June 



O' 



911] 



NATURE 



515 



numerical data for dissociation pressures. The 

 equations employed are often only approximate, but 

 though subject to future correction, they cannot fail 

 to be useful. In the study of iron and steel the author 

 has achiev'ed special eminence, so that the last chapter, 

 which is devoted to the application of the above prin- 

 ciples to the chemical reactions occurring in the blast 

 furnace will be read with peculiar interest. 



OVR BOOK SHELF. 

 The World of Dreams. By Havelock Ellis. Pp. 



xii + 288. (London : Constable and Co., Ltd., 



191 1.) ys. 6d. net. 

 Mr. Ellis very truly remarks that in the past the 

 literature of dreaming has often been vitiated by bad 

 observation and reckless theory. In the volume under 

 review he gives a large number of carefully recorded 

 dreams — chiefly his own — and is sparing of hypo- 

 thesis. The drift of the book may be indicated as 

 follows : — 



The sleeping consciousness is w-eak in apperception 

 and in will. It is, in fact, partly dissociated, as in 

 insanity. But it can reason; and dreams are its 

 serious and careful attempts to construct an adequate 

 theory of the phenomena. These latter psvchical 

 facts may be sensations derived from external stimuli 

 such as sounds — as when the drip of water from a 

 burst pipe upon the floor near a dog's bed caused his 

 owner to dream that the dog was being crushed in 

 a mangle — or from visceral disturbances, as when 

 indigestion causes dreams of terrifying situations. 

 Stimuli of any kind are magnified by the sleeping 

 consciousness, and the theory (the dream) is conse- 

 quents out of proportion to their real importance, as 

 when the singing of a canary caused a dream of the 

 performajice of Haydn's "Creation." Fear-dreams 

 are often exaggerations of dimly-realised bodily dis- 

 comfort, as when a lady had a horrible dream of 

 murder after a supper of pheasant. The interesting 

 point about this is that the dream is the result, and 

 not the cause, of the emotion. Unpleasant feelings are 

 really experienced, and the dream-consciousness 

 invents a theory to account for them. This is in line 

 with the James-Lange theory of emotion in general. 



As to ultimate psychical origins, Mr. Ellis thinks 

 that Freud presses his sexual-\vish theory too far. The 

 great Vienna psychologist has done brilliant work, but 

 has become obsessed by his pet formula. His key 

 will not fit all the locks. Probably most psychologists 

 will now agree with Mr. Ellis on this point. 



The chapter on dreams of flying and falling is par- 

 ticularly good. It can scarcely be doubted that the 

 absence of pressure against the soles of the feet — a 

 v'ague mass of sensation always present when stand- 

 ing or sitting — must have a great deal to do with 

 these dreams. The other sensory nerves over the body 

 being relaxed and inactive, the bed ceases to be felt; 

 and the consequence is a dream of floating unsup- 

 ported in the air. This suggests an explanation of 

 the subjective feeling of Icvitation in the case of many 

 saints. In ecstasy there is considerable anaesthesia, 

 both of the soles of the feet and elsewhere. 



The book is popular in stvle, but is thoroughly 

 scientific in method, and Mr. Ellis has a wide acauaint- 

 ance with the work of other investigators in this field. 

 His contribution is a welcome one. 

 The Ecouomv of Food: a Popular Treatise on Niitri- 



lion, Food, and Diet. By J. .Man Murray. Pp. 



xii + 253. (London: Constable and Co., Ltd., 



191 1.) 35. 6d. net. 

 The subtitle of Mr. Alan Murray's book and the fol- 

 fowinf:* extract from the preface will indicate its 



NO. 2172, VOL. 86] 



scope : — " The book is intended for students of domestic 

 economy, cooks, caterers, housekeepers, and managers 

 of institutions rather than for specialists in physio- 

 logy, chemistry, and hygiene. The subject cannot be 

 treated adequately without reference to the principles 

 of these sciences ; but the more difficult parts have 

 been relegatea to footnotes, and the use of technical 

 terms in the text have been avoided as far as possible. 

 The first section deals with the requirements of the 

 body. The origin, properties, and composition of the 

 commoner kinds of food are discussed in the second. 

 In the third an attempt is made to combine these two 

 branches in a form suitable for everyday use — to 

 translate protein, carbohydrates, &c., into terms of 

 bread and meat, i.e. of breakfast, dinner, and supper." 

 Mr. Murray has been very successful in his attempt ; 

 the scientific portions are accurate and up-to-date, the 

 practical parts will fill a long-felt want, and the whole 

 is presented in a clear and readable manner. In these 

 days when so much rubbish is printed for popular con- 

 sumption in the daily Press and elsewhere on the 

 subject of food and diet, it is a godsend to have a really 

 trustworthy and popular guide which it is a real 

 pleasure to be able to recommend. F"ood, of all other 

 subjects, is one which lends itself to the exploitation 

 of fads. There is nothing of the sort in the present 

 volume ; we have no advocacy of any particular 

 system, no hysterics on the subject of the Chittenden 

 diet, or sour milk, or standard bread, but just plain, 

 simple, sober, common sense. W. D. H. 



A Text-Book of Botany. By J. M. Lowson. Seventh 

 impression (fifth edition), revised and enlarged. Pp. 

 viii + 607. (London: W. B. Clive, University 

 Tutorial Press, Ltd. ; Cambridge : University 

 Tutorial Press, 19 10.) Price 6^. 6d. 



Although there have been numerous and material 

 alterations of the subject-matter for this edition, there 

 is no change in the general arrangement, and the book 

 still maintains its very apparent examination character 

 — that is to say, the dominating idea is not to stimu- 

 late the observational and thinking faculties but to 

 provide in the space as much information as possible, 

 duly punctuated and diagrannnatised. The general 

 arrangement is not unsatisfactory, but it is not ap- 

 parent why there should be such an early insertion 

 of a chapter and various sections dealing with 

 histologv; also it may be suggested that the heading 

 of chajiter iv. would nowadays be more applicable 

 to the chapter on ecology. The latter is a new intro- 

 duction and requires revision, as the exposition is dis- 

 jointed, and there is no mention of that important 

 unit of classification, the formation. For the most 

 part, however, the presentment of the information is 

 essentially explicit and well ordered, and the trend of 

 recent investigation and modem theories is carefully 

 indicated. A useful series of physiological experiments 

 is outlined, and the importance of combining practical 

 work with reading is emphasised. The selection of 

 cryptogamic tvpes and the general scope of the book 

 follow the requirements of the intermediate examina- 

 tions at London L^niversity. 



Le Chaos et l' Harmonic univcrsclle. By F«5Hx le 

 Dantec. Pp. 195. (Paris: Felix Alcan, lou.) 

 Price 2.50 francs. 

 To a long list of previously published works. M. le 

 Dantec has added a book dealing with a variety of 

 subjects treated sometimes from a philosophical point 

 of view, and at others from the mathematical side. 

 To give the titles of a few of the sections is lo indicate 

 the range of the treatise. "Heredity and education." 

 "the definition of chance." "living bodi<"i," nnd 

 "life," mav be mentioned. 



