NA TURE 



[May 7, 1903 



This is especially noticeable as regards the biblio- 

 graphy. Many of the essayists hit a happy mean, but 

 H. Przibram actually gives 31 pages of references in 

 his 77-page article on regeneration, whilst v, Mona- 

 kow gives 846 distinct references, occupying 27 pages. 

 Prof. Biedermann sins in the opposite direction, and 

 in his otherwise comprehensive and instructive article 

 on electrophysiology, sometimes mentions authors 

 without giving any clue to their papers. Again, 

 several of the articles are well illustrated (especially 

 V. Monakow's important article on cortical localisa- 

 tion, which has eight plates), and it would be well if 

 this most useful feature could be extended to certain 

 other of the articles, though doubtless the question of 

 expense comes in here. 



In the limits of a short notice like the present one, it 

 is impossible even to mention the titles of all the essays, 

 but reference may be permitted to a few, over and 

 above those already cited. P. Jensen gives a useful 

 description of protoplasmic movement, and the effects 

 of external conditions upon it, whilst J. von Uexkiill 

 writes a philosophical essay on the psychology of 

 the lower animals. O. Langendorff enters very 

 thoroughly into the properties of cardiac muscle, and 

 discusses the nature of heart contraction, whether 

 nervous or myogenic. L. Asher treats of certain 

 aspects of the vaso-motor system, and R. du Bois- 

 Reymond deals fully with the mechanics of respira- 

 tion. H. E. Hering writes at some length on the 

 central nervous paralysis of skeletal muscles (e.g. 

 reflex inhibition, antagonistic muscles, decerebrate 

 rigidity), whilst P. Griitzner treats of the voice and 

 speech, and H. Zwaardemaker of smell. 



Finally, a word of praise must be accorded to the 

 admirable manner in which the volume is printed. 

 The large and well interspaced type renders reading 

 a pleasure. Also printer's errors are remarkably in- 

 frequent. H. M. Vernon, 



PHYSICAL CHEMISTRY AND BIOLOGY. 



Physikalische Chemie der Zelle und der Gewebe. Von 

 Dr. Rudolf Hober, Privatdocent der Physiologie an 

 der Universitat Zurich. Pp. xii + 344. (Leipzig : 

 W. Engelmann.) Price 9s. net. 



THE keynote to this interesting volume is found in 

 the beautiful quotation from von Humboldt with 

 which the author introduces his preface. 



" Es ist die Sitte derer, die gerne andere auf den 

 Gipfel der Berge fiihren mochten, dass sie den Mit- 

 reisenden den Weg gebahnter und anmutiger schildern, 

 als man ihn finden wird, und dass sie die Aussicht von 

 den Bergen riihmen, auch wenn sie ahnen, dass ganze 

 Telle der Gegend in Nebel verhiillt bleiben werden. 

 Sie wissen, dass auch in dieser Verhiillung ein geheim- 

 nissvoUer Zauber liegt, dass eine duftige Feme den 

 Eindruck des Sinnlich-Unendlichen hervorruft, ein 

 Bild, dass im Geist und in den Gefiihlen sich ernst und 

 ahnungsvoU spiegelt." 



The author proves himself in the subsequent pages 

 of the volume just such an inspiring guide as this, and 

 points out the varied prospects from many points of 

 view in his different chapters. 

 NO 1749, VOL. 68] 



The book is interestingly written throughout, and 

 although space makes it impossible to mention all 

 recent work in the applications of the new advance- 

 ments of physical chemistry to biology, the work is 

 thoroughly up to date in most important directions of 

 this extensive field of research. 



The author states in his preface that the book is 

 intended as a first review of the subject for those who 

 may subsequently study in larger text-books, and be 

 stimulated thereby to aid in its development; but, in 

 the opinion of the reviewer, the book will be found 

 most interesting to those who already possess a con- 

 siderable acquaintance with physical chemistry, and 

 desire a comprehensive and suggestive review of its 

 relationship to biology and physiology. 



Parts of the subject, such, for example, as the de- 

 velopment of the ionic theory, and equilibrium in solu- 

 tion, are from the size of the book presented in such 

 concise form as to make anything but easy reading 

 for a beginner at the subject; while others, such as 

 the permeability of the cell membrane, the physical 

 theory of the action of anaesthetics, absorption, secre- 

 tion and lymph formation, form attractive reading, and 

 demand little special previous knowledge of the subject. 



The physical chemist owes to the biologist the earliest 

 experimental work upon osmotic pressure and its rela- 

 tionship to molecular weight. It was the study of 

 osmosis and osmotic pressure by Pfeffer and Traube 

 on account of its relationship to cell life which chiefly 

 led to the conception that substances in solution behave 

 in certain respects like gases, and this formed the 

 starting point for the physical chemistry of solutions. 



For this early service biologists are now being re- 

 paid by the great opportunities which increased know- 

 ledge of physical chemistry is giving in the prosecution 

 of the study of the chemical and physical processes 

 taking place in the cell. 



In this development of biology based on physical 

 chemistry, the work is not being done solely by physical 

 chemists, on the one hand, or by biologists on the 

 other, but important contributions have been and are 

 being made to the common store by both biologists 

 and physical chemists. A perusal of the book before 

 us demonstrates most clearly this mutual relationship 

 between physical chemistry and biology, for in the 

 names of authors one finds those both of important 

 biologists and physical chemists. 



It is along this line of physical chemistry, so far 

 as one can foresee, that the most important and rapid 

 growth in biology will take place in the near future, 

 and hence it is most important for either following or 

 taking a share in these developments that every bio- 

 logist should also be acquainted with recent progress 

 in physical chemistry. Certain portions of the book 

 may specially be recommended to those who desire in 

 a short space to learn something of the close practical 

 relationship of physical chemistry to biology and also 

 to medicine, such as that on the solubility of uric 

 acid, urates, and the purin bodies, and on the action of 

 indicators, pp. 88 to loi ; the permeability of the cell- 

 membrane, especially that portion dealing with the 

 action of anaesthetics, pp. loi to 134; action of ions 

 upon cells, pp. 134 to 146, and 171 to 184; methods of 



