PUBLISHERS' PREFACE. 



THERE is an increasing tendency in the present day to make 

 common property of special knowledge. Even such infor- 

 mation as formerly belonged to certain professions alone is, 

 at least in its rudiments, becoming more generally diffused; 

 and on the part even of those professions the tendency is 

 recognized as within reasonable bounds deserving of encour- 

 agement. 



To take "the human body" as an illustration, medical 

 men find that the useful feature of their art is facilitated by 

 the dissemination of information regarding its structure and 

 functions. On the other hand, the public daily see more and 

 more clearly that " prevention is better than cure," and that 

 to prevent derangements of the wonderful machine, with the 

 guidance of which each individual is intrusted, more ac- 

 quaintance with its mechanism and laws of normal action 

 is indispensable. Apart from its utility, a knowledge of 



\ anatomy and physiology is gradually becoming a necessary 



: part of a liberal education. 



To meet these requirements the Publishers now present 

 this translation from the French of a book which, in the 

 original, has attained to great popularity. While sufficiently 



