June 23, 1 881] 



NATURE 



163 



choice ; though here, also, he leans overmuch to the 

 linguistic side. 



In the curriculum of studies recommended by him, Mr. 

 Fitch has strangely subordinated, if he has not greatly 

 ignored, the studies that prepare the citizen for his duties 

 as a member of the State — the Social and Political 

 Sciences. Surely he has not read, or greatly studied, the 

 admirable pleading in their favour to be found in the 

 works of his friend William Ellis, and also of George 

 Combe, as recently fully presented in his educational 

 contributions, edited by one of his colleagues in the in- 

 spectorate. In this respect, there appears to us to exist 

 a serious hiatus in his plan of study. One of the 

 doctrines he enunciates is also enough to raise the 

 old phrenologist from his grave, what he calls "the 

 convertibility of intellectual forces," whereby, he in- 

 forms us, "every kind of mental power, once worked 

 and applied to a worthy purpose, becomes avail- 

 able for other purposes, and is capable of being irans- 

 formed into poiuer of another kind" — an ancient error 

 in schools, still fruitful of failure and wrong, which we 

 are surprised to find held by a man so generally wise on 

 education. Poor George Combe otherwise fares sadly at 

 the hands of Mr. Fitch, who describes his mission in life 

 as being that of advocating the one doctrine of inherent 

 hereditary aptitudes, and says that "he never could in- 

 duce his friends seriously to attempt the classification and 

 teaching of a school on his principles, and the experiment 

 yet remains untried " ! What of the history of such 

 schools given in the work on Combe's principles just 

 named ? 



Though not agreeing on many points with the author, 

 as was inevitable in a field so full of controversial matter 

 as the growing science of education, we look upon the 

 book as a valuable contribution to the subject, which, by 

 its unusually attractive style and high tone, will command 

 a wide audience, and, from the auspices under which it is 

 produced, will reach places where sound educational 

 philosophy too seldom penetrates. We cordially recom- 

 mend it to all interested in education, and specially to 

 teachers ; and also to the active Education Society, as, like 

 Prof Bain's recent work on Education, which they have 

 already taken up, an admirable basis of profitable 

 discussion. 



PRACTICAL HISTOLOGY 



A Text-Book of Practical Histology, with Outline Plates. 

 By W. Stirhng, M.D., Sc.D., F.R.S.E., Regius Pro- 

 fessor of the Institutes of Medicine in the University 

 of Aberdeen. (London : Smith, Elder and Co., 

 1881.) 



AT the outset Dr. Stirling informs us that " the purpose 

 of this work is twofold : first, to give plain, definite, 

 and precise directions for the preparation and examina- 

 tion of the animal tissues ; and secondly, to ensure that 

 the student executes a drawing of the majority of the 

 microscopic specimens which he makes for preservation. 

 For this purpose a series of Outhne Plates is issued with 

 the text." 



As regards the first of these objects, there is no doubt 

 that to give " plain, definite, and precise directions " is a 



desirable and praiseworthy object, which most, if not all 

 " practical " books strive to attain. Those that succeed 

 in this endeavour differ from one another chiefly in the 

 means by which this object is accomplished ; in some the 

 author arrives at his object after long-continued patient 

 and diligent work, in other rarer instances he utilises the 

 works of others, and by doing so he may, and sometimes 

 actually does, produce a book which has considerable 

 merits of its own, inasmuch as it gives in plain and simple 

 words valuable and useful extracts of much larger original 

 works full of minute and bewildering details, not easily 

 understood by, and of little practical use to the ordinary 

 student. Dr. Stirling, although his book cannot in any 

 sense claim to be considered other than a book of com- 

 pilation, has nevertheless succeeded in presenting to 

 the medical student, anxious to acquire the necessary 

 amount of knowledge in practical histology, a work 

 which, conveying in a short and intelligible manner a 

 great deal of information, will, we dcubt not, prove of 

 service. 



As regards the second object of the book, viz. that the 

 student should for himself make drawings of his micro- 

 scopic specimens, we fail to see how Dr. Stirling's Outline 

 Plates can advance this object in a satisfactory manner. 

 We always thought that the student drawing the correct 

 outlines of the specimens or of parts of the specimens 

 prepared by himself, has got everything that is essential 

 to guide him in the study of those specimens. To fill in 

 the details in pencil, or, as Dr. Stirling suggests, and what 

 is still more laborious, in colours, in the outline figures 

 drawn for him from somebody else's specimens, appears 

 to us of more than questionable value. 



Besides the directions for practical work a considerable 

 part of the book is taken up by the description of the 

 structure of the simple tissues and organs. As far as we 

 can see, these descriptions are in a great measure, to the 

 extent of verbal quotations, borrowed from other books, 

 without even an attempt to mention this fact ; by doing 

 so Dr. Stirling has deviated from the accustomed rule, 

 and has proceeded in a rare and unexpected manner. If 

 an author introduces abstracts and verbal quotations 

 from any other work, we believe it will be universally 

 admitted that whatever the aim and nature of the book, 

 the author is bound to mention his source ; if he omits to 

 do this, intentionally or unintentionally, he lays himself 

 open to the charge of having committed what in the eyes 

 of every right-thinking man, not to say of every man of 

 science and teacher in a responsible position, must ever 

 be considered a grave offence. 



Dr. Stirling has made very extensive use of the " Atlas 

 of Histology" in some chapters, e.q. on the salivary 

 glands, the kidneys, the generative organs, and others, 

 making copious extracts therefrom, to the extent of verbal 

 quotations, without in any way indicating that he has 

 done so. 



Dr. Stirling's proceeding is greatly to be regretted, 

 since by his numerous and original works in histology he 

 has won the esteem of his confrh-es and has proved 

 himself to be sincerely anxious about the promotion oi 

 this science. 



The publishers deserve great credit for the handsome 

 style in which the book is brought out. 



E. Klein 



