July 17, 19 19] 



NATURE 



h^Z 



sacred of all the good things with, which the 

 universe teems." 



In his book Mr. Watts has probably attempted 

 too much. But ample justification for this is his 

 readiness to share his knowledge with others. 



T. H. P. 



OUR BOOKSHELF. 



The Human Skeleton: An Interpretation. By 

 Prof. H. E. Walter. Pp. xv + 214. (New 

 York : The Macmillan Co. ; London : Macmillan 

 and Co., Ltd., 1918.) Price 105. net. 

 The human skeleton has been the favourite text 

 of anatomists for many a day, but never before 

 has an author couched his discourse in more racy 

 and piQturesque phraseology than that employed 

 by Prof. Eugene Walter. Indeed, it is the author's 

 method of treatment which justifies his book, for 

 the theories and opinions which he sets forth are 

 those with which medical students have been fami- 

 liar for a past generation. The book is designed 

 to appeal to the layman rather than to the profes- 

 sional student. "The ordinary layman seems, 

 subconsciously at least, to regard a consideration 

 of his * insides ' as something rather impertinent 

 and indelicate, a subject, in truth, unavoidable 

 whenever complications set in, but quite barren 

 and forbidding to one simply in quest of pleasant 

 stimulating intellectual adventures." Prof. 

 Walter's aim is to represent the human skeleton 

 as " a very wonderful and animated piece of 

 architecture, full of beauty and inspiration for one 

 who looks upon it with a seeing eye and considers 

 its age-long evolution with a comprehending and 

 sympathetic mind." 



To elucidate the subject ^of his discourse the 

 author culls facts from the \vhole realm of the 

 animal kingdom, both present and past, and cites 

 examples from standard works on embryclogy and 

 anthropology. A living internal skeleton, such as 

 vertebrate animals are provided with, represented 

 " a brand-new idea of far-reaching evolutionary 

 significance," whereby " Thermomorphs lifted tons 

 of flesh into the air upon majestic bony scaffold- 

 ings." Hair and epidermal structures are de- 

 scribed as " relics of a bygone age." The human 

 skeleton illustrates the "thrift and resourcefulness 

 of Nature," the " chequered career " of individual 

 structures, and, in many of its parts, " a com- 

 plicated series of makeshifts." Here and there, 

 however, one observes that the author's statements 

 are loose and scarcely accurate. His statement 

 on p. 74 that " the odontoid process rocks back 

 and forth and from side to side upon an articular 

 surface within the ring of the atlas, thereby al- 

 lowing lateral movements of the head," is one 

 which would prove fatal to a candidate in an ex- 

 amination in elementary anatomy, and unfortu- 

 nately there is a considerable number of similar 

 misstatements of fact. One regrets that the 

 author has not taken more trouble to become ac- 

 curately acquainted with the human skeleton, for 

 he possesses a very happy power of exposition. 

 NO. 2594, VOL. 103] 



Manual de Fabricantes de Azucar de Cafla y Qui- 

 micos Azucareros. By Dr. Guilford L. Spenqer. 

 Traducci6n Autorizada de la 6» Edici6n In- 

 glesa. By Dr. Gaston Alonso Cuadrado. 

 Pp. xvii + 6i7. (New York: John Wilev and 

 Sons, Inc.; London: Chapman and Hall,' Ltd., 

 1918.) Price 23.S. net. 



Dr. Spencer's "Handbook for Sugar Manufac- 

 turers and their Chemists " is well and favour- 

 ably known to sugar technologists. In the sixth 

 edition, of which the volume under notice is the 

 authorised Spanish translation, the principal new 

 feature is a chapter on evaporation, written by 

 Prof. W. H. P. Creighton, of Tulane University, 

 New Orleans. In this the scientific principles 

 which govern the concentration of sugar juice by 

 heat are elucidated at some length, and their 

 practical applications to vacuum evaporation ex- 

 plained. 



Speaking generally, the section devoted to 

 manufacturing processes gives a good account of 

 sugar production as carried out according to the 

 best American practice in Louisiana and Cuba. 

 In the earlier part, dealing with crude sugar, 

 descriptions of various modern improvements are 

 included, such as the "Norit" carbon process of 

 decolorising, the use of Hind-Renton grooved 

 rollers in the mill, and the Bach " sulphitation " 

 process as employed in Java. Mr. G. P. Meade, 

 superintendent of a Cuban sugar refinery, con- 

 tributes an interesting chapter on refining. The 

 analysis of sugars and the general chemical con- 

 trol of the manufacture are fully explained, a 

 good collection of tabulated data being provided. 



Like the original English work, the translation 

 is In a handy, compact form, suitable for carrying 

 in the pocket. Its six hundred pages will be 

 found close-packed with sound and well-arranged 

 information. 



Prothese Fonctionnelle des Blessds de Guerre. 

 Troubles Physiologiques et Appareillage. By 

 Dr. Ducroquet. Pp. xi + 235. (Paris: Masson 

 et Cie, 1919.) Price 5 francs. 

 The equipment of soldiers who have been per- 

 manently lamed or maimed with appUances which 

 will mask or make good their defects tasks to 

 the utmost that department of surgical endeavour 

 known as prosthesis. Dr. Ducroquet's "Func- 

 tional Prosthesis " is entirely concerned with de- 

 fects and injuries of the arm and leg, and hence 

 the problems he has to solve are those relating to 

 the kind and degree of movements which occur at 

 the various joints of the limb. A very clear and 

 accurate account is given of the mechanism of 

 walking and of the manner in which defects can 

 be made good by the use of appliances. Both 

 surgeon and anatomist will find much that is new 

 in Dr. Ducroquet's pages, particularly regarding 

 the position and direction of the axes of the 

 various joints of the limbs. This book has a value 

 which extends beyond the immediate needs of the 

 military surgeon. 



A. K. 



