IV SCIENCE PROGRESS. 



house the contents be arranged so as to be readily accessible to any 

 inquirer. 



Perhaps the most convenient arrangement for such a general 

 collection is that afforded by a series of articles alphabetically arranged, 

 by, in fact, a dictionary of the science under consideration. That 

 such an arrangement has been a favourite one may be gathered from a 

 glance at some of the more important branches of natural science. 

 Thus we have dictionaries of Chemistry, of Botany, of Electricity, and 

 others, whilst there have lately appeared several important treatises on 

 Medicine in which a similar arrangement has been followed. 



For such an arrangement to be satisfactory, however, several 

 things are necessary. In the first place the special branch of know- 

 ledge concerned must have been in existence, and separated from its 

 sister sciences, for a length of time sufficient to provide an array of well- 

 established facts large enough to justify the selection of an ambitious 

 mode of treatment ; and in the second place each article must be written 

 by a specialist in that particular branch in order that a thorough treat- 

 ment may be ensured. At the same time the opinions held by the 

 writer must not be put too prominently forward. 



Up to a few years ago various causes had contributed to render 

 undesirable any attempt so to group the main facts of physiology. 

 Chief amongst such causes may be mentioned the youth of the science 

 as distinct from Anatomy, Chemistry, Histology and Medicine, and the 

 small advance that had been made in several important branches. At 

 the present time, however, most of these objections have disappeared, 

 and the science of physiology has made such rapid advances and be- 

 come so separated off from its sister sciences, whilst at the same time 

 the mass of facts has become so vast, that some tabular arrangement 

 seems almost a necessity. 



It is, therefore, with great pleasure that we welcome the first part 

 of the present work. A Dictionary of Ph3'siology, by Charles Richet, 

 assisted by MM. P. Langlois and L. Lapicque, together with a large 

 number of other prominent physiologists, ought to, and, judging from the 

 samiple before us, we have every confidence that it will, furnish such a 

 complete statement of the main facts of physiology as will materially 

 aid the future development of the science. 



At present we have onh' the first two parts of the first volume 

 before us, and as the whole work is to consist of five volumes this is but 

 a small instalment. Nevertheless we have here articles from which we 

 are able to form a fair idea of the character and scope of the whole 

 work. Thus we have an article of thirt3'-seven pages on Accommodation 

 by Wertheimer, which gives a good account of what is known on the 

 subject. Commencing with a succinct definition of the subject and 

 proofs of its importance, the author proceeds to set forth the opinions 

 which have been held as to the mechanism of accommodation. 



The role of the crystalline lens and the cause of its change of 

 form is described at length, and tables are given of the data of dioptric 



