190 



SCIENCE. 



[N. S. Vol. XVI. No. 396. 



sis of ocular paralysis cannot be made with 

 certainty, and Dr. Savage's diiierentiation 

 (on pp. 514 and 515) is hence inadequate, and, 

 if strictly adhered to, would often mislead. 

 In particular, it may be said that the tilting 

 of the false image, upon which he relies for 

 his diagnosis, is a very unsafe guide, being 

 often absent and sometimes transferred to 

 the image formed by the non-paralyzed eye. 

 This part of the book, in fact, must be char- 

 acterized as quite unsatisfactory. 



It is not necessarily true, as stated on isage 

 517, that in comitant squint there is no di- 

 plopia. In many, indeed in their beginning 

 probably in most, eases of comitant squint 

 there is a diplopia, which, in distinction from 

 that of a paralytic squint, remains the same in 

 all parts of the field. 



Objection must also be raised to his state- 

 ment that in oblique directions of the gaze, 

 the obliques act to keep the vertical merid- 

 ians of the two eyes not only parallel but also 

 always vertical. This certainly runs counter 

 to a vast mass of anatomical and physiological 

 data accumulated by various observers, and 

 seems to be supported by no direct proof, 

 being based solely on a priori reasoning. 



The author's well-known views on cyclo- 

 phoria, its production by oblique astigmatism, 

 and its correction by means of cylinders, are 

 given full place in the book. The reviewer 

 has not seen reason to concur in these views 

 nor to consider cyclophoria as an important 

 element in muscular anomalies. 



There are various other points regarding 

 which the reviewer would take issue with the 

 author, such as his notion that in esophoria 

 the presence of a certain amount of hypero- 

 pia necessarily argues that a certain proportion 

 of the esophoria is false or accommodative 

 (p. 198) ; his failure to recognize divergence 

 anomalies; and in general his tendency to 

 attribute muscular anomalies too exclvisively 

 to disturbances in the tension and action of 

 the muscles per se, rather than to disturbances 

 of the conjugate centers, particularly those 

 for convergence and divergence. We have 

 good reason for thinking that it is in these 

 centers that most motor anomalies arise, so 

 that in their origin at least such anomalies 



are usually bilateral, affecting the movements 

 of both eyes equally, while the muscles per se 

 are normal at the outset, and do not become 

 affected until later on. 



Enough has been said, however, in the way 

 of criticism, and it seems fitting to close with 

 a word of hearty praise for the many original 

 ideas that the book contains; for the author's 

 skill in their presentation; for his fairness 

 in dealing with the work of others ; and finally 

 for the many happy suggestions that he puts 

 forth, particularly as regards treatment, 

 whether by exercise or by operation. 



Alexander Duane. 



New Yoek City. 



SOCIETIES AND ACADEMIES. 

 THE TEXAS ACADEMY OF SCIENCE. 



At the meeting of the Texas Academy of 

 Science, held in the Chemical Lecture Room 

 of the University of Texas, February 21, 1902, 

 Dr. William Morton Wheeler, Professor of 

 Zoology, presented "A Consideration of S. B. 

 Buckley's 'North American Formicidae'" (by 

 title), and delivered an illustrated lectvire on 

 'The Principles of Acceleration and Retard- 

 ation in the Development of Animals.' 



At the meeting of April 25, Mr. E. T. 

 Durable, of Houston, read a paper on the 

 'Cretaceous and Later Rocks of Presidio and 

 Brewster Counties,' which is of interest on 

 account of the prominence now given the 

 last-named county, owing to the discovery and 

 development of quicksilver deposits in the 

 Terlingua District. 



The second paper on the program was pre- 

 sented by Dr. William L. Braj', Professor of 

 Botany in the University, who discussed 'The 

 Present Status of Forestry in Texas.' Many 

 excellent views, illustrative of the subject, 

 were thrown upon the screen. 



The formal meeting of the Academy was 

 held in the Chemical Room of the University 

 on Wednesday, June 11, at 3:30 p.m. 



President J. C. Nagle announced the result 

 of the election of officers for 1902-1903, 

 which is as follows : President, Robert A. 

 Thompson, M.A., C.E., Expert Engineer to 

 the State Railroad Commission; Vice-Presi- 

 dents, Professor O. 0. Charlton, M.A., late of 



