CRITICAL NOTICES OP NEW PUBLICATIONS. 137 



given — extraordinary if they did not, by the subsequent treatment, like pro- 

 phecies, tend to verify themselves." — p. 16. 



Again : — 



"The division of the profession into Medicine and Surgery has given rise 

 to a vast number of operations which, so far from alleviating the sufferings 

 of man, have materially added to them. Among these I must particularly 

 reprobate the employment of the knife in every kind of fistula, numerous 

 tumours, including cancer, the abuse of the bougie, the extirpation of the 

 upper and lower jaw, and many other sanguinary practices, which so often 

 help the surgeon to a carriage and the patient to a coffin. A proper know- 

 ledge of medicine and its mode of action requires but seldom the formidable 

 assistance of operative skill— a skill which the generality of students, in their 

 endeavours to acquire, too frequently neglect the very interests it is the 

 business of their profession to keep in mind." — p. 22. 



Dr. D. also agrees with Hahnemann in abjuring, in every case, 

 the practice of bleeding — a subject which certainly requires much 

 reform. The work is written in a pleasant style, and if the Doc- 

 tor's language be occasionally unwarrantably strong, he undoubt- 

 edly has thrown out hints well worthy of attention ; and, without 

 conceding to his theory m toto, we may recommend the perusal of 

 the volume to the improving part of the profession. 



The Ornithological Guide; in which are discussed several interests 

 ing points in Ornithology. By Charles Thorold Wood, jun., Esq. 

 London : Whittaker &'Co. fcap. 8vo. 1836. 



In this book-making age octavo volumes are the work of a few 

 short weeks, and the majority of the publications of the present day 

 would certainly tend to prove the truth of our assertion. On tak- 

 ing up the guide before us, we expected — judging from the date of 

 the preface, September, 1835 — we had at length met with a book 

 on which unusual care and labour had been bestowed. We must, 

 however, say that we were disappointed. The volume is divided 

 into three sections. The first of these is on the subject of nomen- 

 clature, scientific and vernacular. We should have been better 

 pleased had our author omitted the somewhat harsh critique on the 

 letter of Mr. Strickland to this Journal, especially as it had already 

 been replied to. A chapter on nomenclature might have been in- 

 troduced without implicating JMr. Strickland so deeply in the mat- 

 ter : even supposing Mr. S. to be in the wrong (which we are in- 

 clined to believe), surely it is not necessary to resort to abuse to 

 establish this fact. We rejoice, however, to see the reform of Eng- 

 lish names advocated, and hope the example may be followed by- 

 others. The second section consists of notices of ornithological 

 works. In Mr. Neville Wood's Ornithologist's Text Book, one 

 hundred and fifty works are included, in the present Guide only 

 fifty, or exactly one-third ; we leave our readers to form their own 

 conclusion. Lastly, we have a list of British birds for labelling 



VOL. VI. NO. XIX. s 



