July 20, 1S83.] 



SCIENCE. 



83 



STOWELVS MICROSCOPICAL DIAG- 

 NOSIS. 



Microscopical diagnosis. By Charles H. Stow- 

 KLL, M D., and Louisa Reed Stowkll, M.S. 

 Detroit, O. S. Davis, 1883. 8 + 93+ 118 + 35 p., 

 10 pi. 8°. 



The title of this book led ns to expect :i 

 work specially referring to the applications of 

 the luicroscope in inetlieal practice, and we 

 felt that a good hook of that scope would l>e 

 welcome and valuable. As in the oi>cning 

 sentence of the preface Professor Stowell says 

 it has been his good fortune to be so situated, 

 during tlio past few years, that his entire time 

 has been devoted to the study of histology 

 and microscopy, with special reference to tlie 

 microscope in its relation to the practice of 

 medicine, our auticii)ations seemed confirmed, 

 and tiie expectation added, of finding much 

 new and original matter. An examination of 

 the body of the book was disappointing, be- 

 cause it gave us acquaintance with contents so 

 miscellaneous and varied that we were re- 

 minded of those so-called ' happy families ' 

 where discordant associates live in compulsory 

 peace, — something quite unlike a natural and 

 well-proportioned assemblage. 



The first eighty-two pages alone deal with 

 clinical microscop\', and we think not satis- 

 factorily ; for the treatment is hurried and 

 incomplete, though certainly accurate, what 

 there is. The best part is the few pages on 

 urinary deposits, with the accompanying ad- 

 mirable plates by Mrs. Stowell. Tlie portion 



on parasites and tumors is extremely inade- 

 quate. The three specimens of Demodex fig- 

 ured, must have encountered some frightful 

 disaster before they were drawn. We regret, 

 that, instead of all this, the author did not 

 prepare a translation of Bizzozero's Manuale 

 di microscopia clinira. 



The bulk of the book is made up of botani- 

 cal articles, by Mrs. Stowell. on starch, wheat, 

 and various medicinal i>lants. These an; pleas- 

 antly written, and the illustrations display the 

 authoress's skill in drawing ; but we miss in 

 these, as in the other parts of the volume, any 

 definite purpo.se, either of text-book writing 

 or original research. In this connection, we 

 are impressed by the absence of references to 

 scientific literature. 



Part iii., by Mr. Walmsley, describes the 

 methods employed by him in the commercial 

 manufacture of microscope slides. It is ex- 

 tremely elementary, and the methods most 

 employed in scientific biology are in large part 

 unmeiitioned. The same subject of methods 

 has been far better treated by numerous pre- 

 vious writers. 



In shori:, we are quite at a loss to discover 

 the raison d'itre of this pleasantly and clearly 

 written, as well as beautifully illustrated work. 

 The new and original matter which we looked 

 for, after reading the preface, we have not 

 found ; yet the facts and figures seem all to 

 rest upon personal observation. 



To the amateur microscopist. the book maj" 

 well serve as a guide to certain things not else- 

 where so well described. 



WEEKLY SUMMARY OF THE PROGRESS OF SCIENCE. 



MATHEMATICS. 

 Classification of surfaces. — In a memoir con- 

 taim-il ill the Abliaiull. koii. akad. wiss. zu Berliu 

 for 186S, M. ChrislofFel treateil of the classification 

 of surfaces by formulating the changes which took 

 place In a geodetic triangle on the surface when it 

 was displaced or moved along on the surface. M. 

 Chrlstoffel was thus led to a classification of surfaces 

 which divided them into four groups. The first group 

 contained all surfaees upon which no displacement of 

 a geodetic triangle could take place without altering 

 the triangle ; the second group contained surfaces upon 

 which a geodetic triangle might he. displaced without 

 alteration, provided its angles moved upon certain 

 delonnlnate curves; the third group contained sur- 

 fiices upon whicli the geodetic triangle miglit be dis- 

 placed without alter.atlon in a singly infinite number 

 of ways; and tlie fourlli group contained surfaces 

 upon which the triangle could be displaced In any 

 manner without alteration. In the present paper, 



M. v. Mangoldt revises this classification, and shows 

 that the surf.ices contained in the third and fourth 

 groups are identical, and that they include all sur- 

 faces with a constant measure of curvature, and only 

 these. Also he shows tliat the second group con- 

 tains all surfaces whicli are developable upon sur- 

 faees of rotation which have not a constant measure 

 of curvature, and only these. The author further 

 revises a paper of Weingarten's, correcting an error 

 which appeared there. — ( Jcicrn. reine any. math., 



xciv. i. ) T. c. I'* 



PHYSICS. 



Electricity. 

 Aurora borealis. — Professor Lemslrom has now 

 given a somewhat detailed account of his apparatus 

 and experiments in Lapland. He and others had 

 years ago in that country observed a pecular luminos- 

 ity, which he calls 'phosphorescent,' in the form of 

 ■ tiny flames ' playing about the tops of small moun- 

 tains. 



