60 
OUR BOOKSHELF. 
British Rainfall, 1912. On the Distribution of 
Rain in Space and Time over the British Isles 
during the Year 1912, as recorded by more than 
5000 Observers in Great Britain and Ireland, 
and discussed with Articles upon various 
Branches of Rainfall Work. By Dr. H. R. Mill, 
assisted by C. Salter. Fifty-second annual 
volume. Pp. 96+ 372. (London: E. Stanford, 
Ltd., 1913.) Price 10s. 
Tue plan of this valuable annual volume remains 
almost exactly as before; it is well known to many 
of our readers, and is welcomed by meteorologists 
and others for its comprehensiveness and the 
scrupulous care exercised in dealing with matters 
of detail. Part i. is devoted mainly (1) to the 
unprecedented rainstorm of August 25—26 in East 
Anglia, the area being now extended to the whole 
ox England and Wales. The rainfall exceeded 
7°5 in. over about sixty-seven square miles, with 
a small patch where more than 8 in. fell, between 
Norwich and Brundall. The weight of precipita- 
tion over England and Wales is estimated at 
4473 million tons. (2) the wettest summer in 
England and Wales. The rainfall was not ex- 
ceeded during the last fifty years; in August the 
amount in south England was more than three 
times the average over large areas. The general 
rainfall for June-August was 78 per cent. above 
the normal. Part ii. deals with the rainfall for the 
year, and includes the observers’ remarks on the 
weather, with heavy falls and monthly and 
seasonal rainfall, illustrated by maps. The year 
was a wet one; expressed in percentages the totals 
were: England, 123; Wales, 119; Scotland, 111; 
Ireland, 108; British Isles, 115. Part iii. contains 
the general tables of total rainfall at 5272 
stations; maps of the river-divisions are now 
given, with the tables for each of the twenty-three 
large divisions of the country. We notice with 
regret that this useful and unique organisation is 
not yet self-supporting, and that the deficit has 
to be met by the director; further, that owing to 
the continual strain of the work, Dr. Mill has to 
take a complete temporary rest, during which time 
Mr. Mossman, of the Argentine Meteorological 
Office, will undertake the editorship of the publi- 
cations. 
(1) Die Siisswasser-Flora Deutschlands, Oster- 
veichs und der Schweiz. Herausgegeben von 
Prof. A. Pascher. Hefts. 2, 3, 9, and 10. Price 
5, 1.80, 1.50, 4 marks. 
(2) Die Siisswasserfauna Deutschlands eine Ex- 
kursions-fauna, Herausgegeben von Prof. Dr. 
Brauer. Heft.’ 14. (Jena: Gustav Fischer, 
1912-13.) Price 7 marks. 
TuEsE little monographs on the fresh-water flora 
and fauna of Germany, Austria, and Switzerland 
are issued under the general editorship of Prof. 
Pascher and Prof. Brauer respectively. The series 
on the fauna is issued in nineteen parts, extending 
from the Mammalia to the Hydrozoa; that on the 
flora in sixteen parts, of which the first twelve 
and part of the thirteenth deal mostly with micro- 
NO. 2290, VOL. 92| 
NATURE 
[SEPTEMBER 18, I9QI 3 
scopic forms, the remainder with fungi, mosses, 
lichens, &c.; a volume on the Protozoa does not 
seem to be included. The volumes range in price 
from 1.50 marks to 7 marks, are purchasable 
separately, and are written by well-known authori- 
ties on the subjects of which they treat. Ea 
volume commences with a general description of } 
the particular group dealt with, methods of in- 
vestigating and preserving the organisms, and a 
brief list of the principal works and papers on 
the subject, after which follows a_ systemati 
description of species, diagnoses of genera, &c. _ 
(1) These volumes deal with several groups of 
flagellated micro-organisms (Heft. 2 and 3), in 
cluding Euglena, diatoms (Heft. 10), and the 
Zygnemales (Heft. 9), i.e., chlorophyl-green, 
cylindrical-celled alge, such as Spirogyra. Al 
the volumes seem very complete, and that on the 
diatoms should serve as a very useful handbook 
on this interesting group of micro-organisms. 
(2) This volume deals with the Rotatoria and 
Gastrotricha. A good account is given of rotifer 
structure, and the diagnostic tables and descrip- 
tions of species are excellent. ’ 
All the volumes are profusely illustrated, e.g., 
no fewer than 379 illustrations are allotted to the 
diatoms and 474 to the rotifers, many comprising 
two or more figures. 
We believe that these series will be of the 
greatest service to the field-naturalist and others. 
RTE 
LETTERS £O THE EDITORS 
[The Editor does not hold himseif responsible for 
opinions expressed by his correspondents. Neither 
can he undertake to return, or to correspond with 
the writers of, rejected manuscripts intended for 
this or any other part of Nature. No notice is 
taken of anonymous communications.] 
The Nature and Treatment of Cancer and Malaria. 
May I ask your courtesy for a brief reference to the 
article by Dr. C, W. Saleeby on the International 
Medical Congress (NaTuRE, August 14, pp. 608-9)? 
Dr. Saleeby notes, that recent research is tending in 
the direction of the views advanced by me some few 
years ago. How long will yet elapse before these 
views as to the germinal origin, trophoblastic (asexual) 
nature, and enzyme or pancreatic treatment of cancer 
are ‘“‘ generally accepted’ cannot be said. But when- 
ever that time does arrive, mankind in general and 
medical mankind in particular will have no other 
refuge against the ravages of cancer than its treat- 
ment with genuine strong injections of trypsin and 
amylopsin. Scientifically, what evidences are there of 
this? In the first place, among others, three success- 
ful cases treated by Major Lamballe were described © 
in my book on cancer, published two years ago. It is 
quite four years since the patients were treated. Two 
of them are certainly alive and well, and I believe 
that this is also so with the third. More recently, I 
have pointed out, in a paper on the occuYrence of 
dextro-rotatory albumins in organic nature, noticed 
not long ago in your columns, that the asexual gene- 
rations, such as the malaria parasite, &c., which 
induce disease, are the same in nature as cancer-cells, 
and have foretold their total destruction by the fer- 
ments, trypsin and amylopsin. In a memoir, which 
is about to be published, Major F. W. Lamballe, 
