664 



SCIENCE 



[N. S. Vol. LIV. No. 1409. 



Austrian Meteorological Society, he expres- 

 ses the fear that the M&teorologische Zeit- 

 schrift may cease publication for want of 

 funds. This would be a deplorable circum- 

 stance and a distinct loss to meteorology and 

 science. He asks for subscriptions, the price 

 being only $3.20 U. S. currency per year. 

 It is hoped that this note may secure not 

 only renewals, temjwrarily dropped during 

 the war, but also new subscriptions, so that 

 this valuable periodical may be saved from 

 extinction. 



Otto Klotz 

 Dominion Observatory, 

 December 6 



SCIENTIFIC BOOKS 



RECENT ADVANCES IN PALEOPATHOLOGY 



An important contribution to the study of 

 the origin and evolution of diseased condi- 

 tions is contained in the recent volume by 

 Dr. John M. Clarke'- whose previous studies 

 on this sub,"ject have enriched the literature 

 of paleopathology.- He has, in the present 

 essay, given a popularized account of his ac- 

 curate paleontological studies, dealing with 

 the nature of disease and the geological indi- 

 cations of its evolution. He calls attention 

 specifically to the fact that there has been 

 an evolution of disease similar to the evolu- 

 tion of organic forms. Certainly the evi- 

 dence points to a progressive increase in 

 pathological conditions throughout the geo- 

 logical ages. 



Dr. Clarke's evidences are all selected from 

 the field of invertebrate fossils in which his 

 wide acquaintance with invertebrate paleon- 

 tology and stratigraphy gives his opinion the 

 greater weight. Only a specialist in this 

 field would be able to discriminate benign 

 pathological conditions from those of acci- 

 dental post-fossilization erosions. 



The author has a deeper purpose in view 

 than merely contributing to the subject of 



1 " Organic Dependence and Disease: Their 

 Origin and Significance," Tale TJniversity Press, 

 October, 1921, pp. 1-113 ; 105 figures. 



2 " The Beginnings of Dependent Life," Fourth 

 Annual Eeport, State Museum of New York, 1908, 

 pp. 1-28, 13 plates and text-figures. 



paleopathology and his essay is a philosophi- 

 cal study of the nature of symbiotic and para- 

 sitic conditions of the ancient Paleozoic 

 world. 



Ths subject has been further enriched by 

 the appearance of another volume dealing 

 with the evidence of disease during a more 

 recent period of the world's history.^ This 

 volume was prepared under the supervision 

 of Lady Alice EufEer of Eamleh, Egypt, as 

 a memorial to her husband who lost his life 

 in the recent war. The volume consists of 

 nineteen essays which had been previously 

 published in various journals, chiefly the 

 Journal of Pathology and Bacteriology. 

 These deal with detailed accounts of Sir Buf- 

 fer's studies on ancient Egyptian mummies; 

 one paper relating to a condition of spondyli- 

 tis deformans in a crocodile from the Mio- 

 cene of Egypt. 



These reprinted essays are accompanied by 

 a brief biographical sketch and a list of Buf- 

 fer's writings. 



Ancient Peru has contributed greatly to 

 our knowledge of paleopathology, and the 

 civilizations of the Incas and their predeces- 

 sors have a diligent student in Edmundo 

 Escomel,* a practising physician in Are- 

 quipa, Peru. His most recent contributions 

 deal with discussions of the ancient surgical 

 art of Peru; the instruments and results ob- 

 tained, seen especially well in the numerous 

 trephined skulls of the ancient Peruvian 

 burials. 



EoY L. MOODIE 



University op Illinois, 

 Chicago 



SPECIAL ARTICLES 



A SIMPLE METHOD OF OBTAINING PREMATURE 

 EGGS FROM BIRDS 



In connection with studies on the relation 

 of the endocrine glands to sex and reproduc- 



3 Sir Marc Armand Ruffer, ' ' Studies in the 

 Palaeopathology of Egypt, ' ' University of Chicago 

 Press, October, 1921, pp. i-xx and 1-371; illus- 

 trated by 71 plates. 



* Dr. Edmundo Escomel, ' ' Oieneia y arte en le 

 prehistoria peruana," prmted privately, Lima, 

 Peru. 



