64 



NATURE 



{May 27, 1875 



individual member of each whorl, ' sepal, petal, stamen, 

 carpel. This, we venture to think, is a mistake. We 

 have now used for some time the contractions Ca. Co. 

 An. Gn,, which we prefer, the only objection being that 

 this formula contains eight letters instead of five. 



Many and great difficulties must have been encountered 

 in translating the second book, and these difficulties 

 seem to have been successfully overcome. We have no 

 doubt that further experience will suggest changes and 

 improvements even in the admirable book now before us. 



The third book treats of Physiological Botany, and is 

 divided into seven chapters. The first chapter is devoted 

 to the molecular forces in the plant, and the second to 

 the chemical processes in the plant. Naegeli's theory that 

 organised bodies consist of isolated particles or molecules 

 between which water penetrates is here fully described, 

 and the value of the theory in explaining nutrition and 

 growth by intussusception pointed out. The movements 

 of water and gases in plants are also treated of in this 

 chapter. The second chapter deals with the elementary 

 constituents of the food of plants, assimilation and meta- 

 tastasis, and respiration in plants. Sachs describes the 

 separation of oxygen and fixation of carbon as assimila- 

 tion, and limits the apphcation of the term respiration to 

 the taking up of oxygen and liberation of carbon dioxide. 

 The influence of external conditions, as temperature, light, 

 electricity, and gravitation in plants, forms the subject 

 of the third chapter. The mechanical laws of growth, 

 including the movements of growing parts, are fully 

 described in chapter iv. This chapter will be read with 

 much interest, and many of the statements will be found 

 to be new to Enghsh students. The fifth chapter gives a 

 careful resume of what is known regarding the movements 

 met with in full-grown parts of plants, whether periodic 

 or dependent on the action of stimuli. Chapter vi. is 

 devoted to the phenomena of sexual reproduction, the 

 sections on the influence of relationship on sexual cells, 

 and on hybridisation being of much importance. The 

 last chapter is devoted to the origin of species, to varie- 

 ties, and to the Theory of Descent. 



In closing the book after giving the above brief sketch 

 of its contents, we cannot but express our satisfaction at 

 the manner in which Messrs. Bennett and Dyer have 

 done their work. The notes appended to the English 

 edition are of much value, and will assist the student in 

 his studies. We hsve but one objection to the work, and 

 that is its high price as compared with the German 

 edition. Surely the price will be an obstacle in the way 

 of its extensive circulation. Could anything be done to 

 obviate this ? Sachs himself has already issued the 

 physiological portion of the third German edition sepa- 

 rately. Why not permit students to obtain one or other 

 of the three books separately ? Or might not an abridg- 

 ment be made, somewhat on the principle of Prantl's 

 Lehrbuch ? As a text-book it must exercise a most 

 powerful influence on botanical teaching in this country, 

 and while it will supersede all other text-books for 

 advanced students, we fear that its size and price may 

 prevent it being so widely used as it ought to be. With 

 Sachs' text-book within reach, teachers and students will 

 be themselves to blame if they are behind the time in 

 botanical science. Then, the English edition being 

 translated from the third German edition, students can 



readily keep up their knowledge, because the "Bota- 

 nischer Jahresbericht," beginning as it does in 1873, will 

 refer them to all the more recent literature. While we 

 have thus expressed our entire satisfaction with the work 

 of the translators and annotators, let us not forget to 

 mention that the way in which the work is got up does 

 credit both to the Clarendon Press and Messrs. Mac- 

 millan and Co. W. R. M'Nab 



DR. CHAMBERS'S ''MANUAL OF DIET" 

 A Manual of Diet in Health and Disease. By T. King 



Chambers, M.D. (Smith, Elder, and Co., 1875.) 

 '"pHERE are many writers who, immediately they place 

 -L pen to paper, seem to be affected with a certain 

 formality of diction and seventy of style which prevents 

 them doing justice to their subject in the eyes of the more 

 easily satisfied public, who, while desiring instruction, 

 prefer it to be mixed with a certain amount of that form of 

 interest which can be given it by an apparent " at home- 

 ness " on the part of the author. Dr. Chambers does not 

 sufl'er from this fault. In the work before us he has pro- 

 duced one of the most readable as well as practical 

 manuals on diet which we could want to see. The inte- 

 rest is maintained from beginning to end, and much 

 valuable information is given on many of the important 

 topics of everyday life without the uncomfortable sensa- 

 tion of any effort being needed to obtain it. 



The subject is treated of under three headings : General 

 Dietetics, Special Dietetics of Health, and Dietetics in Sick- 

 ness. The author commences with the question — What 

 is the natural food of man Flesh-eating animals have 

 teeth, jaws, and limbs suitable for capture and tearing, 

 vegetable feeders have bulky viscera, and so on. Apply- 

 ing similar arguments to the human race, " to judge by 

 form and structure alone, the natural" food of an adult 

 man must be pronounced to be nothing-;" from which we 

 must necessarily deduce, as is indicated by other conside- 

 rations, that man as man assumed his special characters 

 after he commenced the employment of instruments for 

 offence and defence. In fact, the developed heel, with 

 which is correlated the non-arboreal habit, is incom- 

 patible with the naturally defenceless condition of cur 

 species. 



The space which is gained by the omission of the 

 chapters on the chemistry, botany, &c., of food stuffs to 

 be found in most works on diet and food, is, as we are 

 told in the preface, employed in a full discussion of many 

 matters connecting food and drink with the daily current 

 of social life. The number of observations which will 

 come home vividly to almost anyone turning over the 

 pages of this work is so numerous that we think a few 

 quotations will give the best idea of their scope. For 

 instance, salads form an important article of diet in every 

 family. " The salad ought to be dressed by one of the 

 daughters of the house, after she has herself dressed for 

 dinner, singing, if not with voice, with her clean, cool 

 fingers, sharp silver knife, and wooden spoon — 

 " Weaving spiders, come not here ; 



Hence, you long-legged spinners, hence : 



Beetles black, approach not near ; 



Worm nor snail, do no offence." 

 Since the introduction of railways the difficulty in pro- 

 curing good mutton is acutely felt in all but large cities, 

 and the author makes a suggestion which, where carried 



