October 15, 190S] 



NA TURE 



601 



what dreadful places the Darwinian path leads. He 

 applies the pragmatist test : What is this hypothesis 

 good for? and he finds that it is nor good either for a 

 man's metaphysics or for his morals. This mode of 

 testing scientific conclusions seems a dangerous one. 

 It brings the passions and noise of the market-place 

 into the dispassionate and quiet walks of science. In 

 many pages the author seems to us to be caricaturing 

 Darwinism, and while his work may be of use in show- 

 ing the danger of hastily transfej^ring biological results 

 into the ethical and social realm, it seems to us to be full 

 of exaggerations and fireworks. Some well-meaning 

 writers have done ill-service by hastily transferring 

 to the human social realm the imperfect results of a 

 rapidly changing biological setiology which would be 

 better pleased to be left to mind its own business, but. 

 it seems to us even more deplorable that an author of 

 Max Steiner's ability should prejudice judgment on 

 Darwinism by showing in lurid colours what might 

 be the social, ethical and ecsthetical consequences of 

 certain biological doctrines or misinterpretations of 

 these. J. A. T. 



THE STUDY OF TROPICAL DISEASES. 

 The Practical Study of Malaria and other Blood 



Parasites. By Dr. J. W. W. Stephens and S. R. 



Christophers. Pp. iv + 414 + xiv. Third Edition. 



(Liverpool: The University Press; London: 



Williams and Norgate, 1908.) Price 12s. 6d. net. 

 ' I ""HE issue of three editions of this book in the space 

 -^ of five years is eloquent testimony to its useful- 

 ness, and we can well understand that, to the worker 

 in the tropics, far away, perhaps, from libraries, labora- 

 tories, and fellow-workers, it is invaluable. The 

 authors are both well known for their researches on 

 tropical diseases, and Dr. Stephens is lecturer in the 

 Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine, so that they 

 know the needs of the research student. In the pre- 

 sent edition various alterations have been made — 

 trypanosomes, the HjemamoebidEe and spirochsetes are 

 described at greater length than before, the chapter 

 on ticks has been re-written and extended, the con- 

 sideration of mosquitoes has been confined to the 

 Anophelinse, and the chapter dealing with Filarije has 

 been omitted. 



The last-named omission is, in our opinion, a 

 mistake, for this section added much to the com- 

 pleteness of the volume, without enlarging it to too 

 great an extent. The book is profusely illustrated 

 with rough but characteristic sketches, more finished 

 drawings, and coloured plates, which enhance its 

 value. 



The first two chapters deal with the normal and 

 pathological cells of the blood, their enumeration, and 

 staining. In the drawing of the niegaloblast (Fig. i, 

 p. 2), the nucleus is depicted too deeply stained, 

 and it is hardly correct to describe the nucleus 

 of the large mononuclear leucocyte as irregular and 

 much indented. The caution to use pure methyl 

 alcohol in making up the Leishman stain might 

 have been emphasised. Chapters iii., iv. , and v., on 

 malaria, are concise and to the point, and embody a 

 number of useful practical " tips." We miss, however, 



NO. 2033, VOL. 7S] 



any reference to the term "subtertian," now com- 

 monly used to designate the malignant tertian fever. 

 Chapters vi. to xix. deal with mosquitoes — their 

 general structure, development, life-history, habits, and 

 classification, methods of examination, breeding, cap- 

 ture, and identification. As regards killing, no men- 

 tion is made of the ordinary entomologist's killing 

 bottle, which can often be obtained or extemporised, 

 and when at hand is one of the best methods avail- 

 able. .As regards classification, that of Theobald is 

 adopted, which is based largely on the characters of 

 the scales on the wings and body. The authors are 

 probably wise in confining their description of species 

 almost to the Anophelinse ; these are the important 

 ones from the point of view of medical research, and 

 to have included much more would have occupied 

 far more space than could be allotted. Chapter xxi. is 

 a useful one, indicating how to make a malarial 

 survev of a district. In chapter xxii. the clinical 

 study of malaria is detailed, and contains much useful 

 information. The HcemamoebEe, hcemogregarines and 

 Piroplasmata are next considered, and the occurrence 

 and main characters of the important species de- 

 scribed. We note that it is stated that Miyajima 

 cultivated a trypanosome in blood bouillon from 

 Piroplasma higeminiim, but this is an error; the 

 species giving rise to these flagellated developmental 

 forms was probably P. parvum. The considera- 

 tion of ticks naturally follows that of the Piroplasm- 

 ata, and a very full description of these arthropods 

 is given; but in the classification and description of 

 species more mention of synonyms would have been 

 helpful. The trypanosomes are next considered in 

 great detail, and a chapter on biting flies, e.g. 

 Stomoxys, Tabanu«, and Glossina, concludes the 

 descriptive matter. 



The book also includes chapters on blackwater and 

 yellow fevers, and an appendix containing formula 

 for stains and other solutions, preparations of tissues, 

 weights and measures, &c. 



We congratulate the authors on their work, which 

 will be indispensable in all laboratories. 



HUM AX PHYSIOLOGY. 

 Physiologic des Meiischen. Von Dr. L. Luciani. 

 Ins Deutsche iibertragen und bearbeitet von Prof. 

 Dr. S. Baglioni und Dr. Hans Winterstein. 

 Sechste bis zehnte Lieferungen. (Jena : Gustav 

 Fischer, 1907.) 



THE issue of the sixth to tenth parts of Luciani's 

 text-book of physiology nearly brings the work 

 to a conclusion. \Mthin the limits of a review it is 

 only possible to mention the most salient features of 

 the book. 



Part vi. deals first with the excretory functions of 

 the intestines. The description is noteworthy, not 

 only on account of its excellence and completeness, 

 but also because it indicates more fully than is usual 

 in te.xt-books of physiology the important bearing of 

 the facts on practical medicine. 



In the next chapter the chief chemical constituents 

 of the urine are enumerated and described. In view 

 of the large number of works entirely devoted to 



