SCIENTIFIC LITERATURE. 



567 



nurture is to be considered of much less 

 importance than Nature, and in that sense 

 the capacities that we most admire in per- 

 sons worthy of remark are certainly inborn 

 rather than made." From his point of view, 

 therefore, "the formation of habit and re- 

 duction of mental friction, by means of con- 

 centration, must ever remain the chief ob- 

 jects of a formal training." 



Dr. Parkers book,* dealing, in small 

 compass, and in simple language, with the 

 important subject of hygiene, is well suited 

 for use in either the school or the house- 

 hold. The opening chapter, entitled Water, 

 treats of such questions as the proper 

 sources of drinking water, dangers from 

 wells and cisterns, and the filter problem. 

 In the second chapter, on domestic refuse, 

 the sanitary disposal of garbage, dust, etc., 

 is discussed, considerable space being given 

 to sanitary methods of plumbing. Air and 

 ventilation are next taken up, the compo- 

 sition of air, its fouling by respiration, com- 

 bustion, and organic refuse, cubic space and 

 floor space, introduction of fresh air into 

 rooms, and the practical examination of the 

 ventilation of rooms being some of the im- 

 portant topics. The various methods of 

 heating and lighting are compared in the 

 next two chapters. The open fireplace and 

 the incandescent electric light are selected 

 as the methods which most nearly approach 

 hygienic requirements. When considering 

 the Welsbach lamp the author makes a 

 curious mistake. In speaking of the incan- 

 descent mantle, which is composed of the 

 oxide of some of the rarer refractory earths, 

 he calls it the " asbestos gauze mantle." How 

 to construct a healthy house floors, walls, 

 ceilings, cellars, etc. and the proper site 

 for building occupy Chapters VI and VII. 

 Classification and composition of foods, 

 vegetarianism, cooking, meal times, appe- 

 tite, infant feeding, condiments, alcohol, tea, 

 coffee, cocoa, and mineral waters are some 

 of the special topics considered in a long 

 chapter devoted to Food. Physical Exer- 

 cise, Clothing, and The Care of the Skin, 

 Teeth, and Bowels form the last three chap- 

 ters of the book. The intention has appar- 



* The Elements of Health. By Louis C. 

 Parkes, M. D. Pp 246, 12mo. Philadelphia : P. 

 Blakiston, Son & Co. Price, $1.25. 



ently been to make a practical guide for the 

 average householder, and this result has 

 been well attained. 



Animal life is coextensive with the earth. 

 The sea swarms with it, the air teems with 

 it. The extreme cold of the arctic regions 

 and the torrid heat of the equator have each 

 their own special forms. The most elemen- 

 tary knowledge of zoology is sufficient to 

 show us that, while much of the difference 

 between the faunas of separated islands and 

 continents and even of approximately con- 

 tiguous regions is due to the differing flora 

 and climatic conditions, these two factors do 

 not in all cases explain the phenomena of 

 distribution. Mr. Beddard's book* is a study 

 of animal life in its relation to latitude and 

 longitude. In Chapter I the author treats of 

 the general facts of the distribution of ani- 

 mals. The special regions which have been 

 arranged for the study of zoological geogra- 

 phy by various authors are dealt with in 

 Chapter II, and Mr. Sclater's chosen as the 

 ones most convenient. In the third chapter 

 the causes which influence the distribution 

 of animals temperature, means of dispersal, 

 capacity for migration, human interference, 

 large bodies of water, etc. occupy fifty of 

 the most interesting pages of the book. The 

 fauna of islands and some theoretical con- 

 siderations, the latter comprising a discus- 

 sion of the bearing of distribution on origin, 

 the place of origin of the marsupials, and the 

 theory of the polar origin of life, make up 

 the two closing chapters. The book con- 

 tains five maps, which graphically show the 

 distribution of special forms of animal life. 



In order to make the Werner edition of 

 the Encyclopaedia more serviceable to its 

 users, A Guide to Systematic Readings in the 

 Encyclopaedia Britannica, prepared by James 

 Baldwin, has been published (Werner Co., 

 $2). The Guide is designed to enable a per- 

 son to read up a subject thoroughly by di- 

 recting him to all articles or parts of articles 

 bearing upon it which the Encyclopaedia con- 

 tains. A great cyclopaedia is more than a 

 work to be referred to for detached facts. 

 It is a biographical dictionary and a gazet- 



* A Text-book of Zoogeography. By Frank E. 

 Beddaid. Pp. 246, 12mo. London : C. J. Clay 

 & Sons. "New York : Macmillan & Co. Price, 

 $1.60. 



