1910] CURRENT LITERATURE 229 
discussions of heredity and evolution. The book is worthy of a place beside 
ARWIN’S Origin of species and DEVries’s Mutationstheorie, and is certain 
to be rated as a classic example of the new spirit which has entered into bio- 
logical investigation in the beginning of the twentieth century —Geo. H. 
SHULL. 
Outlines of bacteriology 
The scope of a work on bacteriology by Exxis3 is outlined in the following 
sentence of the Introduction: ‘This book is intended to serve as an introduction 
to bacteriology in all its branches, though more attention has been bestowed on 
that aspect of the subject which is of the most interest to students of technical 
and agricultural bacteriology.” 
Bearing the above introductory sentence in mind, the reviewer is the more 
impressed by the apparent “errors of omission and commission,” the lack of 
facile expression, misstatements of fact, and in places the absence of a knowledge 
that denotes real intimacy with certain phases of the subject to be presented. 
And it is marvelous that the firm of Longmans, Green & Co., should have under- 
taken the publication of the volume. 
Without touching upon numerous smaller mistakes and errors, attention 
may be drawn to the prominence given the author’s views upon the su 
very general flagellation of the members of the Coccaceae (pp. 19, 20). It might 
be well to point out that those views are not yet by any means concurred in by 
many eminent authorities. 
The crudity of the method recommended for the observation of the germina- 
tion of spores (p. 32) is brought into relief when compared with the superior 
advantages afforded by the use of the hanging-drop, or the hanging agar-block 
on the warm stage. 
In the light of the best American practice, the method advised for the handling 
of gelatin petri dish cultures is incomparably cumbersome and unnecessary 
(P. 47); while the strictures passed upon the use of agar under similar conditions 
are scarcely warrantable (p. 49). 
his discussion of the effect of the electric current upon bacterial life, it 
would seem that the author had not read far enough afield, else the statements 
made by Professor J. Benrens in Larar’s Handbuch d. techn. Mykologie (vol. 
I, sec. go, P- 455) would have vastly modified his opinion. 
Page 61 gives undue prominence to MELTzeR’s ideas regarding the adverse 
action of moderate degrees of continuous vibration upon bacterial cells. It may 
be said that those views no longer carry weight. 
In the chapter on sterilization (p. 85) are to be found the following remarkable 
Statements in reference to the sterilization of the air of a room: “It may at once 
be stated that no gas is a disinfectant. ... . Obviously, therefore, if we wish 
none ranean, 
3 Etuts, Davin, Outlines of bacteriology (technical and agricultural). 8vo. 
PP. xii+262, Jigs. 134. London: —_—- Green & Co. 1909. 75. 6d. 
