134 
NATURE 
[APRIL 11, 1912 
10,000,000 workers hitherto unprovided for,” in 
other words, that one-fourth of the population of 
the United Kingdom are workers (not of the 
lowest class) who have not hitherto “ provided 
for”’ themselves in sickness. He ignores the 
multitude of members of unregistered friendly 
societies, and of other persons who have hitherto 
provided for themselves in sickness to their own 
satisfaction. The authors of the book have fallen 
into the same error (see p. 98). 
The Bill, which is now an Act, was introduced 
without that patient and systematic inquiry into 
facts which ought to have preceded a measure 
so comprehensive; its defects were hastily patched 
up from day to day as they were brought to light, 
vital alterations were made in its very last stages, 
and it is being over-hastily brought into operation. 
As an almost necessary consequence of this haste, 
the Act is probably one of the most complicated 
and perplexing statutes ever passed. 
Mr. Lloyd George is therefore right in com- 
mending this book to all who wish to bear their 
share in working out the scheme of the Act, and 
it will also be useful to those who are compelled 
to work out that scheme, whether they wish to do 
so or not. He says truly that the authors have 
collected a mass of information, which cannot fail 
to be of value. When it is remembered that the 
Act only became law on December 16, 1911, 
immense credit is due to them for their industry 
and insight. They have cited nearly three hun- 
dred law cases, and have shrewdly and acutely 
commented upon each section of the Act. The 
preliminary chapters are clearly written and full 
of interest. In one of them the financial side of 
the Act is discussed and vindicated. A scientific 
journal cannot but take note of the manner in 
which science has been misused in support of the 
Act. Eminent actuaries have made calculations 
based upon the unverified hypothesis that the 
probable experience under compulsory insurance 
may be deduced from that under voluntary insur- 
ance; and have held that by the manipulation of 
‘eserves you can remedy the inherent error of 
sharging a uniform contribution for a varying risk. 
Unforeseen and dangerous consequences may 
‘ollow if certain sections of the Act become opera- 
‘ive. For example, Section 63 (4) directs that the 
“average expectation of sickness” is to be “cal- 
culated in accordance with the tables prepared by 
the Insurance Commissioners for the purpose of 
valuations,” and that if in any place the actual 
amount of sickness is 10 per cent. more than that 
assumed average, the local authorities, the water 
companies, and the owners of land are to be 
mulcted in that excess. If the tables to be pre- 
pared by the commissioners should be based upon 
NO» 2215, «VO. 69)| 
the same unverified hypothesis as those upon 
which the Act has been framed, this section may 
result in great mischief and wrong. 
The disregard shown in the Act to the just 
claims of the medical profession is another grave 
defect in it from the scientific point of view. 
Some slight errors in the book are to be noted. 
At p. 163 “periods” should be “persons.” At 
page 186, “ Registrar-General” should be “chief 
registrar.” The index is not sufficiently copious. 
JAEKEL’S CLASSIFICATION OF 
VERTEBRATES. 
Die Wirbeltiere. Eine Uebersicht iiber die fossilen 
und lebenden Formen. By Prof. Otto Jaekel. 
Pp. vili+252. (Berlin: Gebriider Borntraeger, 
torr.) Price 10 mk. 60 pfg. 
N this volume, which is apparently intended to 
be a text-book for students, the author further 
exemplifies his distinctly original views—some of — 
which have been previously mentioned in NaTuRE 
—with regard to the taxonomy and phylogeny of 
vertebrates. In the preface he tells us that par- 
ticular attention has been directed to the illustra- 
tions, as a good figure, in his opinion, is worth 
half-a-score pages of descriptive text. On the 
selection and execution of these text-figures, Dr. 
Jaekel may be cordially congratulated, as they 
are a long way above the average of those to be 
found in the great majority of text-books, and — 
thus serve in great degree to justify the aforesaid 
assertion, and likewise render his work highly 
useful to students and teachers, whether his views — 
on classification be accepted in their entirety or no. 
The first sixteen pages of the volume are 
devoted to a general discussion of the classifica- 
tion of vertebrates—a term which Dr. Jaekel uses 
in the same sense as the chordates of other 
writers—with special reference to the taxonomic 
position of the tunicates; this introductory section 
concluding with a- table of geological horizons. 
The rest of the book is devoted to a systematic 
survey of the various groups. Dr. Jaekel divides 
the Vetebrata into three ‘‘ Unterstamme,” or sub- 
kingdoms; namely, Protetrapoda, Eotetrapoda, 
and Tetrapoda. The first includes tunicates 
alone; the second comprises fishes, in the widest 
sense of that term; while in the third are grouped 
the whole of the remaining vertebrates. As 
regards the Eotetrapoda, it must suffice to men- 
tion that this is divided into three classes: (1) 
Malacostomata, which includes as sub-classes the 
extinct pterichthyds and cephalaspids, and the 
existing lampreys and lancelets; (2) Hypostomata, 
embracing the Paleozoic placoderms, and _ the 
living sturgeons, chimeeroids, and selachians; and 
(3) Teleostomata, with all the more typical fishes. 
