THE POPULAR SCIENCE MONTHLY. 



selves on the side of this question repre- 

 sented by Dr. Harvey in the present volume, 

 prominent among whom have been Alison 

 Gubler and Sir John Forbes — the latter 

 author, indeed, having carried his views so 

 far as to be ranked as a therapeutic nihil- 

 ist. But it is diflScult to take up a position 

 strongly without being charged with exag- 

 geration and exclusiveness. Dr. Harvey, 

 at any rate, is not open to the charge of ex- 

 treme partisanship, and has done an excel- 

 lent service to his profession by this digest 

 of information from wide sources, and the 

 analysis which he has made of the nature of 

 the curative powers of the organism, and the 

 quality of disease ; and while he strongly 

 asserts the supremacy of nature over art, 

 he yet gives to art that which is fairly its 

 due. The final chapters of the work, on the 

 "Physiology of the Several Processes of 

 Dying," are of especial interest. 



The author publishes an extract from a 

 letter written him by Sir Thomas Watson, 

 author of the well-known " Principles and 

 Practice of Physic," a portion of which we 

 here append. Dr. Watson says : " You 

 have thoroughly thrashed out the great 

 theme which you proposed to discuss. It 

 is certain that a sound system of therapeu- 

 tics must rest on a consideration of what 

 nature in many cases is capable, and in 

 some fewer cases is incapable of doing in 

 disease ; and, on the other hand, on what 

 art may do in helping or hindering nature. 

 All this, I say, you have most fully ex- 

 plained ; and I feel sure that the student 

 of your volume can not fail to have his 

 mind cleared up and settled on these most 

 important subjects." 



The reception of Spencer's " Data of 

 Ethics " by critics generally has been most 

 gratifying, and indicates a favorable change 

 in the habits of these parties. Formerly 

 they seem to have been chiefly anxious to 

 put before the world their own views of Spen- 

 cer's works ; now they conclude it is better 

 to let him speak for himself. This may 

 somewhat belittle the function of the criti- 

 cal go-between, but it will be much more 

 satisfactory to both the author and the pub- 

 lic, besides the incidental advantage of get- 

 ting more truth into circulation. A large 

 number of the reviews of the "Ethics" 



have consisted of able and discriminating 

 summaries of Spencer's doctrines ; and even 

 Professor Bain, whose position certainly en- 

 titles him to assume the function of judge, 

 is chiefly concerned to get Spencer's opin- 

 ions fully and fairly before his readers. We 

 reprint his article because of its authority 

 in this branch of thought. 



Mr. Spencer has resumed labor upon 

 the "Principles of Sociology," and will 

 shortly publish that part of Vol. II. which 

 treats of the " Development of Ceremonial 

 Institutions." This is a most interesting 

 subject, and becomes very attractive in 

 Spencer's hands. This will be followed by 

 the " Development of Political Institutions," 

 one of the most important parts of his phil- 

 osophical undertaking. 



Neurility : Correlated Converted Physi- 

 cal Forces. By S. V. Clevenger, M. D. 

 Pp. 24. 



The point which the author aims to es- 

 tablish in this essay, if we rightly under- 

 stand him, is that physical energy is suffi- 

 cient for the production of all the phenom- 

 ena of life without the intervention of a 

 so-called " vital " force ; and that the ner- 

 vous system is capable of holding in its sub- 

 stance all forms of physical energy which 

 by means of " cells and ganglia may be in- 

 terchanged into different higher and lower 

 forms or held as originally absorbed." 



PUBLICATIONS RECER'ED. 



Lectures and Essays. By the late W. K. 

 Clifford, F. R. S. L. London and New Yoik : 

 Macmillan. 1S70. '.i vols'., pp. S40 and 321. $7.50. 



Units and Physical Constants. By J. D. 

 Everett, F. R. S. L. Same publishers. 1879. 

 Pp. 191. $1.10. 



Seeing and Thinking. By the late W. K. 

 Clifford. Same publishers. 1879. Pp. 156. $1. 



First Book of Qualitative Chemistry. By A. 

 B. Prescott. New York : D. Van Nostraud. 1879. 

 Pp. 160. $1.50. 



Ice-making Machines. By M. Ledoux. Same 

 publisher. 1879. Pp. 150. 50 cents. 



The Origin of Fever. By R. T. Colbum. 

 Rochester, New York: Andrews print. 1879. 

 Pp. 26. 



Memoirs of the Science Department of the 

 Tokio University. Vol. I., Part I. Shell Mounds 

 of Oranri. By E. S. Morse. Tokio : The Univer- 

 sity 2539 (1879). Pp. 36, with 18 Plates. 



Der Irrthum des Speciesbegriffes. Von Dr. 

 Otto Kuntze (Verhandl. d. Leipz. geogr. Ges. 

 1879). Pp. IS. Verwandtschaft von algen mit 

 Phanerogamen. Von dem selben (Aus " Flora." 

 1879). Pp. 22. 



The Creeds or Christ : a Plea for Religious 



