NATURE 
491 
SEPTEMBER 18, 1902 ] 
the figures of the general appearance are good, but 
the sketches-of details, as, for instance, the utricles, are 
too small to help much in determination of species. 
They would be more satisfactory if they were drawn 
natural size or larger. The book is written in English. 
An Arithmetic for Schools. By J. P. Kirkman, M.A., 
and A. E. Field, M.A. Pp. Ixvi + 492. (London : 
Edward Arnold, n.d.) Price 3s. 6d. 
THE distinguishing characteristics of this book are sim- 
plicity and great clearness of exposition. The first two 
chapters deal mainly with our terrible English system of 
weights and measures, and in this lawless region no skill 
on the part of an author can be of service to the be- 
ginner. Once this tangled wilderness is passed, how- 
ever, the skill of the authors in exposition comes into 
play. The treatment of common measures and multiples 
and the various rules for ascertaining rapidly whether a 
given number is or is not divisible by specified numbers 
are very clearly and successfully explained. The philo- 
sophy of the rules for the division and multiplication of 
vulgar fractions is very plainly set forth, and the rules for 
the contracted multiplication and division of decimals are 
well explained and illustrated near the end of the book. 
We have also an account of the metric system, followed 
by numerous examples of “practice.” After this we 
have the calculation of areas and volumes, and an ade- 
quate exposition of the method of extracting square and 
cube roots. This is followed by the treatment of interest, 
stocks, and the various branches of the subject which are 
found in all arithmetical treatises, and then comes an 
enormous collection of examples. An appendix explain- 
ing and illustrating the use of squared paper for the 
comparison of scales and other kinds of calculation 
forms a useful and interesting conclusion. 
The work is one which can be very confidently recom- 
mended to all teachers and students of arithmetic. 
A First Step in Arithmetic. By J. G. Bradshaw, B.A. 
Pp. vi+ 166. (London: Macmillan and Co., Ltd., 
1902.) Price 2s. 
ONLY the first four rules, simple and compound, are 
covered by this book, but the exercises upon them have 
been so carefully selected and arranged that children 
who receive instruction through them will acquire an 
intelligent and working knowledge of simple arithmetic. 
The exercises are arranged for both oral and paper work, 
and there is no doubt that the combination of the two 
methods of teaching the subject gives the best educational 
result. In most text-books of arithmetic, the pupils are 
discouraged at the outset by exercises and problems 
beyond their comprehension, but Mr. Bradshaw deals 
with amounts which beginners will have no difficulty in 
grasping and will work out successfully. An essay con- 
taining hints on methods of presenting the early rules of 
arithmetic, which occupies the first twenty-nine pages, 
contains some notes of service to inexperienced teachers 
of children ; but they are out of place in a pupil’s book, 
and belong rather to a volume on the practice of teaching. 
The Real Origin of Religion. By Jabelon. Pp. 48. 
(London: Simpkin, Marshall and Co., Ltd., 1902.) 
THE object of this pamphlet is to establish the not very 
novel or fortunate hypothesis of the phallic origin of all 
religious symbolism. The proofs offered are of three 
kinds, none of which possesses any real cogency. Certain 
savage tribes attach great importance to circumcision 
and other mutilations of the sexual organs, the reason 
for which is unknown. Therefore, the author argues, 
ail primitive ceremonialism must be of sexual significance. 
This conclusion is supported by a number of etymologies, 
all unscientific and demonstrably false, and by an ob- 
scurely worded attempt to interpret the vision of Ezekiel 
as an account of the anatomical structure of the brain. 
The scientific value of the farrago is precisely 72/. 
NO. 1716, VOL. 66] 
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 with the writers of, rejected 
manuscripts intended for this or any other part of NATURE. 
No notice ts taken of anonymous communications. ] 
Re Vegetable Electricity, 
I am reluctantly obliged to traverse a statement made by 
Prof. J. C. Bose (in the Journal of the Linnean Society of 
July 21, p. 304, footnote) to the effect that ‘‘Dr. Waller 
has subsequently been able to confirm the results which he 
(Dr. W.) heard me describe on the occasions referred to (Royal 
Institution, May 10, 1901; Royal Society, June 6, 1901). 
I am compelled to state that Prof. Bose, previously to these 
dates, visited my laboratory on several occasions, received every 
facility that I was able to afford him as regards the methods by 
which I was and am investigating the physiological properties 
of animal and vegetable protoplasm, and zzter alia heard from 
me, and has doubtless forgotten, the statement that the elec- 
trical’ response of plants is a general property of vegetable 
protoplasm, and not confined to such plants (dioneea, mimosa, 
&c.) as exhibit obvious movements. 
Prof. Bose obtained (with my full approval) from my labo- 
ratory-mechanic the principal instruments used by me in such 
investigations, has imitated some of my experiments, and has 
gradually adopted their guiding theory. He is not entitled to 
make the statement quoted above. 
AuGcustus D. WALLER. 
P.S.—In connection with this subject of vegetable electricity 
I may take this opportunity of commenting upon two series of 
observations that have been made in Germany in contradiction 
of some of my principal conclusions. 
Prof. Adami, of Hof, quotes from the German translation 
of 1899 of my ‘‘ Lectures on Animal Electricity,” published 
in 1898, the following passage :—‘‘ Verbindet man zwei Punkte 
A und B der unverletzten Kartoffel mit dem Galvanometer, so 
lasst sich kein merklicher Strom nachweisen ; sobald aber die 
Kartoffel an einem Punkte B durch einen Messerschnitt ver- 
letzt wird, schlagt der Lichtfleck nach rechts aus, infolge der 
chemischen Thatigkeit und elektromotorischen Kraft, die durch: 
den Schnitt erregt worden sind. Man beachte, dass dieser 
Versuch, im strengsten Sinne des Wortes, eine Vivisektion ist. 
Fiir unseren Zweck muss die Kartoffel lebendig sein. Die 
Wirkung bleibt vollstandig aus, wenn die Kartoffel durch 
kochen getotet worden ist.”’ + 
He then proceeds to give an account of a considerable number 
of experiments contradictory of the above statement. Prof. 
Adami, of Hof, did not use unpolarisable electrodes. but copper 
pins. It is not surprising that he should have failed to observe 
any signs of vegetable electricity. 
Dr. Arthur Tompa, working in the Botanical and Physio- 
logical Institutes of the University of Halle, under the direc- 
tion of Prof. Bernstein and Prof. Klebs, and with the advan- 
tage of the knowledge and experience of Dr. Tschermak, 
quotes on p. 100 ® the ten headings of my communication at 
the Turin Congress on Vegetable Electricity, and quite correctly 
selects for reinvestigation as being the general and most impor- 
tant topic, paragraph 5, ‘‘ The Electrical Response as a Measure 
of ‘ Vitality.” He devotes much time and care to this re- 
investigation, and somewhat reluctantly comes to the conclusion 
that Waller’s blaze reaction is a fallacy arising from the fact 
that Waller has followed erroneously the direction of current. 
He devotes a diagram anda page of description, p. 104,3 to 
his hypothesis in explanation of this imaginary blunder. I do 
not think that I have mistaken the direction of current, or 
that Dr. Tompa could have supposed that I was liable to do 
this if he had been at the pains to look at any of the diagrams 
in any of the papers of mine that he quotes. 
Dr. Tompa should also have noticed in any of these papers 
that I have always spoken of excitation by induction currents 
and by condenser discharges. He has used the direct current 
of one or more Daniell cells. I have never done this for the 
reason that such currents give predominant polarisation counter- 
currents on living and on dead tissues alike. The blaze 
1 Sonderabdruck aus demii. Berfcht des nordoberfrankischen Vereins 
fiir Natur-Geschichts- und Landeskunde. 
2 A. Tompa, Bettrége sur Pflanslichen Elektricitét (‘ Botanisch. 
Beiheften,” original arbeiten). 
3 [dem Lbid. 
