LITERARY NOTICES. 



243 



among men ; its funds are again in a pros- 

 perous condition, and its reputation and 

 usefulness are still on the increase." 



The adoption of a wise and well-consid- 

 ered plan and a steady adherence to " the 

 fundamental idea " have resulted in this 

 instance, as they will result in all, in last- 

 ing and permanent good and in brilliant 

 success. Perhaps the most valuable lesson 

 to be derived from the present report is in 

 its unwritten precepts, which show how a 

 scientific trust may be administered so as 

 to produce the greatest return to the world, 

 and at the same time to preserve for sci- 

 ence the full benefit of the endowment. 

 There is no country where these lessons 

 deserve more careful study than in our own, 

 and we are fortunate in having in our midst 

 an example of good administration based 

 on wise prevision, and guided by high sci- 

 entific intelligence. 



Bacteria and their Influence upon the 

 Origin and Development of Septic 

 Complications of Wounds. By L. A. 

 Stimson, M. D. Wood Priz^ Essay of 

 the Alumni Association of Bellevue 

 Hospital Medical College. 34 pages. 

 New York : D. Appleton & Co., 18Y5. 



In the early pages of this pamphlet the 

 author explains what is meant by the terms 

 bacterium and vibrio, gives the various clas- 

 sifications that have been proposed for 

 them, and then goes into an account of 

 their natural history, including structure, 

 development, motions, nourishment, func- 

 tions, and distribution. Briefly summed up, 

 " Bacteria are microscopical vegetable or- 

 ganisms of two main varieties : 1. Round or 

 oval cells 0.0005 0.0010 mm. in diameter, 

 single or arranged in lines or groups. . . . 

 2. Cylindrical cells, 0.0020.003 mm. long, 

 single or arranged in lines. . . . There is no 

 genetic relationship between them and or- 

 dinary mould and fungus. They are found 

 in the air, water, and most animal and vege- 

 table tissues. They are saprophytes, not 

 parasites, and are unable in themselves to 

 cause infectious diseases." The remainder 

 of the essay is on the second branch of the 

 subject, viz., what these organisms have 

 to do with the origin and development of 

 the putrid conditions of wounds, and on the 

 treatment to be adopted for the prevention 

 or relief of such conditions. 



Fire-Burial among our Germanic Fore- 

 fathers. By Karl Blind. London : 

 Longmans, Green & Co. 24 pp. 



The author shows that fire-burial was 

 once the ruling custom with the Germanic 

 races, and thinks it not strange that the 

 German people should so readily accept the 

 views of Sir Henry Thompson on cremation. 

 Their occasional torchlight processions at 

 night in honor of departed princes are lin- 

 gering relics of fire-burial. 



The Saxons and Frisians of old were 

 terrified at the dark, narrow grave when the 

 change was made from burning to burial. 

 With the Northmen, cremation succeeded 

 mound - burial. In Gaul, Caesar observed 

 that the natives practised cremation, and 

 Tacitus mentions fire-burial as a Germanic 

 custom, special kinds of wood being set 

 apart for chieftains. 



The dog of the Norse warrior was burnt 

 with him. Horses, too, were burned, and in 

 some countries the custom of leading his 

 horse after the cofiin of a chief still prevails. 



" We burn the corpses of those we love," 

 said a Norseman in the tenth century to au 

 Arab embassador, "but you bury in the 

 earth where vermin and worms devour." 



The Northmen buried the ashes after 

 cremation, and planted flowers over the 

 tomb. These practices have Ibund expres- 

 sion in many poems and legends of the races 

 where they prevailed, and the author is ex- 

 ceedingly happy in pressing them into ser- 

 vice in his historical notice. 



Report of the Curators of the Missouri 

 State University for the Year ending 

 June, 1875. Pp. 208. . 



From this Report we learn that during 

 the past year the Curators purchased, as 

 a locale for the School of Mines, the public 

 school-building in the town of Rolla, at a 

 cost of $25,000. Since ISet the library has 

 grown from 2,000 volumes to 9,000 ; scien- 

 tific apparatus has been increased in a yet 

 greater ratio. The School of Mines num- 

 bered last year over 100 students. In addi- 

 tion to the School of Mines, the following 

 professional schools are now fully organized 

 in connection with the university, viz. : Nor- 

 mal School, Agricultural and Mechanical 

 College, College of Law, Medical College, 

 and Department of Analytical and Applied 

 Chemistry. 



