Februaby 19, 1904.] 



SCIENCE. 



303 



■we think that the strength of their position is 

 that the occurrence of many anomalies in the 

 same individual, and especially the occurrence 

 of multiple anomalies in many members of 

 the same family, may fairly be considered 

 marks of degeneration; that in short there is 

 a core of truth in the system, hampered as it 

 is by errors. This in parenthesis. The author 

 then goes on to discuss the various theories to 

 account for the presence of the fossa. This in 

 turn brings up the significance of Kerkring's 

 ossicle, which Le Double declines to consider 

 as representing a part of the proatlas. Here 

 we are once more in the midst of deep ques- 

 tions of embryology and comparative anatomy, 

 and yet we have not finished the squamous 

 portion alone. Later comes a discussion of 

 how many segments the basi-occipital may 

 represent, and whether a subdivision of the 

 anterior condyloid foramen into two, three or 

 even four, results from anything more ab- 

 struse than the quasi-accidental ossification of 

 strands of fibrous tissue. There is, as every 

 one knows, much that is interesting in the 

 condyloid region. We could have wished that 

 more had been said of the fusion of the atlas 

 and occiput, but the consideration of this 

 phenomenon was probably beyond the plan of 

 this volume. We must not forget to mention 

 the interesting peculiarities of the inferior 

 surface of the basi-occipital, nor the minute 

 canals sometimes found in its cerebral side. 

 This may suffice to give some idea of the 

 thoroughness of the work. We must, how- 

 ever, refer the reader to the question of the 

 variations of the pterion, for it serves as an 

 introduction to the author's views. Referring 

 to the process from the squamous portion of 

 the temporal which occasionally reaches the 

 frontal, he writes as follows : " In accord with 

 Gruber, Oalori, Virchow, Broca, etc., and in 

 opposition to Anoutehine, Eanke and Schwalbe, 

 I persist in considering the frontal process of 

 the temporal an animal analogy (thero- 

 morphie). It does not seem to me necessary, 

 in order to affirm its reversive nature, that 

 this should be the normal arrangement in all 

 the simians. It occurs in a large number of 

 them and in many other animals, which seems 

 to me sufficient ; especially as in man it occurs 



most frequently in what are held the lower 

 races." What makes this announcement 

 doubly interesting is that Professor Le Double 

 is not one of those who call every representa- 

 tion of a condition normal in some animal a 

 reversion. This was one of the mistakes of 

 the cruder days of evolution. On the con- 

 trary, he maintains, as we have, that similarity 

 of certain parts is no proof of descent. This 

 is true both when we deal with structures that 

 are normal in a species and when we deal 

 with such as appear exceptionally in indi- 

 viduals. What has long been a crucial 

 point in our mind is whether we are justified 

 in calling a peculiarity a reversion unless 

 we can point out at least a plausible line 

 of descent which shall lead us back to it, 

 and which, moreover, shall not be at vari- 

 ance with the pedigree necessary to account 

 in the same way for other anomalies. To 

 say, as some do, that there is no way of 

 tracing by descent some particular feature 

 through the mammalia and that, therefore, 

 we must call its occasional appearance a re- 

 version to something still earlier is simply 

 to beg the question. If what we have sug- 

 gested be demanded, it seems that, at present 

 at least, the difiiculties presented by the theory 

 of reversion are insuperable. Professor Le 

 Double, judging from the above quotation, 

 would hardly think such a demand justifiable. 

 None the less he very judiciously recognizes 

 other causes. 



We do not write, however, for the purpose 

 of discussion. Our object is instead to bring 

 an excellent book to the notice of those in- 

 terested in the subject. Had it no other merit 

 than that of bringing together the observa- 

 tions that have been made in the last genera- 

 tion, it would be indispensable to anatomists 

 who wish to study the deeper problems. 



Thomas Dwight. 



Hakvard Medicai, School. 



SCIENTIFIC JOURNALS AND ARTICLES. 

 The Botanical Gazette for January con- 

 tains the following articles : ' A Morphological 

 Study of Elodea canadensis' by E. B. Wylie, 

 brings out the general facts in regard to floral 



