Avucust 10, 1899] NATURE 341 
Defective Eyesight. By Dr. D. B. St. John Roosa. Pp. LETTER TO THE EDITOR. 
ix + 186. (New York: The Macmillan Co, London: 
Macmillan and Co., Ltd., 1899.) 
Dr. Roosa’s book is pleasantly written and easy to 
follow, but it is not very clear what particular place in 
ophthalmic literature the book is intended to occupy. 
From the superficial manner in which each subject is 
treated it would appear to be intended for the instruction 
of the junior student. 
But a student’s manual on the refraction of the eye in 
which no mention is made of retinoscopy, and the 
ophthalmoscope is only casually referred to as being 
unnecessary in most refraction cases, is certainly some- 
what incomplete. 
Most people will agree with Dr. Roosa in condemning 
the permanent wearing of prisms in the treatment of 
heterophoria. But the statement that want of balance of 
the external ocular muscles never causes asthenopic 
symptoms, is contrary to the experience of the majority 
of ophthalmologists. 
We thoroughly endorse the author’s views as to the 
practical value of the ophthalmometer, though he over- 
states the case when he says that, to a competent 
observer, no mistake is possible in the estimation of 
astigmatism with this instrument. Those who have used 
both ophthalmometric and other methods with the same 
patient, in any considerable number of cases, will agree 
with Adolphe Javal, jun., that corneal astigmatism often 
differs from the total astigmatism by 0'5 to 0°75 dioptre. 
The Lancashire Sea Fisheries. Wy Charles L. Jackson, 
M.I.C.E., &c. Pp. viii + 85. (Manchester: Heywood 
and Son, 1899.) 
THIs is a reprint of a lecture delivered in the Chadwick 
Museum, apparently under the auspices of the Bolton 
Corporation. It is full of obvious inaccuracies, is hope- 
lessly out of date, and contains on nearly every page 
cheap sneers at “pure science” and “ the scientists,” as 
opposed to the “business” and “ practical men.” There 
is a good deal about “ Dame Nature” and “ Old Ocean,” 
and “the Great Author of the Universe,” with whom the 
author of the book seems to be on curiously confidential 
terms. This is a work which, if taken seriously, is 
calculated, we fear, to do much harm—not to the County 
Council against whose labours it is directed, but to the 
fishermen in whose interests it professes to be written— 
by stirring up bad feeling, class prejudices, and op- 
position to constituted authority. 
A Country Schoolmaster, James Shaw, of Tynron, Dun:- 
friesshire. Edited by Robert Wallace. Pp. xcvi + 392. 
(Edinburgh: Oliver and Boyd. London: Simpkin, 
Marshall, and Co., Ltd., 1899.) 
WE have first a sketch of the life and work of James 
Shaw; but the bulk of the book is occupied with re- 
prints of some of his more characteristic literary pro- 
ductions. These are upon a great variety of subjects, 
mostly connected with natural history. The early years 
of James Shaw's life were spent as a pattern designer 
- and calico printer, and it was not till he was over thirty 
years of age that he became the schoolmaster at Tynron, 
a country parish in Dumfriesshire. He continued there 
for thirty-four years. In the early part of his career his 
tastes were chiefly literary, and he acquired considerable 
power as a writer both of prose and verse. After he be- 
came a country schoolmaster he devoted himself entirely 
to natural history and archeology. His papers collected 
in the present volume are of real interest, and charmingly 
written. After looking through them we feel the justice 
of his friend’s remark : ‘Shaw was a large man, fated 
to play out his life-drama on a small and dimly-lighted 
stage.” 
NO. 1554, VOL. 60] 
(The Editor does not hold himself responsible for opinions ex- 
pressed 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 ts taken of anonymous communications. | 
Apparent Dark Lightning Flashes. 
Lasr night during a thunderstorm of rare severity in which 
brilliant flashes—single, double, triple, or quadruple—followed 
one another at intervals often of not more than a few seconds of 
time, I was surprised to see with great vividness, on a suddenly 
illuminated sky, two nearly vertical lines of darkness, each of the 
ordinary jagged appearance of a bright flash of lightning. I 
remembered to have seen two real flashes of just the same shapes 
and relative positions, and I concluded that the black flashes 
were due to their residual influence on the retina. I turned my 
eyes quickly from the dark sky outside to an illuminated wall 
inside the house, and I again saw the same double dark ‘* flash,” 
which verified my conclusion in an interesting manner. The 
fatigued part of the eye failed to perceive the sudden brightness 
of the sky in the one case and of the wall in the other. 
Aix-les-Bains, August 7. IKELVIN. 
MEETING OF THE BRITISH MEDICAL 
ASSOCIATION AT PORTSMOUTH. 
GOODLY number of members of this pre-eminently 
practical Association journeyed last week to Ports- 
mouth to be present at the sixty-seventh annual meeting. 
The place of meeting was not so attractive as last year, 
and perhaps on this account the attendance was some- 
what smaller. The subject-matter, however, at Ports- 
mouth was quite as interesting as that at Edinburgh ; 
and those who, braving almost tropical heat, were dili- 
gent in their attendance at the meetings got their reward, 
and will return home with ample food for thought. 
After an eloquent and interesting address from the 
President, Dr. Ward Cousins, in which a sketch was 
given of the progress made in medicine and surgery 
during the present century, the meeting divided itself up 
into sections, and settled down to work. 
Section of Medicine—An address on medicine was 
delivered by Sir Richard Douglas Powell, his subject 
being recent advances in practical medicine. Under this 
heading various points of practical interest were dis- 
cussed. The use of the binaural stethoscope received 
some attention, the author somewhat deploring the de- 
cadence of the old rigid stethoscope, a flexible instrument 
being incapable of transmitting tactile impulses. Under 
the head of “ Anomalous Fevers,” Sir Richard discussed 
shortly the important subject of mixed infection. The 
value of what was said on serum therapy was enhanced 
by the addition of a table indicating the actions of the 
various sera. Under the “ Prevention and Treatment of 
Tuberculosis” the vexed question of the influence of 
heredity was considered, the author apparently attaching 
more importance to this influence than recent invest- 
igations would seem to justify. The address concluded 
with a few suggestive hints concerning a possible pre- 
parasitic existence of the tubercle bacillus. 
At the opening of the section, the President, Dr. 
Mitchell Bruce, made a few introductory remarks with 
regard to the subjects of discussion, viz. the tests for 
admission into the public services, and Tuberculosis. Sir 
Dyce Duckworth’s paper upon the former subject, in his 
unavoidable absence, was read by the President. The 
paper comprised a valuable critique of the methods of 
examination at present adopted by the public services, 
and a consideration of the causes and rejection of de- 
fective candidates. An animated discussion followed 
this paper. Prof. Osler advocated that the physical 
examination of candidates should take place earlier 
in the course of their training, and alluded to the 
more common causes of, according to him, unnecessary 
