July 25, 1901] 



NA TURE 



301 



Dr. Coulter's work is richly and excellently illustrated, 

 a number of the illustrations being original. For this 

 reason, and, further, because the author touches on 

 questions elsewhere treated only in much larger works, 

 the book may be found useful to such students as can 

 employ it, as Dr. Coulter intends, merely to supplement 

 the theoretical and practical instruction of a competent 

 teacher. 



OUR BOOK SHELF. 



B. Eyfii-t/i's Einfachste Lebcnsformcn des Tier- und 

 PfitDzoirciches. Natiiigeschichie der inikroskopisclicn 

 Siissicaxscrheuiohnc}-. Dritte, vollstdndig nciibcar- 

 bt-itclc und vermehrtc Auflaoe, ^'on Dr. Walther 

 Schcinichen und Dr. Alfred Kalberlah. Pp. 700. 

 Taf 16. (Brunswick : Benno Goeritz, 1900.) 

 This new edition of Eyferth's work will no doubt be of 

 great use to students of microscopical forms of both 

 vegetable and animal life. It includes representatives 

 of most of the European families and genera of minute 

 plants and animals, and there are sixteen excellent photo- 

 graphic plates giving typical illustrations of the genera. 

 The nomenclature adopted for the botanical sections is 

 that of Engler and Prantl in their " Naturliche Pflanzen- 

 familien," and the authors state that all recent additions 

 to this branch of scientific literature have been taken 

 into consideration, more especially with regard to results 

 and conclusions arrived at by special workers at the 

 various groups. The species enumerated, and to which 

 are appended short descriptions, are stated to be repre- 

 sentative ones about which there is no uncertainty of 

 determination ; but in the family Desmidiacefe the species 

 included are by no means representative, many of the 

 very commonest ones being left out in preference for 

 others which are uncomn^only rare and hardly likely to 

 be observed by the ordinary student of microscopical 

 forms of life, for which person the book is undoubtedly 

 written. One also wonders at the inclusion of Naegeli's 

 genus Oocar-diiiin amongst the Desmids, and the presence 

 of such useless genera as Hotocantliitin^ Scliizocanthuiii^ 

 Plcurota€7iiopsis and Pleto enteriuin^ which are intro- 

 duced directly from Engler and Prantl. A most typical 

 genus of the blue green alga; — Glo€ochacte—\i placed in 

 the Rhodophyceic, and so is Porphyridiutn, which has 

 most claim to be regarded as a reddish form of a blue- 

 green, Aphanocapsa-like alga. The animal sections are 

 given rather more completely than the vegetable, but 

 the nomenclature of the Sarcodina seems to be consider- 

 ably erroneous. The systetiiatic position of Hydrurus 

 foctidits amongst the Protozoa is truly remarkable. 



G. S. West. 

 Handbook of Biilish, Coitincntal and Canadian 

 Universities., with special mention of the Courses open 

 to Women. Supplement for 1901. Compiled for the 

 Graduate Club of Bryn Mawr College by Isabel 

 Maddison, B.Sc, Ph.D. Pp. 70. (Pennsylvania : 

 Bryn Mawr College, i9oi.) 

 Thi.s is a supplement to a handbook published in 1896 

 to show the courses open to women in universities. As 

 practically all European universities and colleges are 

 now open to women, the original title was modified when 

 a new edition was called for in 1 899, and the book has be- 

 come a short guide showing for the benefit of men as well 

 as women the university systems, requirements, &c., of 

 various countries. The present supplement contains 

 corrigenda and addenda, bringing the handbook up to 

 date as regards the lists of professors, lectures and the 

 constitutional changes. Though the book is not to be 

 compared with the Minerva Jahrbuch in point of value 

 for reference, it may be of service to educationists mter- 

 ested in the facilities for the higher education of women. 



NO. 1656, VOL. 64] 



LETTERS TO THE EDITOR. 



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

 pressed liy his correspondents. Neither can he undertake 

 to retnrn, or to co) respond ivith the writers of, rejecei 

 :naiiiisertpts intended for this or any other part of NATURE. 

 No notice is taken of anon vinous communieations.'i 



The Subjective Lowering of Pitch. 



Mr. Sherwood (p. 233) seems to have misunderstood 

 my meaning. I did not intend to imply that a singer 

 should be conscious of his own flatness (i.e. if loudness 

 causes subjective lowering of pitch), but that his voice, 

 being relatively loud to himself, should sound to him flatter 

 than it really is ; and that he would try to counteract the 

 impression by singing sharp. This is the reverse of experi- 

 ence. A singer having a good ear for external music, but 

 singing flat, evidently hears his own voice sharper than it 

 really is. Such a singer keeps his voice up better in a chorus, 

 or when the accompaniment is l<iud enough to produce a 

 subjective impression as strong as that of his own voice. 



Malvern, July 14- ^'- J- Allen. 



Phototherapy. 



As stated in Nature, July ■■, p. 259, Prof Finsen of 

 Copenhagen proposed, in 1893, that patients suftenng from 

 smail-pox should be kept in rooms from which the chemical rays 

 of light are excluded by means of red curtains or red glass. He 

 was anticipated in this treatment by John Gaddesden, who wrote 

 the famous medical treatise "Rosa Medicine," and died 

 A.I). 1361. He cured a son of King Edward L of small-pox by 

 wrapping him in scarlet cloth in a bed and room with scarlet 

 hangings. He says of the result, " est bona cura ; et curavi 

 eum in sequent! sine vestigio variolarum," " Diet, ^of Nat. 

 Biogr.," and " Biographic Generate." iL H. Close. 



THE CONGRESS ON TUBERCULOSIS. 



FOR some time past most elaborate preparations have 

 been made for this Congress, and latterly it was 

 feared that, owing to the postponement that was neces- 

 sary on account of the death of Queen Victoria, the 

 attendance, especially of workers from abroad, might be 

 seriously affected. Fortunately, this anticipation has not 

 been realised, and from the list of delegates and the 

 number and importance of the papers promised there 

 appears to be every prospect of a most successful and 

 useful series of meetings. 



If the work of the Congress was to be of an educational 

 nature, it could scarcely be hoped that much time could 

 be devoted to new work ; and that it would be educational 

 in the best sense of the word soon became evident. 

 Certainly few congresses have succeeded in arousing 

 such interest in matters affecting the health and general 

 welfare of the community. 



From the King, \iho gave his patronage, to the 

 numerous municipal representatives and delegates of 

 learned and philanthropic societies all classes seem 

 to be represented ; and that the interest aroused is 

 not merely on paper is evident from the list of those who 

 were present at the opening meeting on Tuesday. The 

 Duke of Cambridge presided at the command of the 

 King, and was supported by the .American Ambassador 

 and other Ministers and Ambassadors, the Duke of 

 Northumberland, Earls Derby, Cawdor, Spencer and 

 Cadogan, Lord Lister, the Lord Mayor and a whole host of 

 distinguished scientific men. The Colonies were well repre- 

 sented by Lord Strathcona, Sir Andrew Clarke, Sir Walter 

 Peace and others, whilst the Foreign delegates numbered 

 between two and three hundred. The work of bringing 

 a goodly company together had evidently been in com- 

 petent hands. Will tlie work of the Congress be equally 

 good 'i So far this question may be answered in the 

 affirmative ; and should the rest of the meetings be as 

 successful as those of the first and second days, the 

 Congress will have thoroughly justified its existence. 



