176 
Only three or four cities showed improve- 
ment, the most marked being St. Louis. 
In studying these facts, there seems to be no 
escaping the conclusion that infant mortality in 
the large cities is largely on the increase, but it 
is probable that meteorological conditions may 
have affected the statistics, e. g., it was perhaps 
wetter in 1890 than in 1880. However, on ex- 
amining the causes of mortality for the two 
years, we get clearer evidence. 1890 shows a 
decided increase in ‘inanition,’ and also ‘de- 
bility and atrophy.’ There is also a marked 
increase in bronchitis and pneumonia. There 
is a decrease in convulsions and also in cholera 
infantum as compared with 1880. 
(8) It appears that the colored have an al- 
most uniformily higher death-rate than the 
whites ; and this, as a general rule, is no doubt 
true; but the negro is known to be less sus- 
ceptible to malaria than the white, yet, owing 
to his mode of life, his mortality from this cause 
is much greater in the cities discussed. Again, 
it appears from the tables that the death-rate 
of the native whites is greater than that of the 
foreign whites in most cities, but, as Dr. Billings 
points out, this must be connected with the 
fact that the native whites include a much 
larger proportion of young children. It is in- 
teresting to note that in New Orleans the death- 
rate of the foreign whites was much greater 
than in any other of the cities, while that of 
the native whites was less than in many of the 
cities. In connection with this we observe that 
the death-rate from malaria in New Orleans 
was more than double that in any other of the 
cities, and that it was much greater among the 
foreign whites; hence it is fair to assume that 
the native whites of New Orleans exhibit the 
results of evolution against this disease. 
It may be here remarked that the mortality 
from typhoid fever was greater in the great 
cities of the United States than in those of Eng- 
land, France or Germany; and in the United 
States the foreign-born suffered markedly more 
from this disease than the native-born. Hence 
perhaps we may assert that the natives of the 
United States exhibit the results of evolution 
against typhoid an evolution more marked than 
that of European nations. 
The death-rate of the colored from consump- 
SOLENCE. 
[N.S. Von. VI. No. 135. 
tion was more than twice as great as that of 
the whites. Curiously, it was about twice as 
great among the children of mothers born in 
Ireland as among those of mothers born in Ger- 
many, and more than three times as great as 
among those of mothers born in the United 
States. This may be largely due to the man- 
ner of life of the Irish, but it does appear 
that they are naturally more susceptible to this 
disease than Germans or Americans. Hrrone- 
ous conclusions might be drawn from the fact 
that Denver has a much higher death-rate 
from consumption than Pittsburg or Kansas 
City, did we not remember that very many con- 
sumptives go to Denver and die there. 
In another part of the book are given colored 
maps of the cities, showing by different degrees 
of shading the death-rates in the several wards. 
Information is also given which enables one to 
form some opinion as to the causes of the re- 
markable differences between the healthfulness 
of the wards in all of the cities. These and 
many other matters might be discussed at 
length, but enough has been said to show that 
Dr. Billings’ volume should be of great value 
not only to social reformers, but also to biolog- 
ical students. It may be that in the study of 
the facts these different classes of individuals 
will find a common ground, and the teachings 
of science will ultimately be heard in no uncer- 
tain way from the political platform, setting 
forth truths which will surprise many comfort- 
able and self-satisfied individuals. 
T. D. A. COCKERELL. 
MESILLA, N. M., June 25, 1897. 
GEOLOGIC ATLAS OF THE UNITED STATES. 
FOLIO 24, THREE FORKS, MONTANA, 1896. 
Tuts tolio, by Dr. A. C. Peale, consists of 5 
pages of text, a topographic sheet (scale 1:250,- 
000), a sheet of areal geology, one of economic 
geology, one of structure sections, and one giv- 
ing a generalized columnar section for the dis- 
trict. 
The area covered comprises the square de- 
gree which lies between the meridians 111° and 
112° and the parallels 45° and 46°, in the south- 
western, mountainous portion of Montana, and 
includes 3,354 square miles. In the extreme 
