Februarv 20, 1902] 



NA TURE 



?6s 



liecherches Exp^riiiientales sur Us Spectres ({ Elincelles. 



By G. A. Hemsalech. In three parts. Pp. xvi + 135. 



(Paris : Libraire Scientifique, \. Hermann, 1901.) 

 The author, as an introduction, gives a short historical 

 notice of the investij^ations on tlie nature of spark spectra 

 by VVollaston in 1802, Talbot and Wheatstone in 1836, 

 and later those of Masson, Angstrom, Kirclihoff, Miller, 

 Huggins, Lockyer, Hartley and Adeney, Eder and 

 V.ilenta, Exner and Haschek. 



The first part of the book is then devoted to a short 

 description of the characteristics of various types of 

 spark, ordinary, intermittent and oscillatory, with the 

 influence of varying self-induction on those of the latter 

 description. 



The second part describes in detail the apparatus, 

 electrical and spectroscopic, used in the investigations, 

 with illustrations of typical sparks of the three mentioned 

 classes. 



Part iii. is occupied by a series of tables showing the 

 wave-lengths of the lines measured m the spectra of the 

 fourteen nielals, Fe, Mn, Ni, Co, Cd, Zn, Mg, Al, Sn, 

 Pb, Bi, Sb, Cu, Ag, with their relative intensities under 

 three degrees of self-induction. The lines in the spectrum 

 of air are also tabulated, showing their varying intensity 

 in the spectra produced by the above metals being used 

 as poles. 



The variation of the self-induction is accompanied by 

 different results according to the metals used, and the 

 fourteen elements investigated are divided into two 

 groups, one containing Fe, Mn, Ni, Co, the other the re- 

 maining ten metals. With the first group, increase of 

 self-induction produces a general mcrease of brightness 

 of the constituent spectral lines, while in the second 

 group the intensities of the lines are diminished by in- 

 creasing the sell-induction. The lines due to air may be 

 completely eliminated. 



The work, commenced by Schuster and Hemsalech 

 conjointly, has been continued by the present author in 

 the physical laboratory of the Faculty of .Sciences of 

 Paris at the Sorbonne. C. P. B. 



Moral Nerve and the Error of Literary Verdicts. By 

 Furneaux Jordan, F.R.C.S. Pp. xxfii-f- 141. (London: 

 Kegan Paul, Trench, Trubner and Co., Ltd., 1901.) 

 Price 3.f. (id. net. 



The aim of this little book is to throw some light on the 

 ■eflfects in life and literature of two different points of 

 view, the literary and the scientific. The first chapter 

 lays down some "guiding truths" on mind and matter ; 

 mind is regarded as the fimction or action of nerve 

 matter, just as contractility is the action of living muscle. 

 All the manifestation'-, of life — morals, religion, laws — are 

 based on quantit'.;3, states and changes of nerve-matter. 

 ■" Matter " IS '.:sed as meaning natural stuff of which we 

 have son-.e knowledge. The second chapter expounds 

 some "guiding truths " on moral nerve. Morality need 

 not be defined ; we know what it is. In men and animals 

 the moral sense is predominant ; in both, the impulse to 

 do right is stronger than the capacity to think clearly ; 

 few men can measure the planets, but every man strives 

 to preserve from danger the lives of his fellows. How 

 •came men and animals to be first of all moral ? Because 

 they possess moral nerve-matter ; morality is nothing 

 more than the action of moral grey-matter, and the 

 moral apparatus came into existence because it is a 

 factor essential to life. A material moral apparatus 

 •e.xists somewhere and somehow within the skull, and 

 there are grounds for believing that moral nerve is more 

 or less separate nerve, freely communicating with all 

 other varieties of nerve, but characterised by greater 

 simplicity and directness. The next two chapters are 

 devoted to .Mr. .Spencer and Huxley as moralists. Mr. 

 Spencer underestimates the potency of nerve-organisa- 

 tion, and is wrong in putting the origin of the moral 

 NO. 1686, VOL. 65] 



sense quite late in the course of evolutional time, the 

 truth being that a certain bed-rock code is found wher- 

 ever life is found. In common with literary thinkers, he 

 fails to see that creeds, philosophies and moral codes ;ire 

 not the producers, but the products of liviiii; human 

 nerve. Huxley is judged by his Romanes address on 

 "Evolution and Ethics," and the verdict is that the 

 address is marked by not a little confusion, inconsistency 

 and inaccuracy. The fifth chapter, on the principle of 

 punishment, which concludes the first part of the book, 

 introduces us to a fresh theory of the origin of morality ; 

 it now appears that the punishment of immorality is the 

 one method by which morality originated. The chapter 

 concludes with some interesting remarks on destructive 

 anarchism and its remedies, but is marred by the gro- 

 tesque suggestion that in order to effect a maximum of 

 humiliation the assassin should, by way of punishment, 

 be flogged by a woman ! 



Part ii., which occupies about half the book, deals 

 mainly with the errors of literary verdicts, and if Mr. 

 Spencer and Huxley fall short of the scientific ideal, we 

 are not surprised that the student of nerve should find 

 much to criticise in Tennyson, Mill, Carlyle, Emerson 

 and Goldwin Smith. It is unnecessary to give an 

 account of this part of the work ; the author's point of 

 view will be understood from our summary, given mainly 

 in his own words, of part i. He has evidently read 

 much, writes brightly, and has a fine enthusiasm for 

 truth, but a fundamental error runs through the whole of 

 his book ; he assumes the existence of moral nerve, 

 timid nerve, reasoning nerve, &c., and writes about them 

 and reasons from them as if they were well-established 

 realities like motor or sensory nerve, whereas, as a matter 

 of fact, nothing is, known about them. We should welcome 

 any real contribution to our knowledge of the relations 

 between the psychical and the physical aspects of thought, 

 but the author gives us nothing of the kind, and in his 

 crude doctrine of moral nerve, moral grey-matter and so 

 forth he is merely playing with words. 

 Domestic Economy for SchoIarsJtip and Certificate 

 Students. l!y Ethel R. Lush. I'p. vi -I- 251. (London : 

 Macmillan and Co., Ltd., 1901.) Price 7.s. i>d. 

 The aim of the author of this small volume has been to 

 provide for teachers a concise and clearly-written state- 

 ment of domestic economy which shall cover the 

 syllabus of thi; King's scholarship examination and the 

 certificate examination of the Board of Education. 



Domestic economy is a subject of wide range, com- 

 prising, not only the skilful management of domestic 

 affairs and the wise expenditure of the income, but, in 

 addition, the laws of health and the physiological 

 principles underlying them, the management of the sick, 

 and the intelligent treatment of ailments and accidents 

 on general principles. The author is certainly to be 

 congratulated on having attained her object in a most 

 satisfactory manner. The matter is very clearly expressed, 

 and great judgment and care have been exercised in the 

 presentation of a difficult and complicated subject in 

 order to maintain a suitable proportion in the treatment 

 of the various branch-subjects comprised within the 

 somewhat extensive scope of study of domestic hygiene. 

 The subject-matter is remarlcably well dealt with in the 

 short space at the author's disposal, and having regard to 

 its variety, the teaching is exceptionally sound and correct. 

 In a subsequent edition, however, the following facts 

 should be taken into account : — 



The illustrations of the starch grains on p. 7 are so 

 poor as to be practically useless ; the specific gravity of 

 average cow's milk is not 1028 (p. 29) ; the determination 

 of the melting point is of little value as a means of 

 testing for margarine in butter samples (p. 37) ; and the 

 most characteristic symptoms of enteric fever, consump- 

 tion and smallpox are omitted, while those of other 

 communicable diseases are given. 



