EDITORIAL NOTES. 



453 



The action of Dr. John Fee, City Physi- 

 cian, in attempting to inaugurate a system 

 of interchange of views and co-operation be- 

 tween the medical officers of the various 

 cities of the west for the prevention and 

 management of pestilential and contagious 

 diseases is highly commendable. The Na- 

 tional Board of Health should have its pow- 

 ers and duties enlarged, so as to have di- 

 rection and control of sanitary matters of all 

 kinds instead of being limited to yellow-fev- 

 er, cholera and small-pox. 



Prof. C. D. Abbey, of Wausau, Wis., in 

 sending his annual subscription to the Re- 

 view, pleasantly says: " I consider the Re- 

 view a valuable periodical. In fact few are 

 of more use to me and I am a subscriber for 

 a large number. I must read and must read 

 the best." 



The Surgerns-General of the army and 

 navy have made a report to Secretary Lin- 

 coln, recommending a plat of five acres in 

 the southwest corner of Hot Springs Moun- 

 tain as a site for the proposed army and navy 

 bospital, for the construction of which ^800,- 

 000 was appropriated at the last session of 

 Congress. 



The Directors of the National Mineral and 

 Industrial Exposition, to be held in Nash- 

 ville, commencing the first Wednesday in 

 September, 1883, have organized, with a 

 capital of ^300,000, The exposition will em- 

 brace displays in every branch of industry in 

 the Union, as well as minerals and' timbers. 

 It is also designed to include those from 

 Mexico, South America and the West Indies, 



ITEMS FROM PERIODICALS. 



Among the original articles in Van N'os- 

 irand's Engineering Magazine for November, 

 is one upon ''House Drainage and Sanitary 

 Plumbing," by Wm. Paul Gerhard, of New- 

 pxjrt, R. I., formerly connected with the City 

 Engineer's Office at St. Louis. Among the 

 selected articles we find a very interesting 

 Report on the Incandescent Lamps exhibited 



at the International Exposition of Electricity 

 at Paris, in 1881, also an article upon "Sew- 

 er-Gas as a Factor in the spread of Epidemic 

 Diseases, and on the Direction and Force of 

 Air Currents in Sewers," and a valuable one 

 upon " The Durability of Building Stones." 



Among the practical articles in the North 

 American Review for November is one by 

 Judge Joseph Neilson upon ''Disorder in 

 Court Rooms " that may be read with profit 

 by lawyers and judges all over the country ; 

 "A Problem for Sociologists," by Dr. Wm. 

 A.Hammond; "Safety in Theatres," by 

 Steele Mackay, and one on "Suppression of 

 Vice," by Anthony Comstock, Rev. O. B. 

 Frothingham and Dr. J. W. Buckley. 



The Popular Science Monthly for Novem- 

 ber gives an illustrated account of a phenom- 

 enon which has never before been observed 

 — that of a snake, having crawled in between 

 the bark and wood of a tree and died there, 

 becoming lignified, or changed into wood, 

 in the same manner as animals become fos 

 silized, i. e., the cells and fibres of the wood 

 have actually taken the place of the organic 

 parts of the reptile and left it perfect in shape, 

 size and all other details, even to the eye- 

 cavities, scales, etc. 



Mr. J. W. Heiss, telegraph operator at 

 Watrous, N. M., has invented a modification 

 of the telephone which he calls the Vibra- 

 phone. From a description of this invention 

 given in the Las Vegas Daily Optic, it ap- 

 pears to be more simple and is claimed to 

 be fully as effective as the telephone itself. 



Number 7, Vol. IX of the Art Interchange, 

 published at New York City by Messrs. Tur- 

 nure & Whitlock, has been received. It is 

 called "a household journal," but it is nev- 

 ertheless admirably adapted to the wants of 

 amateur artists as a guide and a former of 

 correct taste. Its editorials are original, 

 sensible and practical, as well as appropriate, 

 in view of its objects. Its illustrations are 

 artistic and well executed and its general 

 make-up is tasteful and elegant. Fortnight- 

 ly ; ^2.00 per annum. 



