July 20, 1900.] 



SCIENCE. 



109 



Eosa, ' On the Measurement of Alternating 

 Electromotive Forces of High Potentials ' ; 

 Bauer, ' On the Eesults of Simultaneous 

 Magnetic Observations made at various 

 points on May 28,1900' and Wood 'On a Mica 

 Echelon Spectroscope Grating ' are some of 

 the titles, which show that the meeting of 

 this Society was fully as successful as that 

 of Section B. Dr. Bauer's paper brought 

 out the very interesting fact that at the 

 time of the recent solar eclipse there was a 

 distinct variation in the magnetic elements 

 at a number of points on or near the line 

 of totality, and that the change was not 

 simultaneous, but depended upon the time 

 of totality. 



To sum up, it may safely be said that the 

 admirable papers and admirable surround- 

 ings made the present meeting of the Sec- 

 tion B one of the most enjoyable of recent 

 years. E. A. Fessejsden, 



Secretary. 



SCIENTIFIC BOOKS. 

 The Cell in Development and Inheritance. By 

 Edmund B. Wilson. Columbia University 

 Biological Series, Vol. IV. Second Edition. 

 Revised and Enlarged. New York and Lon- 

 don, The Macmillan Co. 1900. Pp. xxi + 

 483, with 194 figures in the text. Price, $3. 50. 

 The appearance of the second edition of this 

 already famous work gives occasion for calling 

 attention not only to the changes which it has 

 undergone, as contrasted with the first edition, 

 but also to its general plan and character. 



At the present time the greatest problems of 

 biology are those which center in the life of the 

 animal and plant cell. Assimilation, growth, 

 metabolism, reproduction, inheritance, develop- 

 ment and even evolution are subjects upon 

 which the study of the cell has thrown a flood 

 of light. The cell theory has indeed attained 

 a prominence in modern biological work, second 

 only to the evolution theory. The appearance, 

 therefore, of a general work on the cell is of 

 more than ordinary concern, not alone to the 

 biologist, but also to all persons interested in 

 the fundamental problems of biology. 



Professor Wilson's work on the cell, the first 

 edition of which appeared in 1896, at once took 

 first rank among books on cytology. It is not 

 only a general summary of the results of cell 

 studies, but also a most important contribution 

 to knowledge. The author has brought to- 

 gether, under one point of view the very many 

 isolated observations and frequently conflicting 

 views of a multitude of writers. In this he 

 has graciously and entirely avoided the old 

 museum idea of collecting material without ref- 

 erence to its use ; although he touches upon 

 almost every important work of modern times 

 bearing upon the cell, yet the book is no mere 

 encyclopedia of facts or theories — all is treated 

 in a critical spirit as so much material to be 

 builded into a system. The labor involved in 

 this sifting of literature and collation of results 

 must have been prodigious and all workers in 

 these lines owe Professor Wilson a debt of grat- 

 itude for the service which he has thus ren- 

 dered. 



The general plan and scope of the second 

 edition of this work remain unaltered ; in fact 

 the subdivisions into chapters and sections re- 

 main almost exactly the same as in the first 

 edition . After an introduction in which is given 

 a brief but suggestive sketch of the cell theory 

 and its relation to the evolution theory, there 

 follow in successive chapters : (1) A general 

 sketch of cell structure ; (2) cell-division ; (3) 

 the germ cells ; (4) fertilization of the ovum ; 

 (5) oogenesis and spermatogenesis, reduction 

 of the chromosomes ; (6) some problems of cell 

 organization ; (7) cell chemistry and cell phys- 

 iology ; (8) cell division and development, and 

 finally (9) some theories of inheritance and 

 development. The volume also contains an 

 excellent glossary, a general literature list, and 

 indices of authors and subjects. 



The most important changes in the second 

 edition are found in those chapters and sections 

 which deal with the nature and functions of 

 the centrosome. For the past ten years this 

 has been one of the most perplexing problems 

 of cytology. In 1887 both Van Beneden and 

 Boveri maintained that the centrosome was an 

 independent and permanent cell organ, and 

 Boveri held that the most important event in 

 the fertilization of the egg was the addition of 



