53° 
NATURE 
[APRIL 21, 1923 

common with such drugs. 
great drawback of most narcotics of inducing a craving 
for the constant repetition of the dose. Perhaps this 
character is partly determined by the circumstances 
in which these works are mostly used. Observa- 
tion will confirm the general impression that such books 
are largely resorted to by elderly men of science, after 
working-hours, in the fastnesses of club libraries or by 
the domestic fireside. Mr. Sullivan’s book is, however, 
useless for such purposes, for he defies slumber ! 
We do not remember to have read in English any- 
thing on the philosophical implications of science com- 
parable to this little book for its wit. Easy writing is 
said to make hard reading, and, if the converse is true, 
an immense amount of labour must have been thrown 
into this series of very short chapters. Short though 
they are, many of them leave a feeling of remarkable 
completeness, and some of them, such as those on 
“ Assumptions in Science ” and “ The Sceptic and the 
Spirits,” are really little masterpieces in which we feel 
Mr. Sullivan has said the last word in the present state 
of knowledge. 
There are many books on the nature of science and 
on its philosophical and ethical relationships, but 
there are very few that will appeal to younger people. 
Mr. Sullivan has, however, produced such a work. It 
can be safely placed in the hands of any student ; 
most of it can be understood by any intelligent boy or 
girl of the age of sixteen; it is always challenging 
without ever being dogmatic, and witty without ever 
being cruel or ‘“‘ cheap.” Any scientific man with the 
slightest philosophical bent must find this work stimu- 
lating and refreshing, and it is obviously written by one 
with a remarkably wide working knowledge of science. 
Cues: 
Handbuch der biologischen Arbeitsmethoden. Heraus- 
gegeben von Prof. Dr. Emil Abderhalden. Abt. 
IX: Methoden zur Erforschung der Leistungen der 
tierischen Organismus. Teil 4, Heft 1: Methoden 
der Erforschung bestimmter Funktionen bei einzelnen 
Tierarten. Lieferuny 76. Pp. 122. (Berlin und 
Wien: Urban und Schwarzenberg, 1922.) Grundzahl: 
4°8 marks. : 
THE new section of Abderhalden’s invaluable “ Hand- 
buch der biologischen Arbeitsmethoden” contains a 
very useful résumé of methods for the study of diges- 
tive secretions in the lower forms, an account of the 
technique of gonadectomy and transplantation of 
germinal tissue in insects, together with a rather longer 
review of experimental procedure in the study of 
pigmentary responses. This section, by Diirken, 
suffers, like the author’s recent “‘ Einfiihrung in die 
Experimentalzoologie ” (1919), from a complete dis- 
regard of the large volume of experimental work on 
amphibian metamorphosis and the illuminating ob- 
servations on colour response which have emerged 
from it during the past eight years; consequently 
it deals exclusively with methods for studying factors 
which induce pigmentary responses rather than the 
mechanism which co-ordinates them. Perhaps it is 
inevitable that such omissions should occur owing to 
the economic handicaps under which scientific workers 
are pursuing their labours in Central Europe at the 
present time. Still, it is difficult to believe that the 
NO. 2790, VOL. 111] 
Notably, they have not the ! 


i 
author of the ‘‘ Methoden zum Studium des Pigment- 
wechsels ” had no opportunities of consulting the 
extremely important work of Spaeth, Redfield, Smith, © 
Allen, Laurens, and Swingle, none of whom is men- 
tioned in his survey, though there have been since 
1918 few numbers of the Jounal of Experimental 
Zoology which do not contain some contribution to 
the physiology of pigment response in amphibia, 
reptiles, or fishes. 
Infant Mortality. By Dr. Hugh T. Ashby. Second 
edition. (Cambridge Public Health Series.) Pp. 
xii+224. (Cambridge: At the University Press, 
1922.) 15s. net. 
By ‘infant mortality ” is meant the ratio which the 
number of infants who die in any one year bears to 
the number of births in that year. The rate for the 
country generally remained more or less stationary 
until 1905, since when, however, it has steadily de- 
creased, so that during the last two or three years it 
has been only about half that which obtained in the 
late nineties of last century. Infant mortality is of 
enormous national importance, for with the present 
low death-rate, which it will be difficult in the future 
materially to reduce, and a falling birth-rate, now 
only about two-thirds what it was at the end of last 
century, the maintenance of our population will 
largely depend upon the survival of as large a propor- 
tion as possible of the infants born. ag 
The appearance of a second edition of Ashby’s 
“Infant Mortality” is therefore opportune. The 
practical side of the question has been kept in view 
throughout, and purely medical technicalities have 
been omitted. The condition is a very complex one, 
but an attempt is made to ascertain its main causes ; 
one of these, summer diarrhcea, has been practically 
suppressed. The number of still-births and ~ the 
mortality during the first week of life are still far too 
high, and their causes merit further investigation. 
Maternal mortality shows an actual increase of late, 
and needs to be taken seriously in hand. 
The author has skilfully marshalled his facts, and 
the chapter on the means by which infant mortality 
may be further reduced gives an excellent summary 
of the subject. 
Pests of the Garden and Orchard. By Ray Palmer and 
W. Percival Westell. Pp. 413+47 plates. (London: 
Henry J. Drane, Farringdon Street, n.d.) 25s. net. 
In the work under notice the authors have aimed at 
meeting the needs of practical agriculturists and horti- 
culturists by collecting into one book all the available 
information on plant pests and diseases necessary for 
their guidance. Insects and other animals, fungus 
diseases and weeds, are all dealt with categorically under 
their separate headings, a short description and the — 
methods of treatment being given in each case. Many 
of the numerous illustrations are very clear, but others 
are scarcely sharp enough to prove efficient aids to 
identification. 
Among other useful features special attention may - 
be directed to the detailed formule for sprays, with 
antidotes to the various poisons used in their composi- 
tion, and also to the identification and spraying tables 
for insect pests and plant diseases. For identification 
Se 
