May 29, 1890J 



NATURE 



99 



observed in infancy and childhood, and regarding which 

 anxious parents require the advice and assistance of the 

 surgeon. But, although written by a surgeon, the manual 

 is not confined to what is commonly called " surgical 

 anatomy." The needs of the physician have been con- 

 sulted, and the position and boundaries of the heart, the 

 lungs, and the great viscera of the abdomen have been 

 described and illustrated by appropriate diagrams. In 

 many instances the author seeks to give an explanation 

 of the symptoms produced by disease of the viscera by a 

 reference to the anatomical relations and connections of 

 the parts. 



The marvellous progress which operative surgery has 

 made of late years is illustrated by several chapters in this 

 manual. The antiseptic system of treatment, devised by 

 Sir Joseph Lister, has rendered possible the performance 

 of many operations which would not have been thought of 

 fifteen or twenty years ago. The brain, the spinal marrow, 

 the great serous cavities of the body, and the larger joints, 

 are now with safety made the subjects of operative inter- 

 ference. No treatise on applied anatomy therefore would 

 now be considered complete unless it embraced an 

 account of these parts in their surgical relations, and 

 Mr. Owen has furnished his readers with the necessary 

 information. 



The mode of treatment necessitates on the part of the 

 reader some preliminary knowledge, so that the book is 

 not intended for the beginner, but for the senior student 

 and the practitioner. 



Advanced Physiography. By John Thornton, M.A. 



(London: Longmans, Green, and Co., 1890). 

 This is a continuation of the same author's " Elementary 

 Physiography," and, to quote the preface, " It carries the 

 student into the wider realms of Nature, and treats of 

 advanced physiography as defined by the Science and 

 Art Department. Whether physiography be regarded 

 as a separate science or not, it cannot be denied that, as 

 thus set forth, it includes a fairly well-defined and well- 

 ordered series of facts connected with the study of the 

 universe." This is, perhaps, the first really serious 

 attempt which has yet been made to give anything like a 

 full account of the whole subject, and we have no doubt 

 that teachers will find it convenient to have all the parts 

 thus brought together. The author has very wisely 

 quoted the best authorities, a proceeding which is far 

 preferable to mere paraphrase. The book is thus largely 

 a compilation, but it is only fair to say that full ac- 

 knowledgment is made in nearly every case. 



Most of the important astronomical instruments are 

 described in considerable detail, and the fundamental 

 notions of astronomy are clearly explained. The chapters 

 on the so-called " new astronomy" are exceptionally good 

 for a work of this class, and it is quite evident that 

 the author has carefully followed the latest researches. 

 Vogel's work on the orbit of Algol and Schiaparelli's 

 new rotation period for Mercury are included, though 

 only recently published. There is also an excellent 

 summary of the work which has been done in celestial 

 photography. The chapter on the sun is very detailed, 

 and considers all the important facts and theories. No 

 attempt is made to discuss any disputed points — a 

 commendable feature in a school text-book. 



There are apparently few mistakes, but one is of 

 sufficient importance to be referred to. On p. 249 it is 

 stated that the dark bands in stars like a Herculis are 

 probably due to carbon absorption ; this ought to read 

 metallic fluting absorption, the bright flutings being 

 probably due to carbon. 



The book is profusely illustrated, but most of the 

 diagrams have already seen service. The drawing of 

 the Orion nebula is perhaps the least satisfactory. The 

 large coloured plate is instructive, but there is a curious 

 mistake. This has probably arisen from the fact that the 



KG. 1074, VOL. 42] 



plate is compiled from those which have appeared in the 

 last two editions of a well-known text-book of astronomy, 

 one of which was on a scale of wave-lengths, and the 

 other on a prismatic scale. The flutings of carbon have 

 evidently been transferred from one to the other without 

 the necessary corrections, the result being that they are 

 quite out of place relatively to the other spectra. 



We can confidently recommend the book to all inter- 

 ested in the subject, whether for examination purposes or 

 for the purpose of acquiring fairly accurate information as 

 to the present state of our knowledge of the Earth's place 

 in Nature. 



An International Idiom : a Manual of the Oregon Trade 

 Language, or " Chinook Jargofi" By Horatio Hale, 

 M.A., F.R.S.C. (London : Whittaker and Co., 1890.) 



In the district formerly called Oregon, which is of much 

 wider extent than the State of Oregon, a sort of inter- 

 national language, known as the Chinook jargon, is 

 current among the native tribes and white traders. It 

 grew up about the beginning of the present century, and 

 has been of great service not only in facilitating com- 

 merce, but in stimulating friendly intercourse between 

 tribes who, if this strange speech had not existed, would 

 have had no means of communicating with one another. 

 Many of the words are of Chinook origin, but contribu- 

 tions have also been drawn from French and English, 

 and various words have been formed by onomatopoeia. 

 In 1 841, when connected with the United States Explor- 

 ing Expedition which surveyed a part of the western 

 coast of North America, Mr. Hale had occasion to study 

 the Chinook jargon ; and he has since taken pains to 

 make himself acquainted with information brought to 

 light by later investigators. In the present little volume 

 he gives a full account of the subject, describing the origin 

 and history of the " idiom," and presenting a grammar 

 and dictionary, with specimens of colloquial and narrative 

 phrases, songs, hymns, and a sermon. The facts he has 

 brought together are of considerable scientific interest, 

 and the book ought to be useful to travellers and settlers 

 in the North American Pacific States and Provinces. 



A Class-book of Geography, Physical, Political, and 

 Commercial, for Intermediate and Senior Pupils. By 

 W. B. Irvine, B.A. (London : Relfe Brothers, 1890.) 



The compilation of this volume must have co.st the 

 author a good deal of hard work, but we cannot say that 

 the result seems to us satisfactory. The subject is treated 

 in an extremely uninteresting way, and the appearance of 

 the pages, with their short, jerky paragraphs and masses 

 of disconnected facts, might alone suffice to deter many 

 boys and girls from the study of geography. In the 

 teaching of this subject almost everything depends on the 

 intelligence and skill of the teacher ; so that even the 

 present work, in good hands, might be made the basis of 

 instructive and useful lessons. But the book would 

 increase rather than diminish the difficulties in the way 

 of teachers who have no exceptional degree of ability or 

 knowledge. 



LETTERS TO THE EDITOR. 



[ The Editor does not hold himself responsible for opinions ex- 

 pressed by his correspondents. Neither can he undertake 

 to return, or to correspond ivith the writers of, 1 ejected 

 manuscripts intended for this or any other part of Nature. 

 Ao notice is taken of anonytnous communications.^ 



Idiocyclophanous Crystals of Calcite. 



It seems to have escaped notice that one at least of the 

 many crystal-forms of calcite can be induced to show its ring- 

 system— can be made, in fact, into a Bertrand prism— simply by 

 proper cleavage, without any artificially-worked planes at all. 



