April 7, 1892 



NATURE 



531 



arteries are discussed in the next two chapters, and the 

 authors point out that in physiological occlusion, Nature 

 does not think it necessary to rupture the two inner coats 

 of the artery, and that she does not divide the artery to 

 reduce the longitudinal tension. In pathological oblitera- 

 tions, likewise, the rupture of the coats is by no means 

 essential to occlusion, and, the coats not being ruptured, 

 haemorrhage does not occur. 



In 1889, Messrs. Ballance and Sherrington published 

 in the Journal of Physiology a valuable paper on the 

 formation of scar-tissue, which has been practically 

 re-copied into this book. The authors have made use for 

 their experiment of Ziegler's method of placing glass- 

 chambers under the skin of animals, and examining their 

 contents at various intervals after their introduction. 

 Messrs. Ballance and Sherrington have been unable to 

 trace the development of the so-called plasma-cells from 

 the ordinary cell-forms of blood and lymph, and incline 

 towards the opinion that plasma-cells are derived from i 

 the connective-tissue elements, and ultimately develop 

 into fibrous tissue. 



I cannot help thinking that Ziegler's method is by no 

 means satisfactory when the object in view is to study 

 the formation of cicatricial tissue ; for in such investiga- 

 tions the most important point is that all the tissues to be 

 examined should be removed intact, and examined after 

 fixation. It is impossible to do this with glass-plates, 

 but satisfactory results may be obtained by introducing 

 soft material, such as filter-paper. The surrounding 

 tissues and the paper can then be removed, and serial 

 sections made through the whole. The examination of 

 preparations made in this way make it doubtful whether 

 Messrs. Ballance and Sherrington's views are correct, and 

 would rather lead me to believe that the plasma-cells are 

 originally derived from leucocytes. 



Messrs. Ballance and Edmunds proceed to investigate 

 the conduct and fate of the coats and of the ligature, and 

 it is clear that they have taken immense trouble in ascer- 

 taining, by experiments on animals, how quickly a ligature 

 becomes absorbed after being applied. Numerous and 

 beautifully-executed plates, show the microscopical and 

 macroscopical appearances of ligatures made of tendon, 

 silk, floss-silk, silkworm gut, &c., at varying intervals 

 after their application to blood-vessels in man and 

 animals ; whilst special chapters are devoted to the 

 ligature, of the knot, of the force used in the tying, &c. 

 It may be noticed that the authors describe a new form 

 of knot, which they recommend, and to which they give 

 the name of stay-knot, whilst the old-fashioned reef-knot 

 is entirely discarded. Moreover, the authors condemn in 

 no uncertain terms the practice of rupturing the coats of 

 arteries during, and the division of vessels after, ligature 

 — points of the greatest practical importance. 



The other chapters on the operation and the fate of 

 the patient are of clinical interest chiefly ; but special 

 mention should be made of excellent chapters on sup- 

 puration occurring after ligation, and on the pathology of 

 haemorrhage, as well as of the full account of the experi- 

 mental investigations made by Messrs. Ballance and 

 Edmunds. It is only right to mention that most of the 

 experiments were made at the Brown Institution. 



The book is beautifully printed, and profusely illustrated 

 with 10 plates and 232 figures. It will be widely read 

 NO. I 171, VOL. 45] 



by all surgeons, histologists and pathologists, and forms 

 a most valuable addition to surgical and pathological 

 science. 



M, Armand Ruffer. 



OUR BOOK SHELF. 



Precious Stones and Gems : their History, Sources, and 

 Characteristics. By Edwin W. Streeter, F.R.G.S,, 

 M.A.I. Fifth Edition. (London : George Bell and Sons, 

 1892.) 

 Books dealing with the fascinating subject of precious 

 stones naturally fall into three classes — mineralogical 

 treatises, archaeological essays, and works adapted for 

 experts and commercial men. Among the last class, the 

 well-known work above cited, which has now reached a 

 fifth edition, takes a prominent place. The enterprise 

 and energy of the author in seeking out and developing 

 new sources of ornamental stones is well known, and 

 many of the facts contained in the present volume have 

 been collected or verified by Mr. Streeter himself, by his 

 sons, or by their agents. The chapters, which in earlier 

 volumes were devoted to the description of famous dia- 

 monds, and to pearls and pearl-fishing, are now omitted, 

 these subjects having been dealt with in separate books 

 from the author's pen, the space thus obtained being 

 devoted to an account of the Ruby Mines of Burma, the 

 sources of sapphire in Siam and Montana, and those of 

 the emerald in Egypt. In all these cases Mr. Streeter s 

 agents have taken an active part in the work of exploring 

 the districts, and he is able to furnish much information 

 not hitherto available to the public. While the com- 

 mercial aspects of these gem-stone localities naturally 

 receive the greatest amount of attention, it is only fair to 

 the author to point out that much care has evidently been 

 exercised in order to prevent the creeping in of those 

 errors on scientific points which too often disfigure works 

 of this class. The author acknowledges in his preface 

 the assistance which he has received from Mr. Rudler, 

 the Curator of the Jermyn Street Museum, in dealing with 

 scientific questions. The new edition, like its predeces- 

 sors, is admirably got up and well illustrated. 



Air and Water. By Vivian B. Lewes, F.I.C., F.C.S., 

 Professor of Chemistry, Royal Naval College, Green- 

 wich, &c. (London: Methuen and Co., 1892.) 



This little book is one issued in connection with a series of 

 University Extension manuals. The author may be con- 

 gratulated upon the selection of his subject, which is one 

 of those capable of being adequately treated in a course 

 of a dozen lectures ; and he has been no less happy in his 

 treatment of it, for by following the historical method he 

 has succeeded in maintaining the interest of his readers, 

 while he fairly covers the whole ground with which an 

 elementary treatise on this topic may be expected to deal. 

 The story of the researches of Galileo, Torricelli, and 

 Pascal, of Priestley, Cavendish, and Lavoisier, is followed 

 by an admirable n'suine of the latest achievements of 

 chemical science, and this in turn by a clear statement of 

 the problems involved in the maintenance of proper sup- 

 plies of fresh air and pure water. The warmest votaries 

 of other branches of science will not quarrel with our 

 author when, in his enthusiasm, he declares chemistry to 

 be the " most beautiful of the sciences " ; possibly, how- 

 ever, some may demur to the statements in the following 

 passage : " Although the amount of oxygen present in the 

 air amounts to 1,233,010 billions of tons, still it is only 

 one two-millionth of the total oxygen, and had not this 

 small fraction been left over in the creation of the world, 

 neither animalnor vegetable life could have existed." The 

 author must hold very decided views as to how far down 

 extends that condition of oxidation which is so constantly 

 found at the earth's surface. 



