local 

 work has more to be left to local observers ; 

 and in this department obligations are ac- 

 knowledged to certain newspapers in the 

 larger cities. Defects in the predictions are 

 excused by pleading the amount of work 

 that is imposed upon the persons who have 

 to make them. Thus the chief forecast offi- 

 cial has forty-nine minutes in the morning 

 and fifteen minutes at night at his disposal 

 for what is a very complicated task. Yet, 

 the percentage of correct predictions is rising 

 78-3 in 1887, 81-6 in 1888, and 83'8 in 

 1889. Weather reports from the West In- 

 dies have been resumed. A special study is 

 being made of cold waves. Weather signals 

 are supplied at 1,056 stations. Observations 

 of atmospheric electricity have been discon- 



