Janlary, 1902.1 



KNOWLEDGE 



13 



si.rraa of tvplioid, though the ixact nature of the connection 

 between thJ insect and the disease has not been made out. 

 We rciid, for instance, "Flies seem to have a special attraction 

 to enteric fever jKitients. In a tent full of men, all apparently eiiually 

 ill, one may almost pick out the enteric cases by the masses of flies 

 that thev a"ttraet." But this is probably only one means of spread- 

 inw' the "disease, and so little is known upon the whole subject that 

 no definite conclusions can be drawn which would permit a 

 scheme of preventive measures to be defined. In the present 

 state of knowl«lge, it seems to be almost impossible to combat 

 hvgieniciiUv the spread of enteric in any army under conditions 

 siniilar to' those prevailing in South Africa. Inoculation was 

 tried as a means of prevention, and the results obtained were 

 d.-eidedly in favour of it : but the number of ca.ses was too 

 small to justifv anv general adoption of the method. Another 

 nuitter to which one naturally turns is the use of Kontgcn rays 

 in locating bullets and determining the nature of injuries to bones. 

 It is admitted that the usefulness of the Portland Hospital would 

 have been imi)aired considerably if the Rontgen ray apparatus 

 had not been taken out. Simple observation with the fluorescent 

 sireen did not prove of much use, but photographs were found 

 of extreme service, and a number of them serve to illustrate the 

 volume under notice. Before the war, little was known as to 

 the effi-cts of highveJocity projectiles on bones, but the Kontgcn- 

 ray pliotograplis have enabled surgeons to speak with tolerable 

 a.ssuraiice on what was formerly mainly sjieculative. The surgical 

 side of the war is, in fact, much more satisfactory to contemplate 

 than the medical. Of the 303 surgical cases admitted into the 

 Portland Hospital, only three died. Xearly all the wounds 

 healed without suppuration, and there were no cases of erysipelas 

 or other forms of bl(M)d poisoning. On the medical side we have 

 th« fact that there were 29 deaths in 232 cases of enteric fever. 

 Hnd even this death rate was low in comparison with that of other 

 hospitals. Had it not Wen for this scourge, the medical Ciisual- 

 ties of the campaign would have been comparatively insignificant. 

 Let us hope that tlie materials for the study of the fever afforded 

 by volumes such .is the one before us will lead to the develop- 

 ment of means for the prevention and ctire of the disease. 



"The Stobt of Fish Life." By W. Pycraft. (Newnes.) 

 Illustrated. Is. — In this little work — a companion to "Bird Life" 

 — the author endeavours to interest non-scientific readers in 

 the structure, habits, and evolution of fishes; and, on the whole, 

 »"o tiiink he may be said to have been fairly successful in 

 a by no means easy task. Commencing with the earliest kno^^^l 

 ty|)es of fishes, the reader is shown how there lu^s been a 

 gnulual modification and advance towards the modern forms; 

 special interest attaching to the account of the mode in which 

 the fins of ordinarj- fishes have been derived from primitive 

 expiinsions, or flanges, running the whole length of the body. 

 The sentence (p. 10) " that the various kinds of mud with 

 their peculiar fossils represent different periods of time of great 

 duration," is, however, calculated to give the beginner a very 

 erroneous impre.ssion as to the mineral constitution of rocks in 

 general. Were we disposed to be severely critical we might 

 also comment on the construction of many of the autnor's sen- 

 tinces ; and we may add that some of the chapter-headings are 

 not to our liking, while it is new to us to hear an article of 

 diet sjioken of as a " familiar little friend " (p. 187). Xeverthe- 

 hss, Mr. Pycraft has furnished the public with a veiy readable 

 and interesting "booklet." although his efforts have scarcely 

 been well backed up by his artist. 



"Thk Plav of Man." By Prof. Karl Groos. Translated by 

 Klizabeth L. Baldwin, with a" preface by Prof. J. Mark Baldwin". 

 iHeiuemann.) — There is scarcely a page of this book without some 

 facts, observations, or conclusions of interest to students of human 

 activities. The book contains an organised account of games 

 of all kinds, drawn from many sources, and arranged so as to 

 ushibit their scientific significance. In a volume published 

 about three years ago, the play of animals was analysed in a 

 similar way, and the general conclusions arrived at in both 

 books are the same. The view that play rei)reSBnts an overflow 

 of energy is shown to be insufficient, and also the other physio- 

 logical idea, namely, that play merely represents recreation" for 

 exhausted jiowers. As in the book" on the play of animals 

 the conclusion seems to be th.it instinct is the "foundation of 

 pl.iy. The exact position Prof. (Jroos t;ikcs may be understood 

 from the following explanation. "Play is the agency emploved 

 to develop crude powers and prepare" them for life's uses, and 

 from our biological standpoint we can .say from the moment 

 when the intellectual d»-velopment of a species Ixcomes more 

 useful in tho straggle for life than the most perfect instinct, 

 »-ill natural selection favour those individuals m whom the less 

 elaborated faculties have more chance of being worked out by 

 practice tmder the protection of pareot*— that is to say, those 



individuals that plav. Play depends, then, first of all on the 

 elaboration of inmiat'ure capacities to full equality with perfected 

 instinct, and secondlv on the evolution of hereditary (jualities 

 tj a degree far trans'cending this, to a state of ^adaptability and 

 versatility surpa-ssing the most perfect instinct." The last part 

 of the book contains a philosophical examination of plav from 

 the points of view of physiology, biology, psychology, 

 aesthetics, sociology, and pedagogy ; and the whole work may 

 be described as ail interesting history of play with an attempt 

 to find a reason for play phenomena. The translation reads 

 fluently and is an excellent piece of work. 



"Pb.utic.u, Histology." Bv -J. X. Langley, m.a., d.sc, 

 r.R.s. (Macmillan.) 6s.— Histology, or the study of the minute 

 structure of tissues, is a large and difficult subject, and a book 

 which facilitates the work of students by giving concise and 

 precise directions for experiments and observations is sure of an 

 api>reciative public. The book under notice belongs to this 

 class. The preparation and methods of examination described 

 are well selected and practical; the directions are sufficient, 

 and with reasonable care instructive results can be obtained. 

 The student of biology is, in fact, lead by plain paths to dis- 

 tinguish the structure, nature and properties of the various 

 tissues of the animal body. The first chapter is concerned 

 with the microscope and it"s use, and is followed by chapters 

 containing directions for simple observation on the blood and 

 iyinph. Instructions arc then given for staining, mounting, and 

 other process.'s connectiHl with the i)reparation of sections, after 

 which follow twentv-eight chapters e;icli containing experiments 

 and demonstrations" on the differentiated ai.d undifferentiated 

 cells which are built up into the organs of the body. To the 

 naturalist who delights in animate nature this resolution of 

 body substance into its ultimate elements has little interest, 

 but to the student of physiology it is essential ; and it is to 

 these students that the volume will prove of service. 



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