706 



SCIENCE 



[N. S. Vol. XXXVIII. No. 985 



the ordinary type of pseudo-sanitation con- 

 tained in current literature for the housewife, 

 to find that Dean Talbot in her first chapter 

 quotes as a text Dr. H. W. Hill's statement 

 that " The old sanitation was concerned with 

 the environment, the new is concerned with 

 the individual, and finds the sources of infec- 

 tious disease in man himseK rather than in 

 his surroundings." The following principles 

 of " the new sanitation " immediately follow 

 as illustrations which " show changes in sani- 

 tary theory which have been abundantly and 

 conclusively proved." 



" Night air is purer than day air, and should 

 be admitted freely to the house. 



" Gases from marshes do not cause malaria. 



" The quality of the air in the breathing 

 zone is more important than the general air 

 of the room. 



" The quantity of carbon dioxide or ' car- 

 bonic acid ' is not a measure of the unhealth- 

 fulness of air. 



" Ordinary variations in the normal gaseous 

 constituents of air produce no apparent effects. 



" High humidity, combined with high tem- 

 perature, produces the discomfort ordinarily 

 attributed to ' bad air,' and is unhealthf ul. 



" Ordinary buildings and rooms ventilate 

 themselves to a considerable extent. A small 

 house needs comparatively less provision for 

 change of air than a large building. 



" Air from properly constructed sewers is 

 not harmful. 



" Sunlight can not be depended on for dis- 

 infection or as a substitute for cleanliness. 

 Its value is physiological, psychical, and chiefly 

 moral. 



" Actual light rather than window area 

 should be the measure of the efficiency of 

 room-lighting. 



" Odors are not harmful physically, but 

 when unpleasant should be eliminated by 

 cleansing methods rather than by ventilation. 



" Disinfection as ordinarily practised, espe- 

 cially by amateurs, is practically valueless." 



These brief statements, which so well pre- 

 sent some of the chief conclusions of recent 

 public health science, almost constitute a 

 syllabus of the book. They are elaborated in 



eight chapters, dealing with the situation of 

 the House and Care of the Cellar, Plumbing, 

 Air and Ventilation, Heating, Lighting and 

 Light, Furnishing, The Country House and 

 Household Control of Infection, and each 

 chapter is followed by some twenty direct prac- 

 tical questions intended to focus the attention 

 of the housewife on the immediate problems of 

 her own dwelling which fall under the general 

 subject discussed. The vievrpoint is through- 

 out thoroughly sound and up-to-date and this 

 little book of 116 pages ought to do notable 

 service in the cause of public health education. 

 C.-E. A. WiNSLOw 



COOPEEATIVE INVESTIGATION OF THE 

 MISSISSIPPIAN FORMATIONS 

 The Mississippian formations of the Missis- 

 sippi valley states will be studied in coopera- 

 tion as a result of an important field confer- 

 ence held during October in Missouri. The 

 following states were represented: 



Arkansas Purdue. 



Illinois DeWolf. 



Indiana Barrett, Beede. 



Iowa Kay. 



Missouri Buehler, Hughes. 



Ohio Prosser. 



Oklahoma Ohern, Snider. 



Tennessee Purdue. 



U. S. Geological Survey. .W. H. Herron. 



These formations measure approximately 

 2,000 feet, and they have been described at 

 various times in the past without much regard 

 for previous usage of stratigraphic units or 

 names. Thus in a single state the same rocks 

 are represented under three distinct names, 

 even in comparatively recent literature. 



Since considerable work on the Mississippian 

 formations is now being done, it is important 

 that cooperation be established between the 

 several states concerned, and the U. S. Geolog- 

 ical Survey. A permanent committee in 

 charge of this matter on behalf of the states 

 includes H. A. Buehler, of Missouri, 6. F. 

 Kay, of Iowa, and A. H. Purdue, of Tennessee. 

 The chief geologist of the TJ. S. Geological 

 Survey will cooperate with this committee in 

 order to give future work suitable oversight, 

 and in order to prevent friction. 



The significance of this cooperative move- 



