May 29, 191 3] 



NATURE 



has the advantage, however, of forming a selected 

 introduction to the later parts of the work, in 

 which the psychology of the senses obtains the 

 fullest treatment. 



In his book (2) on formal logic, Dr. Schiller 

 attacks the fundamental assumption of that 

 science, viz., that one can consider the purely 

 formal aspect of truth alone. The book is written 

 in a style quite characteristic of the most promin- 

 ent upholder of Pragmatism in this country. We 

 have not space to give the book the full discussion 

 which it deserves. We may observe, however, 

 that the fact that all the problems of logic shade 

 off into those of metaphysics or psychology, even 

 if true, does not imply that it cannot do useful 

 and essential work in its own sphere. 



(3) In "Der Mechanismus des menschlichen 

 Denkens " the author has sought to present in 

 handFer form some of his ideas upon the mechani- 

 cal interpretation of thought expounded in his 

 larger work, "Des Daseins und Denkens Mech- 

 anik und Metamechanik." In the first section he 

 discusses the "feeling of contradiction" as a 

 fundamental factor of all thought. This is fol- 

 lowed by a critical consideration of the associa- 

 tion theory and the logical, psychological, and 

 physiological objections to it. Memory and 

 thought are dealt with in a third section, in which 

 the unity of brain-function in memorv is empha- 

 sised. 



(4) " Religion and Modern Psychology " would 

 have more aptly been called " Mysticism and 

 Psychical Research." A discussion of mysticism 

 occupies a large portion of the book, and psychical 

 research is of central importance to the author's 

 position, which is that little else can afford satis- 

 factory reasons for belief in a future life. The 

 book is written in a readable style, and contains 

 very numerous quotations — for those who are fond 

 of them. Theism is dismissed in a couple of pages, 

 though the author "distrusts those who arrive at 

 a conclusion too speedily." "Metaphysics," he 

 says on p. 35, "is obsolete in the ontological 

 sense," yet in the concluding chapter he describes, 

 with qualified approval, a crude metaphysic which 

 gives a sort of world soul to each of the heavenly 

 bodies. 



(5) The last-named book is a metaphysical essay 

 which will probably prove highly amusing to the 

 trained philosopher, but highly confusing to the 

 novice. The book begins with the question, "Do 

 you ever go out of your mind, reader?" and we 

 must confess that in reading the book we have 

 several times felt that we did. We regret that 

 space forbids us to quote one of the many passages 

 which rival anything we have met for obscurity of 

 thought and confusion of language. 



NO. 2274, VOL. 91] 



ANATOMY, NORMAL AND MORBID. 



(1) The Essentials of Morbid Histology. For the 

 use of students. By Prof. A. S. Grunbaum. Pp. 

 xvi + 219. (London: Longmans, Green and 

 Co., 1912.) Price 75. 6d. net. 



(2) Die Muskeln des Stammes. By Prof. P. 

 Eisler. (Handbuch der Anatomie des Menschen. 

 Herausgegeben von Prof. K. von Barde- 

 leben. Zweiter Band. Zweite Abt. Erster 

 Teil.) Pp. xii + 705. (Jena: Gustav Fischer, 

 1912.) Price 38 marks; subscription price, 

 35 marks. 



(3) Neue Lehre vom zentralen Nervensystem. By 

 Dr. Em. Radl. Pp. vii + 496. (Leipzig: W. 

 Engelmann, 1912.) Price 12 marks. 



(1) ' I ^HE aim of Prof. Griinbaum's book is to 

 J_ provide the student of pathology with a 

 manual that will serve the same purpose as Prof. 

 Schafer's well-known book on histology does for 

 the student of normal anatomy. The author has 

 succeeded in compressing into a small compass a 

 great deal of information (and an excellent series 

 of well-chosen figures) without any sacrifice of 

 lucidity of treatment. To select from the enorm- 

 ous amount of material now available the subject- 

 matter for a small manual upon morbid histology 

 for students is a task of great difficulty, and 

 perhaps no two pathologists would make preciselv 

 the same choice. It would be easy to criticise any 

 such selection as this book contains ; but, on the 

 whole, Prof. Grunbaum has succeeded in produc- 

 ing a work that will be welcomed by all medical 

 students, and we think by most teachers of patho- 

 logy and medicine. The publishers are to be 

 heartily congratulated on the excellence of their 

 work, and especially on the clearness of the illus- 

 trations. 



(2) Everyone who has had occasion to refer to 

 that great anatomical library known as Barde- 

 leben's "Handbuch," of which Prof. Eisler's 

 volume constitutes the twenty-first "Lieferung," 

 must have been impressed with the extraordinary 

 inequality of the different volumes, both as regards 

 the material and the manner in which the informa- 

 tion is presented. This large treatise on the 

 muscles of the trunk is one of the best volumes 

 that have yet appeared. Needless to say, a book 

 of 705 pages dealing solely with the trunk muscles 

 of man is a storehouse of detailed information ; 

 but its great merit is that most of it is the result 

 of the author's original observations. He freely 

 refers to the work of other investigators, and gives 

 copious illustrative facts from comparative ana- 

 tomy, but the reader is made to feel that he is 

 getting first-hand information throughout. The 

 illustrations are excellent, both artistically and 



