February i i, 189: 



NATURE 



341 



it is natural that the first question a student asks about 

 a new book on physiology should be, "Is it the book for 

 the College?" or the M.B., or whatever may be the 

 examination most in vogue at his school. And this 

 question is typical of the effect of examinations for evil, 

 of their tendency to make men read exclusively up (or 

 down) to the requirements of the examiners, disregarding 

 the fact that the elementary physiology and anatomy 

 they learn are to furnish their only weapons with which 

 to attack the, for them, far weightier problems of patho- 

 logy and treatment in their medical and surgical aspects. 



On the other hand, it is a consolation to think that 

 a good text-book must extend its beneficial influence to 

 examinations as well as examinees, and thus improve the 

 physiological teaching, not only by providing a trustworthy 

 book of reference for the students, but also by putting 

 a stop to cramming for examinations, which now forms 

 so large a part of the teaching at London schools ; 

 for so surely as examinations improve will cramming 

 assimilate itself to the proper teaching, and so become 

 a work of supererogation. 



I may say at the outset that Dr. Waller's book falls 

 into the latter category, and is really the best recent 

 work in the English language on human physiology. 

 It presents a complete elementary account of the present 

 state of the science, and is especially distinguished from 

 the text-book most in vogue at the present time by its 

 objectivity. Without loading his text with references 

 and names, Waller retains personal interest in his work, 

 and quotes original experiments sufficiently to attract 

 the attention of the reader, and to give him (so far as is 

 possible in a text-book), a real knowledge of the subject, 

 and opportunity to discriminate between the diverse views 

 with which the science is burdened. 



I mean, no reader is compelled to accept the facts he 

 learns here on the ipse dixit of the author. The facts 

 are presented plainly enough, and their significance 

 discussed, but the student can, if he has the habit of 

 thought, weigh the evidence for himself, and perhaps 

 come to a different conclusion from the author. 



If we may be allowed to alter the context of a sentence 

 of the preface, giving references and original experiments 

 is useful "because it helps to correct that credulous bias 

 or primitive 'suggestibility' which is a physiological 

 property of the human brain, and only too apt to be 

 fostered by unmitigated bookwork." 



Dr. Waller follows the time-honoured division of the 

 subject into vegetative and animal physiology ; the 

 latter, which includes the nervous system and its in- 

 struments, occupying half the entire work (270 pages). 



Some might consider this too much space to be devoted 

 to this part of the subject in a book intended primarily 

 for, and certain to be used chiefly by, medical students. 

 But one must consider that no other department of 

 physiology can be so immediately applied to clinical 

 work as that treating of the nervous system. In fact, 

 a third year's man, who has learnt this well, requires 

 merely a little book knowledge to recognize the most 

 recondite forms of nervous disease, which would hope- 

 lessly elude the diagnostic powers of many an older 

 practitioner, less versed in the latest advancements of 

 neurological science. 



In the eye wards, too, an exact knowledge of the 

 NO. I 163, VOL. 45] 



working of the normal eye is absolutely essential, and 

 one often hears oculists complain that they have to teach 

 students the physiology of the normal eye before they 

 can start on their own proper subject ; and this is partly 

 owing to the fact that these subjects are perhaps the 

 hardest part of physiology, and pardy because the 

 student comes to them at the end of the session, and 

 is tempted to treat them as coming lr.st also in import- 

 ance. This, however, he will be unable to do if he 

 takes the work before us for his text-book. 



The second part is treated evidently con ainore, and is 

 an excellent account of this branch of physiology. The 

 introductory chapter on " The General Plan of the 

 Nervous System '' (which occupies only ten pages) is 

 especially to be commended for its lucid brevity, the 

 outcome of a masterly grasp of the subject. 



This chapter is followed in order by the physiology 

 (i) of the peripheral organs, muscle and nerve ; (2) of 

 the sense-organs, eye, ear, &c. ; (3) of the central organs, 

 spinal cord, spinal bulb, and brain. 



The section on muscle is prefaced with a short account 

 of the chief instruments used in electrical experiments on 

 muscle and nerve, and of Ohm's law. 



The fulness with which nervous physiology is treated 

 will make the work very acceptable to general readers, 

 and especially Jto those who wish to acquire a physio- 

 logical standpoint from which to attack the problems of 

 psychology. 



The first part of the work— " The Phenomena of 

 Nutrition "—treats adequately of the subjects of the blood 

 and circulation, respiration, nutrition, excretion, and 

 animal heat, but does not quite reach the high standard 

 of excellence of the second part. 



In a second edition one would like to see the questions 

 of coagulation and of the origin of urea treated a 

 little more fully and precisely. Its value, too, as a text- 

 book would be much improved if the headings at the 

 beginning of each chapter were also incorporated in the 

 text, or put at the side of the page so as to arrest the 

 reader's attention. 



The whole work shows evidence of careful revision, and 

 is marvellously free from mistakes or printers' errors. 

 On p. 103, in describing the effect of the interrupted 

 current on the ventricle, it should be mentioned that the 

 frog's ventricle is meant, and not the mammalian. 



In conclusion, I may mention that the work is furnished 

 with a useful bibliography (confessedly incomplete) and 

 a good index. E. H. Starling. 



OUR BOOK SHELF. 



Bulletin of the New York Mathematical Society. Vol. L 

 Nos. 2, 3. (New York : 1891, November, December.) 

 No. 2 opens with an article by Truman H. Safford 

 founded upon three volumes of the " Catalog der Astrono- 

 mischen Gesellschaft " (vols, iii., iv., xxiv., Leipzig, 1890), 

 in which a sketch of the modes of observation since 

 Bradley's time is given, and the excellence of the plan 

 formulated by Argelander upheld. Prof. M. Merriman 

 discusses the problem in least squares,—" to determine, 

 by the method of least squares, the most probable values 

 of a and b in the formula^ = ax + b when the observed 

 values of both/ and x are liable to error." An account 

 is then given of a new Italian mathematical journal 

 {Rivtsta di Matematica), edited by G. Peano, the cha 



