522 Notices of Books. [October, 
but none of these are said to be older than the fourteenth or 
fifteenth century. A capital drawing of the organ is given on 
p- 340. It had keys, pipes, valves, a wind-chest, and a pump 
for condensing air into the wind-chest, and even stops. The 
Romans, in the time of Nero, appear to have had organ- 
contests, and medals were given as prizes, one of which is in 
the British Museum. 
Mr. Chappell’s work is altogether interesting, and contains a 
good deal of new matter. A few of the chapters appear to be 
unnecessarily complex, and perhaps can be somewhat simplified 
in a second edition. A few errors exist, which may also then be 
altered: perhaps the most important of these is to be found in 
the foot-note to p. 187-188,in which Lissajous’ Figuresare wrongly 
described as produced by sand on vibrating plates. The book is 
well printed and illustrated, and we shall look forward with 
interest to the appearance of the remaining volumes. 
The Harveian Oration for 1874. By CuarLtes West, M.D., 
F.R.C.P. London: Longmans, Green, and Co. 1874. 
THE practice of giving the annual Harveian Oration in Latin 
has been discontinued for several years; and in this country it 
is not easy to hear a Latin address, save on certain occasions 
in our older Universities. In Leyden, and in some of the 
German and Italian Universities, it is, however, a far commoner 
practice. The present oration could well be converted into 
somewhat florid and verbose Latin: for example, think of such 
resounding periods as the following :—‘‘ When your commands, 
Sir, were first laid upon me to undertake this most honourable, 
most arduous office, I studied, as a preparation for its accom- 
plishment, all the Harveian orations that I could meet with.” 
Or, again—‘‘ Such was the man, such were his pursuits; loving 
knowledge for its own sake; loving it, too, not in pride of intel- 
lect,” &c. The oration relates to the Life and Times of Harvey. 
It tells us that he was born in 1578, that he left school and 
entered at Caius College at the age of 15, and took his B.A. in 
’ 1597. On leaving Cambridge he went to Padua, then a most 
celebrated University and Medical School. At one time it pos- 
sessed no less than 18,000 students, and it numbered among its 
Professors some of the most eminent men in Europe. Harvey 
passed nearly five years at Padua, and took his degree in 1602; © 
on returning to England, he became M.D. of Cambridge in 
1603, F.R.C.P. in 1607, married and commenced practice in 
London, and in 1609 became Physician to St. Bartholomew’s 
Hospital, and then he worked hard at anatomical discoveries. 
His greatest discovery is described by Dr. West as follows :— 
‘First. After corroborating the statements of those who had 
