188 Tue Microscope. 
Reviews, 
© 
A PALACE-PRISON; OR, THE PAST AND THE PRESENT. 1884. 16mo. 
Cloth. $1.00. New York: Fords, Howard & Hulbert. 
It is difficult to form a correct opinion of a work like this. 
There are some things in it so overdrawn and exceptional that 
the medical critic gets out of patience and wholly provoked at 
the author for writing such a work; while, on the other hand, 
there are some such wholesome criticisms and wise suggestions 
on the present method of treating the insane, that the reader 
finds himself thoroughly awakened to the wrongs committed 
“in these herding-places.” 
The book pretends to be a true representation of the inte- 
rior life of a large insane asylum, or “ palace-prison,” as the 
author calls it. 
The author states that all “the seemingly incredible inci- 
dents of the narrative ” are within his personal knowledge, and 
must therefore be facts. That there is terrible injustice done in 
some of our asylums cannot be denied, but when the author 
asks if any patients are ever dismissed “ unless by the direct 
order of those who pay for keeping them there,” he goes too far. 
The whole thrilling story of the charming girl Marion is 
one calculated to excite the deepest interest, especially as we 
are told that ‘ she did, and does, exist.” 
It is a vivid picture of a continual series of the most terri- 
ble wrongs it is possible to imagine to occur among the dread 
mysteries of an insane asylum. The book, if generally read, 
will certainly fulfill one of the desires of the author—“ a tend- 
ency to depopulate asylums.” It is a “peculiar” and a strong 
work. 
THE WHITE Mountains. A Handbook for Travelers. pp. 486. 6 
maps and 6 panoramas. Fifth edition, revised and enlarged. 
$1.00. Jas. R. Osgood & Co. Boston, 1884. 
This book furnishes a complete guide to the peaks, passes, 
and ravines of the White Mountains. It is also a guide to all 
the neighboring cities and villages, hotels and boarding places. 
If you intend to go to New Hampshire, Western Maine, or the 
upper Connecticut Valley, you should have this book for a com- 
