4 go 



KNOWLEDGE & SCIENTIFIC NEWS. 



[July, iqo6. 



logued by dealers are apt to bewilder the student, and lead 

 to much loss of time and vexation of spirit. A careful 

 perusal of the book under consideration will, however, clear 

 awav such difllcultics, as only those materials that have 

 proved most suitable for specific purposes are indicated. A 

 special chapter is devoted to the comparatively new method 

 of making permanent preparations in Venetian turpentine, 

 which is stated to be much superior in results to the well- 

 known glycerine method. The subjects indicated above 

 occupy about one half of the book, the remainder being 

 devoled to an introduction to the study of forms which, 

 while serving for practice in microscopical technique, will 

 also furnish the student with preparations including a 

 general view of the structure of plants, ranging from the 

 alga; up to the angiosperms. The book will well repay 

 the time expended on a careful perusal by every teacher of 

 botany, however much experienced. 



A Text ■ Book of Botany; Part I., The Anatomy of 

 Flowering Plants, by iM. Yates (\Vhittaker and Co. ; 

 2S. 6d. net). — The author has obviously yet to learn what 

 anatomy ineans ; the only attempt to deal with anatomy in 

 the book defines " A Medullary Sheath, consisting of 

 spirally-shaped vessels round it." The book consists in 

 realitv of a string of attempted definitions of the various 

 organs of plants, illustrated by what, for want of a more 

 expressive name, must be called figures. Up to the present, 

 botanists have been reticent when pressed for a concise 

 definition of a cone. Here, we are told that a cone " is a 

 <lehiscent, syncarpous fruit, of a conical form, tlie carpels 

 are woody, and each bears a naked seed on its inner sur- 

 face, t'.^., pine, larch." Notwithstanding the above, and 

 many other original statements, we are informed in the 

 preface that, " It is by no means meant to be a popular 

 work, but is for the use of examination students, and those 

 who wish to commence a serious study of botany," etc., etc. 

 The one redeeming feature is the part played by the pub- 

 lisher. 



GEOLOGY. 



Geology: Earth's Historj-, by T. C. Chambcrlin and R. D. 

 Salisbury; Vol. II., Genesis, 'Paleozoic ; pp. O77, and index 

 to Vol. II. ; Vol. III., Mesozoic, Cenozoic ; pp. 578, and index 

 to Vols. I., II., and III. (John Murray, .Mbemarle Street, 

 W. ; price 21S. each net). Ine second and third volumes of 

 this series have now come to hand, and the authors deserve 

 I'.eartv congratulation on the completion of their work. 

 The volumes in every way niaintaiu the e.xcelleuce of the 

 previous volume which we received. They are cleat ly printed, 

 and abound in illustrations taken direct from Nature. The 

 third volume commences with the stratigraphical fjeology 

 of the Trias, and the succeeding formations are dealt with 

 in successive chapters, terminating with the " Human or 

 Present Period," which, in the authors' terminology, begins 

 with the disappearance of the glacial period, so-called, 

 although they are careful to show that even now 10 per 

 cent, of the land-areas of North .America then covered with 

 ice still remain in a glaciated condition. How completely 

 .\merica has .\mericanised geology is shown by a number 

 of sections which are included in the .Appendix, and 

 although wisely the old international terms for the main 

 systems have been carefully retained, new titles for the sub- 

 systems and minor formations have been necessary to de- 

 scribe local developments. It is noticed that the Oligocene 

 is regarded as a sub-division of the Eocene, whereas in this 

 country it has come to be regarded as clearly defined from 

 the Eocene below or the .Miocene above. With this excep- 

 tion the titles of the main formations remain as in the eld 

 country, although the Lower Cretaceous receives the 

 synonym Comancbean, a title which is now coming to be 

 well recognised at home. In reviewing the mass of in- 

 formation contained in the book, concentrated as it has 

 been from many a source, one cannot but be struck by the 

 immense amount of work which yet remains to be done in 

 .\merica in connection with Mesozoic formations, and hence 

 the necessity in some cases of giving to them local names. 

 The Glacial Period is dealt w ith w'ith particular thoroughness, 

 no less than 190 pages being devoted to it. The title is 

 used .as synonymous with Pleistocene, and although man 



was a witness to this period, the Human Period is regarded 

 as a succeeding and separate period. We do not think this 

 arrangement free from misunderstanding, and if the title 

 were to be adopted in Briti.sh classification we should like 

 to see included in it all those strata which bear witness to 

 man's existence. But seeing that geologists recognise the 

 probability of his first appearance in Pliocene times, and 

 this may in the course of time be pushed back even earlier, 

 we would prefer that the older arrangement should remain, 

 viz.. Pleistocene and Recent as subordinate divisions of the 

 Quaternary. However, in these matters there will always 

 be differences of opinion, and they in no way detract from 

 the estimation in which we regard the whole work. Insu- 

 lar geology must be avoided at all costs by insular 

 geologists, and it is to be hoped that these books'will soon 

 be found in all geological libraries in our country. 



PHYSICS. 



Practical Physics (Bower and Satterly, University 

 Tutorial Press ; 4s. 6d.). — In this iiandbook, we have a series 

 of admirably designed and explained e.xercises on practical 

 physics. They are suited to matriculated students, but in 

 many cases are such as could be performed at home. In 

 the latter, care has been taken to make them such as can 

 be performed at trifling cost, and yet all trivial experi- 

 ments have been avoided. The language employed .seems, 

 as a rule, very concise and definite. \\"e notice, however, 

 the usual inconsistencies in the use of the terms weights 

 and masses. In the instructions on weighing, the 

 " weights " are sometimes called by that name, and are 

 sometimes called " masses." For example, the masses are 

 to be added in descending order, while the weights are to be 

 replaced in the box. This looseness will undoubtedly cause 

 confusion. On the whole, the confusion would be least 

 if we boldly spoke of masses throughout, and described the 

 process as massing a body. This is a small detail. We 

 recommend the book strongly to anyone in search of a text- 

 book. 



Properties of Matter (C. J. L. Wagstaff, University 

 Tutorial Press). — This refers to the more general properties 

 of bodies, many of which are usually considered in a course 

 of mechanics, and it seems to have been specially designed 

 to suit the requirements of those who may be going in for 

 their degree without pursuing a thorough course in 

 mechanics. We do not wish to say anything that will 

 encourage this, at any rate, when a student is a student 

 of physics in the real sense. For botanists and zoologists 

 who may be taking physics as one of their subjects, and 

 who then wish to throw it aside, the book will no doubt 

 prove very useful in giving a brief account of its subject. 

 We regret to see it stated that the standard metre is the 

 length of Borda's rod, and the kilogram is the mass of the 

 lump of platinum, made by Borda, and kept in the Archives. 

 These have long since been supplanted. We regret to see 

 " whole pressure " defined without any warning that this 

 quantity is no use. Is Reynolds' theory of matter now 

 looked on with favour? We thought it was discredited. 



THERAPEUTICS. 



Unconscious Therapeutics ; or The Personality of the 

 Physician, bv .\lfred T. Schofield, M.D., second edition. 

 (J. and A. Cliiirchill; 5s. net.).— The author in Lis new edi- 

 tion has made important additions to the text, and re- 

 written Chapter VI. Dr. Schofield, in his opening chapter, 

 " The Mind in Therapeutics," makes the interesting ob- 

 servation that in cases of hysteria or neuromimesis, the 

 patient's sufferings are real. He attributes the phenomena 

 to the power of an unconscious mind in an abnormal condi- 

 tio.T, and not, as was once taught, to an unhealthy womb. 

 In unmistakable language he warns the profession against 

 the folly of treating the body and forgetting the mind ; he 

 puts implicit faith in the mental personality of the physician 

 or surgeon acting on the unconscious mind of the patient 



