July 28, 1911] 



SCIENCE 



123 



was pursuing. Then follows the well-known 

 and now classical study by . Eicketts on 

 " Oidiomycosis of the Skin," and an impor- 

 tant contribution by Benjamin F. Davis on 

 " The Immunological Eeactions of Oidio- 

 mycosis in the Guinea Pig," a work which 

 grew out of and is partly based upon the ob- 

 servations of Eicketts. One is then reminded, 

 by several articles, that Eicketts made im- 

 portant contributions in the field of immun- 

 ity, in studies on lymphotoxic and neuro- 

 toxic sera, and on tetanus. 



The main portion of the volume consists of 

 the remarkable series of papers on Eocky 

 Mountain fever, in which is found the his- 

 tory of the various steps which led to the 

 unravelling of the mysteries of this disease. 

 Some unfinished studies relating to the mode 

 of transmission of the disease were taken up 

 by Davis, Petersen, Moore and Maver, and 

 their reports follow. LeCount contributes, 

 with many illustrations, a report on the 

 pathological anatomy of the disease based on 

 the material collected in six autopsies per- 

 formed by Eicketts. Finally come the pre- 

 liminary reports of Eicketts and his colleague 

 "Wilder of their studies on Mexican typhus, 

 in which they were able to show that the 

 disease is communicable to monkeys, that it 

 is transmitted by an insect, Pediculus vesta- 

 menti, and finally that it is probably caused 

 by a bacillus which they succeeded in iso- 

 lating from the blood of typhus patients and 

 from the insects. 



The volume appears to us noteworthy in 

 several aspects. The scientific value of its 

 contents, dealing with pioneer research in 

 three important fields and practically cover- 

 ing the entire scope of essential knowledge in 

 two of them, renders the work one of high 

 scientific distinction and fully justifies its 

 existence. The committee may be congratu- 

 lated in perceiving what a rare opportunity 

 existed of perpetuating the memory of a 

 brief career by the simple record of its own 

 activities. 



These collected studies stand as a model of 

 orderly and effective research guided by a keen 

 imagination and scientific enthusiasm. The 



volume is a unique testimonial to the genius 

 and energy of one of the most productive of 

 American pathologists. 



J. E. 



The Geology of Building Stones. By J. 



Allen Howe. London, Edward Arnold. 



1910. Small octavo, pp. viii -1- 455. 



This work, as stated in the editor's preface, 

 is the fourth volume of a series of works 

 treating of economic geology, the compilation 

 being made mainly with a view to the require- 

 ments of students of architecture. 



The volume contains, in a condensed form, 

 a large amount of information gathered from 

 sources easily recognizable, though foot-notes 

 are lacking and credits given mainly for 

 trifiing statements of fact rather than ideas. 



The work begins with an introductory chap- 

 ter which includes a table of strata arranged 

 after the English system. This is followed 

 in order by chapters on the minerals of build- 

 ing stones; igneous rocks; sandstones and 

 grits ; limestones (including marble) ; slates 

 and other fissile rocks. Pages 333-411 in- 

 clusive are devoted to discussions of the decay 

 and the testing of building stones. In the 

 reviewer's opinion too much stress is laid upon 

 the latter subject and too little upon the first. 

 No amount of testing by methods now known 

 can compare in value to a study of the con- 

 duct of the stone in the quarry bed or in old 

 buildings. Incidentally the statement on page 

 398, that the present writer made certain cor- 

 rosion tests, is an error. Credit should be 

 given to Professor J. A. Dodge, of Minne- 

 apolis, Minn.' 



Natvirally the descriptive portion of the 

 work is devoted largely to English materials, 

 but American and other foreign localities are 

 not wholly overlooked. 



As might perhaps be anticipated from the 

 title, the various classes of sedimentary rocks 

 are discussed with reference to their geolog- 

 ical horizons. How far such an arrangement 

 of the subject is desirable has always been a 

 question in the reviewer's mind. Unless it 



' See ' ' Stones for Building and Decoration, ' ' 

 third edition, p. 458. 



