250 



SCIENCE. 



[Vol. XI. No. 277 



on. The only phrase with meaning here was " dear me ! " — a re- 

 flex phrase. But in such simple tall< as the following, Ross could 

 take a part : " Well. Ross ? " — " Weel, sir." — " How are you ? " 

 — " Very well, sir." — "It's a fine day, Ross." — "It is that." — 

 " Ross ? " — "I hear, sir." — " You're not well to-day ? " — " Oh ! I 

 don't know." — " Good-by, Ross!" — " Good-by, sir ! " The at- 

 tendant could not get a sensible word out of him, and was much 

 surprised to hear how well the patient could talk to Dr. Robertson, 

 neglecting to notice that the latter was careful to ask for reflex 

 phrases. 



In some cases the answers will not be appropriate to the query. 

 "It's a rainy day," will be answered by, "No, I'll no do it;" 

 " What day is this? " by " Oh ! but that is not right ; " and so on. 

 From his study, Dr. Robertson concludes (i) that actions seemingly 

 intelligent may be mainly automatic, or reflex ; (2) that in speech 

 we have present all the causes leading to a reflex action ; (3) 

 that in health such speech-reflexes are exhibited, but under special 

 circumstances they come into prominence ; (4) that in some forms 

 of mental disease this reflex is exaggerated ; and (5) that the path of 

 reflex speech is well organized, and strongly resists destruction. 



Re-action Time for Temperature and Tactile Sensa- 

 tions. — M. V. Vintschgau and E. Steinach {Pflilger's Archiv, 

 xliii. 2324) have made a very extended series of experiments upon 

 the time necessary to perceive the contact of an object on the skin, 

 as well as the time necessary to feel a cold and a warm object. 

 They have improved the method of making such tests, and the 

 times they report agree well with those of former workers. They 

 summarize the results of their work thus : finely sensitive portions 

 of the skin, such as the cheek, have a greater re-action time than 

 portions of less sensitiveness ; differences of 2° to 4° C. in the tem- 

 perature of the stimulating object do not influence the time of re- 

 action ; repeated cold applications diminish sensibility for cold, and 

 lengthen the re-action times for cold ; increase of bodily temperature 

 does not increase the sensibility for warmth, nor decrease the re- 

 action time ; the time necessary to perceive warmth as well as cold 

 on the hand is longer than on the face ; an impression of warmth 

 or cold is more quickly perceived if applied to the right side of 

 the face than to the left ; it takes longer to perceive a sensation of 

 temperature than one of simple pressure, and longer to perceive 

 warmth than cold ; indisposition lengthens the re-action time for 

 pressure. 



An Instructive Case of Word-Deafness. — Dr. Bianchi 

 has recently described {Revue Philosophique, March, 1888) a case 

 of this peculiar trouble that beautifully illustrates the relative inde- 

 pendence of the several sensory factors of language. Our language 

 consists primarily of a receptive power of hearing and understand- 

 ing words, and an expressive power of articulation. To this is 

 added, at a later period, the receptive power of seeing and under- 

 standing printed characters, and the expressive power of writing. 

 Disease may deprive one of the use of any one of these four fac- 

 tors, leaving the others almost intact ; while the probability of the 

 loss of the one bringing with it the loss of the other depends on 

 how independently each has been cultivated, and on individual dif- 

 ferences. A person who writes little, and has to translate spoken 

 into written language, will probably lose the power of writing with 

 the power of speaking ; but one who is accustomed to have his 

 thoughts flow off the tip of his pen may retain this power when he 

 becomes aphasic. Dr. Bianchi's case is that of an intelligent young 

 merchant who was stricken with paralysis, and, after recovering 

 from his attack, was found unable to understand words. His in- 

 telligence seemed unimpaired. He appreciated that he was spoken 

 to, and appealed to a bystander to answer for him. He could ap- 

 preciate and make himself understood by gestures. He could hear 

 a watch ticking at quite a distance, and was in no way deaf. He 

 never spoke. If his name, ' Arthur,' was shouted to him with the 

 gesture that he was to repeat it, he did so in parrot-fashion, but 

 evidently without appreciating that it was his name. By thus 

 teaching him syllable by syllable, he learned to say. " Biiona sera ! " 

 (" Good-evening ! ") and said it on all occasions, whether appropriate 

 or not. He was similarly taught such words as ' bread,' ' water,' 

 and so on. He could write, but apparently only under dictation. 

 If you placed a pen in his hand, he would write words without 



meaning ; but if asked the question, " From what country are 

 you ? " he would write, " From what country." At first he was 

 totally unable to understand what was written, but he was gradually 

 taught to do so, though he could not read the words he had been 

 taught to speak. 



The 'Visual Are.\. ' — One of the main points of discussion 

 between Ferrier and his opponents is with reference to the location 

 of the sight-centres in the cortex of the brain. Ferrier places it in 

 the angular gyrus, while others maintain that it is localized exclu- 

 sively in the occipital lobe. Dr. Schiifer has repeated these experi- 

 ments on dogs and monkeys (Brain, 18S8), and found the centre 

 to be entirely in the occipital lobe. Moreover, the centre of each 

 hemisphere is connected with half of the retina of each eye. He 

 explains Ferrier's results by an injury to the fibres running beneath 

 the angular gyrus to the occipital lobes. These results bring patho- 

 logical and experimental evidence into agreement. Dr. Schiifer 

 did not find, as Ferrier claims, that injury to the temporal lobes 

 caused deafness, but was able to support by a single case Ferrier's 

 localization of the sensations of touch in \\\t gyrus forfiicat us. 



BOOK-REVIEWS. 



An Elementary Geography of the British Isles. By ARCHIBALD 

 Geikie. London and New York, Macmillan. 24". 30 

 cents. 



The present little volume is the first of a series of geographies 

 which the author is about to publish, in accordance with the prin- 

 ciples laid down in his adm.irable book 'The Teaching of Geog- 

 raphy.' The text-book contains carefully selected facts which will 

 not overburden the memory of the child. Each place, each town, 

 and each hill is mentioned in connection with some historical fact 

 or physical phenomenon. This will prove a help as well for the 

 teacher as for the child. The author emphasizes rightly that a 

 text-book can be no more than a guide to the teacher and to the 

 learner, and he assumes that the former will use the facts and hints 

 presented in this book according to the principles set forth in his 

 discourse on the ' Teaching of Geography.' Thus the present vol- 

 ume is an exemplification of the former ; and we imagine a teacher 

 v/ho will use both together will find the study of geography one in 

 which the pupils take the greatest interest, and from which they 

 derive great benefit regarding their powers of observation, and love 

 of nature. We may mention here incidentally the interesting 

 scheme of the Scottish Geographical Society, undertaken in part at 

 the instance of Geikie. Schools are invited to examinations in 

 geography, and the examination-papers are drawn up so admirably 

 that they will have a great influence in remodelling the methods 

 used in Scottish schools. We recommend a perusal of the results 

 and methods of the examination, which are published in the May 

 number of the Scottish Gcograpliieal Magazine, to teachers of geog- 

 raphy. We take exception only to one point in Geikie's method. 

 It is the introduction of far-reaching anthropogeographic theories 

 in elementary teaching. It seems to us that these theories have not 

 sufficient meaning and foundation, without a knowledge of certain 

 psychological and historical facts, to be of much use to a child. 



Society in Rome under the CcESars. By WILLIAM RALPH 

 Inge. New York, Scribner. 16'^. $[.25. 



The present volume is a concise and useful review of the man- 

 ners and customs of the Romans at the time of their greatest power, 

 and will be read with great interest by all who have no leisure to 

 study the works of Friedlander and others, from which Inge's book 

 is a compilation. The author has arranged his material well, and 

 presents it in a very readable form. Religion, philosophy, and mo- 

 rality occupy the first place. Then follows a short chapter on the 

 social influence of imperialism in the first century. Literature and 

 art, as well as the social organization and the daily life of the vari- 

 ous classes, are fully described. The book does not claim to give 

 any new results. The essay obtained the Hare Prize at Cambridge 

 in 1886. It may be recommended to all who take an interest in the 

 history of civilization, treating, as it does, in an adequate form, one 

 of the most remarkable chapters of the history of mankind. 



