17S 



♦ KNOWLEDGE ♦ 



[Feb. 27, 18S5. 



The " Studies in Microscopical Science," edited by Mr. 

 •Oole, are issued in a pamphlet form, either with or without 

 slides of preparations ; but in either case containing 

 ■coloured lithographic plates of the objects to which the 

 descriptions refer. The value of such a mode of instruction 

 for the studei.t need scarcely be insisted on here. 



John Bull to 2Iaj: O'Rell. (London : Wyman ifc Sons.) 

 — When " A Brutal Saxon " (whose work we reviewed on 

 p. 7.5 of our last volume) essayed to answer Mr. " Max 

 O'Rell," he mainly adopted the tu qtioque style of argu- 

 ment, and showed, conclusively enough, that certain vices 

 and failings of whicli Mr. O'Rell accused the English 

 existed in an aggravated and intensified foim in Paris. 

 " John Bull " is much more argimientative, taking the 

 Frenchman's allegations seriatim, aad showing how utterly 

 baseless a large proportion of them are. In his peroration 

 the author rises almost to eloquence. 



A Handbook of th-? Geolorpj of Shropshire. By Rev. J. D. 

 IiA ToucHE. (London : E. Stanford. 1SS4.) — The student 

 of the Palffiozoic and Mesozoic strata in England, with their 

 wealth of contained fossils, will find a fruitful field of in- 

 vestigation in Shrop.shire, in which every formation from 

 the pre-Cambrian rocks up to the Lias are represented. 

 And it would be hard to find a more useful and practical 

 guide than that provided by 3Ir. La Touche in the volume 

 before us. Commencing with a minute topographical 

 description of the occurrence of the various strata in Salop, 

 lie goes on to give an exhaustive account of the numerous 

 and various fossils found in them, the very closely-packed 

 figures which illustrate such account occupying 'J.'l plates ! 

 This is a work simfAy indispensable to every geologist 

 engaged in the study or examination of the district to 

 which it relates. 



Practical Hints on House Drainatje. By A Clerk of 

 THE Works. (London : A. Boot & Sons) — This little 

 pamphlet is eminently practical, and may well be studied 

 by every householder, inasmuch as the aojount of really 

 preventible disease which is produced by imperfect drainage 

 is absolutely appalling. How ordinary " traps " are so in 

 a double sense the "Clerk of the Works" conclusively 

 shows, at the same time pointing out the remedy. He 

 instructs us hosv to ttst drain-pipes, advocates "inspection 

 pipes" for cleansing purposes, and in fact gives simple and 

 intelligible directions for rendering drains at once tliicient 

 and innocuous. 



Deaconess House, CarIsruJi<' : Hints on ]'i//ai/e Xursiny. 

 By E. A. E. (London : Francis Hodgson, 188.5.)— The 

 authoress of this hroch ure was laid up last September with an 

 inflamed foot in Carlsruhe, and entered the Deaconess House 

 then as a first-class patient, remaining until her recovery, 

 which happened at the end of a month. The experience 

 she gained of the inner working of this establishment 

 impressed her with the idea that simihir institutions in 

 this country would afford valuable training for nurses, and 

 do good id other ways. Details of the scheme will be 

 f-ound ill this pamphlet, which contains many useful hints. 



The Liniani Lair ; its Defects, and a Scheme of Reform. 

 By William R. Hicgakd, M.A., M.D. (London: British 

 Medical Association.) — Dr. Huggard's sensible and practical 

 little pamphlet deals with the admitted defects in the 

 existing lunacy law, and contains suggestions for their 

 improvement. We are entirely with him save on the 

 question of private asylums, which he would suffer to con- 

 tinue under increased rigidity of supervision. We would 

 absolutely and entirely abolish them. 



We have also on our table Society, Medical Press and 

 Circular, Bradsireefs, Xataren, The Tricijclist, Wheeling, 

 del el Terre, Proceedings or' the Geological Society. 





" Let Knowledge grow from more to more." — Alfbed Tenntsos. 



Only a email proportion of Letters received can possiily he in- 

 terted. Correspondents must not le offended, therefore, should their 

 letters not appear. 



All Editorial communications should he addressed to the Editor Of 

 Knowledge ; all Business communications to the Pcblishees, at the 

 Offi.ce, 74, Oreat Queen-street, W.C. If this is not attended to 



DELAYS AKISE FOB WHICH THE EdITOB IS NOT EESPONSIBLE. 



All Remittances, Cheques, and Post Office Orders should be made 

 payalle to Messrs. Wyman & Sons. 



Trie Editor is not responsthle for the opinions of correspondents. 



Ko COUMCNICATIONS AEE ANSWERED BY POST, EYEN THOUGH STAMPf D 

 AND DIRECTED ENVELOPE BE ENCLOSED. 



EVOLUTION VERSVS NATUEAL SELECTION. 



[IGIO] — Will yon kindly allow me to put my question (cross- 

 question) more clearly than it appeared in your Short Answers? 

 Like all the master's readers, I love as much as honour the master; 

 yet I have never been able not to suspect his doctrine — namely, 

 that evolution is the result of natural selection. Is not evolution 

 much rather the cause, not consequence, and natural selection 

 (even where operative) quite subordinate, a modus operandi atit 

 procedendi ^ 



My question is this, by way of crucial example, "Is it in the 

 least reasonable to suppose that the male organ was " acquired " 

 by natural selection, one low animal once happening to ''vary" 

 ("variation" is a bad word: development is not variation, but 

 reason's growth) into the rudiments of it, and thereby obtaining an 

 advantage over his asexual or hermaphrodite rivals in the struggle 

 for existence and for the female and for offspring ? 



Surely, the arcanal reason and origin of bi-sex lay in the nature 

 of the case, in that inner necessity {innere Nothv:endirjl;eit) that 

 predistinod reason {die reine Vernunft) which is in, which is, the 

 universe — the /"am, and which rules the organic as much as the 

 inorganic world. This is " the cause, the cause of soul," though 

 we cannot comprehend it. Commentator. 



"THE BEGIXXIXG OF THE MIXD AND THE END OF 

 THE MATTER." 



;_1611]— ilr. W. H. Jones (letter 15B1, p. 114) says :— " My body 

 is represented by the wooden part of a piano. The chords repre- 

 sent my mental faculties ; the musician my soul." Would it not 

 be more correct to liken the chords to our nervous organisation ; 

 the musician to the sensations conveyed to our brains by our five 

 senses ? May we not also liken the sounds produced by the play- 

 ing of the musician to our cerebral or mental activity, which is set 

 in motion by the impressions received frotn without ? 



From the recovery of consciousness from a state of suspended 

 animation, W. H. J. argues: — "Mind can thus exist apparently 

 apart from matter." As well might he argue from the resumption 

 of the playing of an interrupted tune by a nmsical-box that "its 

 sounds can thus exist apparently apart from matter." 



We are next told that " mind is, however, unable to give proof of 

 its existence except throagh a sound, healthy, organised body." 

 Having no desire to be captious, I cannot help thinking that 

 W. H. J. has here inadvertently made, what we are all more or 

 loss liable to make — a slip. Most sad, and bewildering, and 

 terrible wou'.d be the condition of the world were all the diseased 

 unable to give any proof of their being conscious. 



Chas. Kose. 



MIND AND BODY. 



[1G12] — .\proposof the subject "Mind and Body," now being 

 discussed in the columns of Knowledge, there is, to my under- 

 standing, much said by those who are inclined to the belief that 

 death does not end all, wliich is quite indefinite. For instance, 

 they speak of having a physical body, a spirit, and a soul ; all of 

 which are in the possessive case. This kind of language induces 

 me to ask. What is it that you imagine owns these ? Whatever 

 name you designate it by, that must be the immortal part, if im- 

 mortal part there be. For it is quite evident that it there is a 



