904 



SCIENCE 



[N. S. Vol. XXXVI. No. 939 



3. If manuscript is to be read from, hold 

 it in the hand (and hold it high) ; manuscript 

 which is stationary on a desli causes a rigidity 

 of the body which should be avoided. 



4. The length of line of the type-written 

 manuscript must be short — not more than 

 seven inches. This is very important. The 

 long line of the ordinary typed manuscript is 

 convenient for the type-writer, but it is fatal 

 to the reader. The effort necessary to catch 

 the right line as the eye returns to the left- 

 hand margin of the paper consumes energy 

 which should be devoted to securing that mys- 

 terious rapport that must be established be- 

 tween reader and hearer if the function is not 

 to be a painful one. For the same reason the 

 type must be good and black, and the lines far 

 apart. Whatever contributes to the physical 

 ease of the speaker conduces also to that free 

 and undistracted state of mind which is indis- 

 pensable to the securing of the desired rapport. 



5. Better still — make a mental note of the 

 Art und Weise of those men of science (half 

 our number perhaps) who, whether by in- 

 stinct or by early training, know how to ad- 

 dress an audience effectively. There is a 

 subtle mental attitude about them, quite 

 aside from physical details, which can per- 

 haps be better caught by instinctive imitation 

 than by conscious intention. May their tribe 

 increase ! 



6. If, in addition, every individual reader 

 would, in his ovsm interest, see to it that there 

 is enough oxygen in the audience-room to per- 

 mit of ready comprehension on the part of 

 his hearers, then indeed would the mid-winter 

 scientific meeting become such a joy to the 

 spirit as would brighten, in retrospect, many a 

 coming month of solitary hard labor. 



The essential matter of inspiring papers is 

 always at hand; a little furbishing up of 

 method of presentation is all that is needed to 

 make that matter far more effective, in the 

 way of presentation, than it is, too often, at 

 present. Of this the reader may be certain — 

 if he insists upon beginning his paper with 

 his voice thin, low and veiled, and directed 

 downwards upon the floor instead of outwards 



towards the level of his hearers' ears, the 

 spirits of his auditors, so far as they have any 

 esthetic quality at all, will also descend to 

 their boots, and will remain there until 

 another speaker gives them a chance at better 

 nourishment. X. T. Z. 



SCIENTIFIC BOOKS 

 Principles of Microbiology. By V. A. Mooke. 



Ithaca, N. T., Carpenter & Co. Cloth. Pp. 



xl -f 506, 101 illustrations. $3.50. 



It is unfortunate that the limited field 

 which this book covers was not indicated in 

 the main title. For as the subtitle tells us it 

 is a " treatise on bacteria, fungi and protozoa 

 pathogenic for domesticated animals." Even 

 then it does not claim to be complete, but, as 

 the author says, is a " text -book for veterinary 

 students beginning the study of microbiology. 

 It is not exhaustive but rather elementary in 

 character." 



The first 188 pages and the last 65 are given 

 over entirely to the discussion of general bac- 

 teriological matters along the same lines that 

 we find in any of the half dozen books on gen- 

 eral bacteriology. As we look through the list 

 of chapters we find the same familiar titles as 

 in all the others : Historical Sketch, Bacteria 

 and their Place in Nature, Morphology of 

 Bacteria, Classification, Bacteriological Ap- 

 paratus, Sterilization and Disinfection, Prep- 

 aration of Culture Media, Isolation and Cul- 

 tivation of Bacteria, Microscopic Examina- 

 tion, Vital Activities of Bacteria, Eelation of 

 Bacteria to Disease, Use of Animals, Bacter- 

 iology of Water and Milk, Immunity, Serum 

 Diagnosis and Vaccine Therapy. The remain- 

 ing 253 pages, or just half the book, treat of 

 the application of these general principles to 

 veterinary matters. 



Although we recognize the fact that the 

 book is intended only for beginners and does 

 not pretend to be complete yet we feel that the 

 half of the book dealing with general bacteri- 

 ology might with advantage have been left out 

 altogether. For this general part while ad- 

 mittedly incomplete does not in many in- 

 stances give as good, nor as accurate and up 

 to date discussion of the topics mentioned as 



