5o8 



NA TURE 



[April 2, k 



engenetic method. In the inorganic world we have 

 to do with passive things, with an externally con- 

 ditioned series of sequences ; in the world of organisms 

 we have to do with creative agents, with an internal 

 activit_v, like that of our own psychical life, with en- 

 genetic doings, not with ekgenetic occurrences. The 

 only way to get at the gist of the organism, its in- 

 ternal creativeness, is as we get at our own internal 

 life — engenetically. Man crowns the evolution series, 

 his most distinctive feature is his psychical experience, 

 and it is in the light of this that we must try to read 

 the secret of the dominating, correlating, regulating 

 principle in the life of organisms. This, at least, is 

 what we understand this exceedingly abstract treatise 

 10 mean. J- A. T. 



Pliahnakogiiostischcs Praktikmn. By Dr. Ludwig 

 Koch and Dr. Ernst Gilg. Pp. viii + 272; illus- 

 trated. (Berlin : Gebriider Borntraeger, 1907.) 

 Price 6.80 marks. 

 It appears that the recent edition of the German 

 Pharmacopoeia has placed additional responsibility 

 upon the German pharmacist, and he is now required 

 to be practically cognisant with the microscopical char- 

 acteristics of the medicinal plants in their entire as 

 well as in their powdered form. The book before 

 us deals with the above subject, and is intended to be 

 used as a laboratory handbook for pharmaceutical 

 students. 



The initial chapter is devoted to the methods of pre- 

 paring microscopical specimens of the respective 

 plants and their powders, and staining them appro- 

 priately. In addition, the adequate magnification for 

 drawing and photographing the respective objects is 

 fully dealt with. The microscopical characteristics of 

 all the official medicinal plants, or rather the parts 

 of them which are official, are fully described, and 

 following upon such description is an account of the 

 microscopical appearance presented by the powdered 

 drug. The order followed in the book corresponds 

 to the part of the plant which is official ; for instance, 

 the cortices are all considered together, the rhizomes 

 together, the roots together, and so forth. The whole 

 subject is treated in great detail, and abundant illus- 

 trations are scattered through the text of the micro- 

 scopic appearance of the respective preparations. The 

 volume commences with a table of contents and con- 

 cludes with a register, from which latter it appears 

 that no fewer than eighty drugs are described. 



Die Pendulations-theorie. Bv Dr. Heinrich Simroth. 



Pp. xii + 564; maps. (Leipzig: K. Grethleius, 1907.) 



Price 12 marks. 

 Taking as his basis Dr. Paul Reibisch's " Ein Gestalt- 

 ungsprinzip der Erde " (1901), supplemented by Mr. 

 D. Kreichgauer's " Die Aquatorfrage in der 

 Geologie " (1902), the author of the curious volume 

 before us discusses the effects which would, in his 

 opinion, be produced on the animal life of the globe 

 by secular changes in the direction of the polar axis. 

 Mr. Kreichgauer, it seems, is of opinion that in the 

 course of geological time the two poles have actually 

 changed places, and also that during such oscillations 

 liuge " wobbles " or waves have been produced 

 in the earth's crus't in the intervening latitudes. These 

 " wobbles," if we understand him rightly, the author 

 believes have produced marked effects on the distri- 

 bution of animal life, having, so to speak, " shaken " 

 the various groups into particular positions. The dis- 

 tribution of ali the chief groups is discussed according 

 lo the new theory, and in many cases illustrated by 

 maps. 



Without in any way committing ourselves to an 

 opinion on the author's views, it may be pointed out 

 NO. 2005. VOL. 77] 



that several of these maps are inaccurate. The one 

 illustrating the distribution of ichthyosaurs (p. 249) 

 ignores, for instance, the fact that remains of these 

 reptiles have been obtained from more than one 

 locality in Africa, which is left a blank in the map 

 in question. This being so, it is diflicult to see what 

 value attaches to Dr. Simroth 's conclusions in this and 

 several other cases. R. L. 



The Minimising of Maurice, being the Adventures of 

 a very small Boy among very small Things. By 

 Rev. S. N. Sedgwick. Pp. ix+150. (London: 

 Elliot Stock, 1907.) Price 5^. net. 

 A WORD to " grown-ups " which prefaces this volume 

 asserts " there are quite a lot of things in it which 

 only children are able to understand " — the italics are 

 not ours. There are " baby " language, indifferent 

 verse, and talking animals in great profusion, but, 

 despite all these, we are very doubtful as to whether 

 the book will really appeal to children. The illustra- 

 tions are good, and these at least will set young 

 readers questioning and observing. We should have 

 preferred a simple account in good literary English of 

 the forms of animal life introduced, and so would 

 most of the children we know. 



Les Progres de la Photographic astronomique. By 

 Prof. P. Stroobant. Pp. 34 ; illustrated. (Brussels : 

 M. Hayez, 112 rue de Louvain, 1907.) 

 This thirty-four page extract from I'Annuaire astro- 

 ni'mique de I'Ohservatoire royal de Belgique poui 

 1908 is typical of those services which Prof. Stroo- 

 bant is continually rendering to contemporary astro- 

 nomy. It contains in a concise and lucid form 

 descriptions of the methods by which photography 

 renders such valuable services to astronomical re- 

 search. The photography of regions, such as nebul;e, 

 the discovery of minor planets and satellites by the 

 photographical method, the investigation of the 

 physical peculiarities of comets and of the solar photo- 

 sphere, the observations of variable stars and of proper 

 motions are all dealt with in turn, and in each case 

 the text is illustrated by excellent reproductions of 

 actual photographs. Duplicate, detachable plates, 

 for use in a stereoscope, are included in order to 

 illustrate the value of Prof. Wolf's stereocomparator 

 method for the detection of small proper motions and 

 of variations in magnitude. W. E. R. 



(i) / laterizi. By Ing. G Revere. Pp. X + 29S; 



134 figures. Price 3.50 lire. 

 (2) La Tecnologia delle Saldatiire aiitogeiie dei 



Metalli. By Prof. S. Ragno. Pp. iii+129. 



(Milan : L'lrico Hoepli, 1907.) Price 2 lire. 

 These are recent additions to the " Manueli Hoepli," 

 a collection which numbered 900 of these small pocket- 

 books on April i, 1907. Mr. Revere 's book deals with 

 brickwork. It opens with general and historical in- 

 formation, and then deals in succession with the 

 selection and extraction of the clay, its subsequent pre- 

 paration, brick-making machinery, the drying process, 

 and finally the brick kiln. The need of such a book 

 has arisen through the great development that has 

 taken place in the brick industry in recent years, 

 notably in Italy, where improved machinery has been 

 largely introduced. 



Prof. Ragno's manual deals with the soldering and 

 welding of metals. Five methods are distinguished, 

 namely, the electric, oxy-hydrogcn, oxy-acetylene, oxy- 

 gas, and aluminium methods. The advantages of 

 these methods are discussed. Two appendices deal 

 tespectively with the cutting of metals by means of 

 an oxygen iet and the methods of producing oxygen 

 commercial' 



