116 



SCIENCE 



[X. S. Vol. XXXI. No. 786 



how Narcotics Effect it; chapter XVIIL, 

 Organs for Eeceiving Knowledge; chapter 

 XIX., The Cause of Sickness; chapter XX., 

 How to Keep Well. 



The book is well supplied with illustrative 

 cuts which for the most part are fairly good. 

 The representation of the tubercle bacillus on 

 page fifteen is hardly typical of that organism. 

 The red-blood cells are described as cup-shaped 

 (p. 79). This is, or has been, the teaching in 

 the Harvard laboratories, but is not generally 

 accepted. 



The eustachian tube is represented as enter- 

 ing the middle ear at a level lower than that 

 of the fenestra rotunda and inferior margin 

 of the tympanum (p. 177). 



A few criticisms of the text may be ad- 

 vanced as follows: 



Page 15: Measles is given as a bacterial 

 disease. This has not yet been proved. The 

 author recognizes that fact on page 191. 



Page 16: It is stated that "our common 

 disease bacteria do not have spores. . . ." The 

 bacillus of tetanus that figures so extensively 

 in our Fourth of July mortality is a spore- 

 forming bacterium; the bacillus of tubercu- 

 losis is thought at times to show spore forma- 

 tion; other pathogenic spore-forming bacteria 

 are the bacillus of anthrax, the bacillus of 

 malignant oedema. 



Page 18 : " Yellow fever and ... are caused 

 by tiny animals. . . ." This is probably true, 

 but the fact remains that the specific cause of 

 yellow fever has not yet been demonstrated. 



Page 19 : It is stated that the ova of head 

 lice may be removed by washing the hair " two 

 or three times " with " soap and equal parts 

 of vinegar and hot water." This is a disap- 

 pointing treatment. The patient is lucky if 

 he escapes without a close hair cut. At best 

 the ova may otherwise be removed only by 

 hours of careful combing. 



Page 35 : The question is asked : " Why is 

 it harmful to eat more than the body needs ? " 

 According to some of our best authorities it 

 is impossible not to eat more than the body 

 needs. 



Page 37: Scarlet fever is referred to as a 

 bacterial disease. The fact that the specific 



cause of this disease has not been found is 

 recognized on page 191. 



Page 44: Reference is here made to mucus 

 as having " the power to kill many harmful 

 bacteria and thus protect the body from dis- 

 ease." Our authorities on the flora of the 

 normal mouth, nose and throat tell us that 

 these regions may contain a score or more of 

 varieties of bacteria, including such forms as 

 the staphylococcus and streptococcus pyogens, 

 pneumococcus, bacillus of diphtheria and the 

 meningococcus. 



Page 50 : A description of " stomach diges- 

 tion " is given here with no reference to the 

 fact established by Cannon that salivary diges- 

 tion is continued for some time after the food 

 has reached the cardia. 



Page 67: The carbonated drinks are here 

 stated to be healthful when used in modera- 

 tion. It must not be forgotten that soda 

 water, ginger ale, and so on, are responsible 

 for a great deal of indigestion. The special- 

 ists in our large skin clinics spend a good deal 

 of time proscribing these drinks. 



Pages 90 and 122: Turpentine and alcohol 

 are recommended as antiseptic washes for 

 fresh wounds. This is severe treatment. 

 Turpentine and alcohol are very painful when 

 applied to raw surfaces. 



Page 107: ". . . impure air is heavy and 

 near the floor." This statement is startling. 

 In view of the fact that it is at variance with 

 the teachings of hygiene for many years, it 

 must be backed up with a careful array of 

 significant experimental facts before it can be 

 credited. The single experiment offered in 

 the test does not suffice. 



Page 121 : " To avoid dandruff, the scalp 

 should be thorouglily washed with soap and 

 warm water once or twice a month." The 

 avoidance of dandruff is not so simple. If 

 much reliance is placed on this advice it will 

 lead to disappointment. 



Page 194 : ". . . and numerous cases are on 

 record where the use of milk from sick cows 

 has given the disease [tuberculosis] to chil- 

 dren." There is good reason for being afraid 

 of milk from tubercular cows in spite of the 

 fact that some of our very best authorities are 

 not disposed to agree that there are numerous 



