1888.] MICROSCOPICAL JOURNAL. 117 



NOTICES OF BOOKS. 



Epitome of Anatomy. By H. H. Culver. Boston. Ginn & Co. 1888. pp.22. 



This is a set of tabular synopses of the terms used in anatomy, physiology, and 

 hygiene, an outline for helping the student to put into scientific form for ready review 

 his knowledge on the subject. As such it is a successful presentation of the facts of 

 chief importance. We should propose a different arrangement in some places. Thus 

 the salivary glands are placed with other glands — the liver, pancreas, and stomach 

 glands, etc. We should prefer to speak of them under the description of the mouth 

 of which they are a part, physiologically and morphologically as well. The work is ex- 

 plicit upon the action of alcohol on all parts of the body, though in some of the points 

 stated it would have been well to indicate that they are still in dispute. Upon the 

 whole it is a useful book and can well be used by any student of physiology. — O. 



Microscopic Botany ; A Manual of tJie Mic7'oscope in Vegetable Histology. By Edward 



Strasburger. Translated by Rev. A. B. Hervey. Boston. S. E. Casino. 1887. 



pp. 382; 114 figures. Price, cloth, $2.50. 



The student who desires to enter upon the investigation of vegetable histology need 



search no further than the most admirable work of Strasburger called, in the German 



parlance, Botanische Practiciim, or, as we should say, Practical Botany. The original 



work was followed by an abridgement, Das Kliene Botanische Practiciim, and the work 



before us now for reviev is an English translation of the ' Smaller Practical Botany.' 



It is complete in itself, but not so extensive as the larger work, which has also been 



translated into English. But it is as thorough and comprehensive as anyone, except 



a special investigator, would require. The purpose of the work is to train the user in 



the details of microscopical manipulation for the study of the vegetable tissues. Prof. 



Strasburger has won a world-wide name among biologists for his wonderful histological 



skill. The brilliant results attained in the domain of nuclear investigation prove him 



a thorough master of histological technique. In his work he brings together the results 



of his own studies and of other workers in this department. He presents the reader 



with innumerable ' schemes ' for demonstrating the difficult facts of cell structure. 



The book is divided into such lessons as these : — 



Lesson II. Gluten ; Fatty oils ; Making permanent preparations ; Use of the simple 

 microscope. 



Lesson V. Tissue; Thickening of the cell wall ; Reaction on sugar ; Inulin nitrates ; 

 Tannin ; Wood substance of Lignin. 



XV. Structure of the Foliage leaves and Floral leaves ; The ends of the Vascular 

 Bundles. 



To illustrate how careful he is to set the worker on the right track let us quote from 

 the study of the fibrovascular bundle of the fern rhizome : — 'Make a section oi Pteris 

 aquilina in which it is possible to get a good knowledge of the vascular bundle. The 

 numerous sclerenchyma (?) strings in the fundamental tissue do not permit us to make 

 a good section. Make the section from the rhizome directly behind the growing point 

 or through the petiole of a young leaf. The vascular bundle will be sufficiently de- 

 veloped, while the fundamental tissue will not be much hardened.' A brief caution 

 of this sort, and such are to be found at every step, will save the student a world 

 of vexation of spirit and much weariness of the flesh. It is so obvious that most writers 

 would think it useless, and yet it is obvious only to the expert. Nothing is obvious to 

 a beginner. 



In style the work does not follow the method in vogue in manuals, so commonly in 

 which each step is distinctly laid down, as, for example, in the most excellent Practical 

 Biology of Huxley and Martin. We can but think that for the purposes of the labor- 

 atory some such style would be gain. The meaning is, however, entirely clear, and 

 any thoughtful reader or student will not find any serious hindrance from it. We can 

 not better characterize the style than in the words of Prof. Goodale, from a book notice in 

 the American Journal of Science, in which he speaks of Botanische Practiciim : — " One 

 of the charms of the book consists in the almost colloquial minuteness with which all 

 possible difficulties are explained to the student of histology. No hand-book dealing 

 with manipulation should fail to give even fussy details, rather than leave the student 

 to find out all such minor points of practise for himself.' 



For the publishers we may say that the book is printed on good paper, strongly bound, 

 and calculated for the heavy wear of a lal)oratory manual. It is in size uniform with 



