January 25, 1894] 



NA TURE 



291 



best guarantee for keeping an air space pure and whole- 

 some—a point of no small importance, since latterly a 

 lower standard has been advocated. He recognises the 

 importance of investigating the micro-organisms in air, 

 but states " that our knowledge of this science and of the 

 nature of the organisms is too recent to allow us to lay 

 down any fixed rules for judging of what are dangerous 

 characteristics of air in wards measured by this stan- 

 dard." This is no doubt true up to a certain point, but 



the Ratio ^^^*^"^ as pointed out bv Carnelly and 

 Moulds 



Haldane {Philosophical Transactions of the Royal 



Society, 1887), should not be overlooked in investigations 



on this point. 



The chapters on warming and lighting are complete 



monographs on these subjects, as we might expect 



from the distinguished author who has made them his 



special study. 



In discussing the various methods of ventilation which 

 have been applied to hospitals, is mentioned the mechan- 

 ical extraction of air as practised by propulsion. This 

 plan has never found favour in England, but has been 

 introduced into some continental hospitals. We note 

 that on several occasions when three of the most im- 

 portant hospitals were visited in Europe and the United 

 States, in which ventilation depended on propulsion, on 

 every occasion the propulsion happened to be out of use 

 for the time ; in some cases evidently with the object of 

 saving the expense of fuel V 



The latter chapters are devoted to the consideration of 

 the ward unit and the administration buildings. Every 

 detail has been most carefully noted, and the closest 

 criticism fails to find an omission. The rules are laid 

 down with a simplicity and clearness which render it very 

 difficult to notice them without quoting them in detail, 

 and the plans which accompany the letter-press show at a 

 glance the principles which should be followed. 



We regret that the writer has not entered more fully 

 into the question connected with isolation hospitals for 

 infectious diseases. No plan is given of any such 

 hospital, although mention is made of the Local Govern- 

 ment Board rules for the London fever hospitals. 



The isolation pavilion of the Johns Hopkins' Hospital 

 seems to be so admirably constructed, and the structural 

 details so carefully carried out, that the plan would be a 

 valuable addition to the present work. In infectious 

 hospitals, the position of the administration block to the 

 wards would also diiTer to the plan usually adopted for 

 general hospitals. 



Sir Douglas Galton is opposed to the expense which 

 some of the costly and palatial hospitals of the present 

 day have entailed, and advocates simplicity of design 

 and economy in construction as leading conditions to be 

 observed in building hospitals for the future. If the rules 

 he has so clearly given throughout his work be attended 

 to, these important qualities will naturally follow. 



We commend this book not only to the architect and 

 sanitarian, but to all interested in hospital work. It is 

 eminently practical, and its author must be congratu- 

 lated on the completion of a work of no ordinary merit 

 and one which is a fitting companion volume to his 

 •" Healthy Homes.' 



NO. T265, VOL. 49] 



OUR BOOK SHELF. 



The Vault of Heaven. By Richard A. Gregory, F.R.A.S. 

 (London : Methuen and Co., 1893.) 



The aim of this volume of the University Extension 

 Series of text-books is to give " an elementary account 

 of some of the marvels that have been revealed by the use 

 of the telescope and two of itsmost indispensable adjuncts, 

 — the spectroscope and the photographic camera." 

 In the space of about 180 pages the author contrives to 

 give an admirable introduction to the study of modern 

 physical astronomy, and the whole is set forth in a 

 manner calculated to awaken a permanent interest in 

 this most fascinating subject. The book is eminently 

 readable, and contains none of the mathematical expres- 

 sions which are so liable to arrest the progress of the 

 general reader. Astronomical telescopes, including 

 equatorials and meridian instruments, form the subject 

 of the first chapter. Then follow two chapters giving an 

 excellent account of the sun and of the various methods 

 by which our knowledge of that luminary has been gradu- 

 ally accumulated. The reader is next presented with 

 bright and brief pictures of the moon and planets, comets 

 and shooting-stars, and of the various bodies which are 

 met with as we proceed further outwards into " boundless 

 space." The " Chemistry of Stars and Nebulas," and " Celes- 

 tial Photography," define the scope of the final chapters. 

 Many novel illustrations are given to assist the reader 

 in comprehending the significance of astronomical data. 

 The subject-matter is quite up-to-date, and in matters 

 not yet quite clear the author has wisely refrained from 

 taking sides in controversies. The historical references 

 are fairly complete, and space is found for some most 

 interesting extracts and diagrams from Galileo's "Sidereal 

 Messenger," published in 1610. 



Where all the various parts of the subject are so well 

 explained, it is difficult to single out points for special 

 mention, but we may say that the author is particularly 

 successful in his treatment of celestial photography, 

 though we cannot help regretting that more is not said 

 about the immense gain to astronomy which has followed 

 from the application of photography to the study of the 

 spectra of the heavenly bodies. We are glad to see, 

 however, that he says (p. 33) with regard to the Car- 

 rington-Hodgson observation of 1859, "the statement 

 that the outburst was iimnediately {oWov^^^ by a magnetic 

 storm does not appear to be founded on fact. From an 

 examination of the magnetic records kept at Kew, it 

 appears that at the time of the observation the needles 

 were unaffected, and it was not until fifteen hours after 

 that a magnetic storm occurred." 



A word of praise is due to the author for the careful 

 preparation and selection of diagrams and photographs, 

 all of which are excellently reproduced ; many of them 

 make their first appearance in this volume. There are 

 a few misprints — as, for instance, on p. 113, where 14 

 times 60,000 is given as 84,000 ; but they are not so 

 serious as to be misleading. A classified list of astro- 

 nomical books for the use of those desiring to extend 

 their reading beyond the limits of an introductory text- 

 book, concludes a volume which is well adapted to 

 impart the preliminary knowledge essential for a proper 

 understanding and appreciation of the fresh results which 

 are constantly being obtained in the various observatories 

 throughout the world. 



A J our ney through theYemen, and some General Remarks 

 upon that Country. By Walter B. Harris, F.R.G.S. 

 (Edinburgh and London : William Blackwood and 

 Sons, 1893.) 



The Yemen is an indefinite tract stretching inland from 

 the south-western corner of Arabia, and the "general 

 remarks" upon its geography and history are placed first 

 in this volume, the personal narrative of the author's 



