♦ KNOWLEDGE ♦ 



[Aug. 21, 1885. 



; but that by Mr. Skewes shows so conclusively on 

 scientific grounds how utterly baseless is the claim of the 

 " Faith-healers " to any supernatural powers, that we 

 depart from our rule to speak well of it. On his argu- 

 ments fi'om scripture we are, pez-force, silent. 



The Handbook of Physiognouiij. By RosA Badghan. 

 (London: George Redway. 1885.) — That certain con- 

 formations of features are typical has been abundantly 

 shown by the combined photographs of Mr. Francis 

 Galton, and by these of the recent American observers. 

 Hence any scientific attempt to classify the diverse 

 forms of the various parts of the human face, and to 

 show in what way any peculiar conformation may be 

 expected to correspond with some intellectual peculiarity 

 or gift could scarcely fail to be of value. When how- 

 ever we find Miss Baughan's tract bristling with crazy 

 astrological trash about people being " born under the 

 dominant influence of Saturn"; deriving theii- temisera- 

 ment from " the influence of Apollo or Mercury " ; or 

 exhibiting the "Signature of Jupiter," and the like, 

 we see at once that it is about as valuable from a 

 scientific .joint of view as Mother Shipton's dream-book, 

 there or thereabouts. 



School Hygiene, ani Diseases Incidental to School Life. 

 By Robert Faequharson, M.P., M.D. (London : Smith, 

 Elder, & Co. 1885.) — It can scarcely be doubted that in 

 a very large proportion of schools indeed hygiene, if not 

 practically neglected, is made quite ancillary to the one 

 object of loading the pupils up to the very muzzle with 

 as much intellect aal pabulum as can by any device be 

 rammed into them. It is, then, alike to teach peda- 

 gogues and parents how care for the bodies of growing 

 boys and girls is as essential as are the artifices adopted 

 for training or forcing their minds, that Dr. Farquhar- 

 son's book is written ; and a real and practical work he 

 has produced. He discourses in succession of school 

 buildings, diet, work, and play ; gives a capital chapter 

 on the duties of the school doctor ; and concludes with a 

 tolerably full account of school diseases. The question 

 of over-pressure in schools meets with incidental discus- 

 sion, and there are some extremely sensible remarks on 

 school-play. This is a book to be studied by all engaged 

 in the education of children, as well as by those who per- 

 force commit their children to others to be educated. 



Key to Euclid's Elemaits. By John Stuegeox 

 Mackay, M.A., F.R.S.E. (London: W. & R. 

 Chambers. 1885.)— "We are a little puzzled by Mr. 

 Mackay 's " Key," inasmuch as it contains answers to 

 questions, solutions of problems, and demonstrations of 

 theorems which have no existence in either of the editions 

 of "Euclid " on our own shelves. It quite obviously has 

 reference to some special version of the " elements " of 

 the immortal Alexandrian; but this should have been 

 stated on the title-page. If it be the key to a repro- 

 duction of "Euclid" edited by Mr. Mackay himself, 

 which strikes us as being possible, such edition must be 

 a remarkably complete one, inasmuch as a perusal of 

 some of the very numerous answers worked out at length 

 affords convincing proof of the pertinence of the original 

 riders to "Euclid's" own propositions. Possessors of 

 the particular edition of "Euclid" to which Mr. Mackay's 

 " Key" pertains, will doubtless procure it. 



Walfonl's Antiquarian. Edited by Edward Walfoed, 

 M.A. Aug., 1885. (London: Geo. Redway.)— FuU of 

 interest to the archaeologist, the historian, the herald, 

 and the bibliographer, Mr. "Walford's capital magazine 

 may be commended to all unwilling to sever their con- 

 nection with the mighty past. The continuation of a 

 very readable article on the Bankside playhouses in 



Shakespeare's time will be conned with avidity by the 

 modern playgoer who cares to contrast the comparatively 

 rude representations of the Elizabethan Age with the 

 elaborate scenic reproductions of the present day. 

 A "History of Gilds" becomes important at a time 

 when those of the City of London are threatened. 

 Mr. Round puts Professor Freeman on his defence as a 

 historian, while the taste of the more catholic class of 

 readers will be gratified by the perusal of Mr. Johnson's 

 essay on "Thackeray and His Works." We should 

 add that we have only directly referred to four out of 

 the twelve articles which make up the number before us. 



Familiar Trees. By G. S. Boulger, F.L.S., F.G.S. 

 With coloured plates by W. H. J. Boot. Part I. 

 (London: Cassells & Co. 1885.) — Mr. Boulger begins 

 his series of "Familiar Trees " with a description of that 

 essentially typical English one, the oak; describing, 

 within the compass of eight pages, the structure, habit 

 of growth, uses, and parasites of the brave old tree, and 

 mentioning certain localities in this country in which it 

 attains great size and perfection. Life-sized coloured 

 drawings of the oak-apple and the acorn, and a chromo- 

 lithographic reproduction of a spirited water-colour 

 sketch of an oak by Mr. Boot illustrate the text. 



The Causes and Prevention of Bli7id}iess. By Dr. Ernst 

 FrcHS. Translated by Dr. R. E. Dudgeon, with Notes 

 by Dr. Roth. (London: Baillifere, Tindal], & Cox. 

 1885.) — Of all the afilictions that can fall upon suffering 

 humanity that of blindness is unquestionably one of themost 

 fearful; and it is really terrible to read in the short " Re- 

 port " prefixed by Dr. Roth to the volume now before us 

 "that two-thirds of the 30,000 blind in England, and of the 

 320,000 in Europe, owe their misfortune merely to igno- 

 rance and neglect." Dr. Fuchs' book has its origin in a prize 

 of £80, offered by the London Society for the Prevention 

 of Blindness for the best essay in English, French, Italian, 

 or German " On the Causes of Blindness, and the best 

 Practical Means of Preventing it," and has been published 

 by the Society, which awarded the well-earned prize to 

 its author. The whole subject is treated in a manner at 

 once lucid and attractive ; and the perusal of the work 

 will show how widely spread its interest is. A single 

 illustration may be derived from his section treating of 

 myopia, or short-sight, a malady so tremendously on the 

 increase everywhere since the setting in of the educational 

 craze ; with reference to which he tells us that "myopia 

 is the cause of 10 per cent, of all cases of blindness of one 

 eye." Surely when concave spectacles and eye-glasses 

 meet one at every turn, there is much to alarm us in a 

 statement like this, given upon such authority. It may 

 further interest a numerous class to learn that immoderate 

 use of tobacco (and also of spirits, though the effect is 

 less marked) causes amblyopia, or partial blindness. Full 

 of the most practical directions for the avoidance and 

 cure of the numerous forms of visual defects described, 

 this is a book which should be studied by every one who 

 values his own sight or that of his children. He that 

 hath eyes to read, let him read it. 



We have also on our table The National Review, a col- 

 lection of thoughtful and scholarly essays, Bradstreefs, 

 The Sanitary Netvs, The Medical Press and Circular, del 

 et Terre, The Jounial of Botany, The Country Brewer's 

 Gazette, Electricite, The Ilhley Free Press, The Tricyclist, 

 Wheeling, the inscrutable scientific journal in Arabic, The 

 Co-operative Index to Periodicals, Our Monthly (Rangoon), 

 and Wm. Wesley dr Son's Booh Circular. 



TnE number of hands employed in 'Woolwich Arsenal is 11,200. 



