28 



SCIENCE. 



[N. S. Vol. IX. No. 210. 



them, that a new text-book is like a new pair 

 of shoes, which have to be broken in before they 

 can be called a comfort to their owners. There 

 can be no question that this process is likely not 

 to be a very rapid one. It is clear that this 

 book has stood this preliminary test. It is writ- 

 ten by several authors, but is fairly homogene- 

 ous. The aim is to disregard microscopic anat- 

 omy and to offer a text book which shall present 

 the facts of gross anatomy both iu a practical 

 and in a scientific way. It is needless to say 

 that the latter requires references both to em- 

 bryology and to comparative anatomy. The 

 section on the bones by Sutton is remarkably 

 well done. When we say that the joints are the 

 work of the editor we have said enough to 

 vouch for excellence — to all, at least, who know 

 his earlier monograph (now unhappily out of 

 print) on that subject. The peritoneum is the 

 work of Treeves, which, again, is saying enough. 

 We mean no slight to the other able writers 

 whom we do not more particularly mention. 

 The first edition concluded with a section on 

 surgical and topographical anatomy which can- 

 not but be welcome. In the present edition this 

 is followed by a too short chapter on vestigial 

 and abnormal structures. Variations of the 

 muscles, of the vessels, and some of those of 

 bones are considered in their respective sec- 

 tions. The book is a very good one. We could, 

 perhaps, find flaws here and there, but a search 

 for them is uncalled for, as most of our readers 

 are not professed anatomists. We have but one 

 serious criticism to make, namely, that in the 

 section on the nervous system the most recent 

 (but generally accepted) fundamental doctrines 

 of the structure of that system have not re- 

 ceived due recognition. 



The illustrations are a most important part of 

 a text-book on anatomy. We are happy to give 

 these very high praise. We were on the point 

 of making special mention of those of certain 

 sections, but they are so good as a whole that 

 we refrain. 



To what extent this book will displace old 

 and established favorites the future will show. 

 It is a matter eminently unsafe to prophesy 

 about, but the success already attained is, no 

 doubt, an earnest of future progress. 



Thomas Dwight. 



GENERAL. 



The proceedings of the forty-seventh meet- 

 ing and fiftieth anniversary of the American 

 Association for the Advancement of Science 

 have been sent to members by the Permanent 

 Secretary, Dr. L. O. Howard. The volume, 

 which contains introductory matter extending 

 to 83 pages and 658 pages of text, appears very 

 promptlj', the address of President Eliot given 

 before the Association on ' Destructive and 

 Constructive Energies of our Government com- 

 pared,' being here printed before the January 

 issue of the Atlantic Monthly, which also con- 

 tains it. 



Lady Welby has printed for private circula- 

 tion a pamphlet extending to 61 pages, entitled 

 ' The Witness of Science to Linguistic Anarchy.' 

 The introduction opens with the statement : 

 "The following collection of extracts, chiefly 

 from Nature, Science and Natural Science have 

 been selected from a much larger number, with 

 the object of bringing together, in convenient 

 form, evidence of an almost incredible state of 

 things in the scientific world." We find an in- 

 teresting collection of quotations on scientific 

 nomenclature, showing a certain amount of 

 diversity and conflict. Still they scarcely bear 

 witness to a ' paralyzing nightmare of impo- 

 tence,' and it does not follow as suggested by 

 Professor Foster that an international tribunal 

 should ' stamp the coin of science ' by defining 

 every new name. New words must come and 

 language must be flexible if science is to grow. 

 Certainly men of science should realize their 

 responsibility and be careful in their use of 

 terms, but words were made for science and not 

 science for words. Those interested can prob- 

 ably obtain a copy of Lady Welby's pamphlet 

 by addressing her at Denton Manor, Grantham, 

 England. 



We have received for review a copy of ' Life's 

 Comedy,' Third Series (Charles Scribner's Sons). 

 Life, from the issues of which this Christmas 

 book is a reprint, does not hesitate to leave its 

 own field and display ignorance by attacking 

 men of science who practice vivisection, which 

 should warn us against tresspassing on foreign 

 territory. As Punch treats the anti-vivisection- 

 ists from the point of view that commends itself 



