184 



Journal of Applied Microscopy. 



BOOK REVIEWS. 



Practical Exercises in Comparative Physi- 

 ology and Urine Analysis, by Pierre A. 

 Fish, D.Sc, Assistant Professor of Com- 

 parative Physiology and Pharmacology, 

 New York State Veterinary College, Cor- 

 nell University. Published by the Author. 

 71 Pages. Manila Cover. 75c. 



The purpose of this work is admirably 

 stated in the preface. "This little man- 

 ual has been designed, especially, to meet 

 the needs of those students who desire 

 to become physicians or teachers of 

 science. * * * The majority of the ex- 

 periments may be as easily performed in 

 a preparatory school as in a college, with 

 a little experience and ingenuity on the 

 part of the instructor." 



The work in physiology is qualitative 

 throughout. About equal attention is 

 given to the chemical side and to the 

 physical side of the subject. The quali- 

 tative tests for many of the constituents 

 of the organism and its secretions are 

 given and the activities of the digestive 

 juices are exemplified. In the physical 

 part, the action of cilia, the circulation 

 of the blood, the activities of muscle and 

 nerve are treated. 



In the part on urine analysis, it seems 

 to the reviewer that a physician well ac- 

 quainted with the experiments and tests 

 here described would be admirably 

 equipped for practical work. While here, 

 as in physiology, the work is mainly 

 qualitative, the empirical methods of 

 quantitative estimation, so carefully 

 worked out, are given and the cen- 

 trifuge appears as a common laboratory 

 appliance. 



The work is modern, its directions are 

 admirably concise and clear. It will aid 

 teachers as well as students, and one can 

 feel confident that, after acquiring the 

 fundamental knowledge here given, he 

 will be prepared to go on with the 

 difficult qualitative tests necessary for 

 the more complex and obscure elements 

 of the body, and he will be ready to un- 

 dertake and appreciate the quantitative 

 work in the more advanced field of 

 experimental physiology. 



S. H. Gage. 



A Manual of Dissection and Histology for 

 Use in Classes in Physiology, in High 

 Schools, Normal Schools, and Academies. 

 By G. H. French, A. M. Pub. J. B. Llp- 

 pincoit Com., Philadelphia. 



Following its title the little book is di- 

 vided into: Dissection, Part I; Histology, 

 Part II. 



After some preliminary remarks on 

 methods of work, making of drawing.s 

 and note taking, the author gives a brief 

 laboratory account of the principal tis- 

 sues and organs of a bird, a mammal, and 

 a frog, with study of sections of some of 



them, previously prepared by the student. 



The presentation of the anatomy of the 

 frog is simpler than that of the other 

 two animals studied, and might precede 

 them, as the author suggests, thus also 

 following the order of increasing com- 

 plexity. The organs studied are those 

 usually discussed in elementary physio- 

 logies, except the skin, which is not 

 more than mentioned for removal, while 

 nothing is said of its histological study. 

 Not much stress is laid on comparison 

 of the organs studied in the three 

 animals. 



The introductory technique of Part II 

 is given in sufficient detail to enable the 

 intelligent student to make successful 

 preparations; it includes a full descri])- 

 tion of the microscope and microtom-\ 

 Then follow a set of fifteen "schemes for 

 histology" in which the technique apply- 

 ing to special tissues is given. The us- 

 ually good figures will be of much as- 

 sistance to the student. Wherever the 

 histology of any organ is given in Part I, 

 these figures are referred to, thus mak- 

 ing them serviceable for both parts of 

 the book. There is a useful index at the 

 back of the book, and in the front an ex- 

 planation of terms too brief to be of 

 much value. 



The early and frequent use of technical 

 terms seems to presume, that which the 

 student is to learn, some knowledge of 

 anatomy. Thus, under "dissection of a 

 bird — bones," the student is directed to 

 "find the humerus, ulna, and radius:" 

 and farther on, under "small intestine," 

 he is asked, "Are there any Payer's 

 glands?" this enigma (to the young stu- 

 dent) being somewhat elucidated four- 

 teen pages farther on, after the same 

 question, by the statement, "for place 

 and shape of these see Fig. 20, Part II." 



Occasional loose statements will mis- 

 lead the student: thus, under dissection 

 of the bird's brain, he is directed to 

 "notice fibers connecting the brain with 

 the skull. These are the cranial nerves." 

 In Part II, under "Structure of Cells and 

 Mitosis" (this, by the way, is introduced 

 between two wholly foreign subjects — 

 "submaxillary gland" and "muscles"), 

 we read, "Ordinarily cells are composed 

 of two coats and fluid contents within;" 

 and .speaking of indirect cell division, the 

 author says "the study of this is called 

 mitosis." Under this head would also 

 come "nucleated blood, non-nucleated 

 blood." 



Much valuable time is lost by the stu- 

 dent's being directed to "find" the mere- 

 ly named parts, and the technical name 

 at that. Every teacher of younger stu- 

 dents knows how much easier it is to tell 

 the student to find organs than to tell 

 him how and where to find them, but 

 that it is best of all, though more diffi- 



