Miscellaneous Intelligence. 335 



An important extension of the present line of work would be 

 a detailed areal survey of chosen regions, one sounding being 

 taken for every square mile, in order to determine the more 

 detailed topography and possibly throw light on the question of 

 the origin of the sui-face, whether from warping, faulting, folding, 

 igneous extrusion or possibly in some cases from previous subaerial 

 erosion. On account of the slowness of sedimentation over the 

 bottoms of the open oceans, it is doubtful if even geological aeons 

 would suffice to mask the significant features of the broader 

 structures. Such a research might throw unexpected light upon 

 such problems as that of the permanence of the continental plat- 

 forms. The difficulty and expense of the project, however, are 

 such that it could only be undertaken by government enterprise. 



J. B. 



2. The Microscopy of Vegetable Foods, with special reference 

 to the Detection of Adulteration and the Diagnosis of Mixtures / 

 by Andrew L. Winton, Ph.D., with the collaboration of Dr. 

 Josef Moelleb. Pp. 701, with 589 illustrations. New York, 

 1906 (John Wiley and Sons). — " Turn about is fair play." Dr. 

 Winton assisted Dr. Moeller in the preparation of a recent 

 edition of the standard work, " Mikroskopie der Nahrungs- und 

 Genussmittel," and now the favor is well returned. The present 

 volume is in part an excellent translation of the German treatise, 

 but it is very much more. It embodies the results of careful 

 investigations by Dr. Winton, in a wide field of research, and is 

 throughout characterized by clear statement. 



Dr. Winton is wise in striking the happy mean between a too 

 extensive presentation of the subject and the scanty hints hitherto 

 accessible to students who read only English. Physicians, ana- 

 lysts, and pharmacists will find this work sufficiently detailed to 

 answer the more important questions which are now arising, and 

 where the information falls short, suggestions as to further trea- 

 tises are given. 



In a concise preliminary chapter devoted to the equipment of a 

 laboratory, the subjects of Histology and gross Morphology are 

 succinctly given. With this in hand, the investigator proceeds 

 to consider the products of "Grain," and then to glance at sundry 

 seeds which are among the many impurities. The third part is 

 devoted to Oil-seeds and Oil-cakes, and here one unfamiliar with 

 the subject comes upon some interesting surprises : numerous 

 unlooked-for species are referred to as accidentally mixed with 

 the more common oilseeds of the mills. 



Leguminous plants furnish material for an instructive chapter, 

 the range being very wide. Nuts have also a prominent place. 

 To Fruits and Vegetables, the authors have given a large amount 

 of most useful study. Dr. Wanton's examination of the " Jam " 

 fruits is especially noteworthy. 



In view of this volume, taken especially in conjunction with 

 Dr. Leach's treatise on Food-Inspection, it may be unhesitatingly 

 said that our Boards of Health are now well supplied with excel- 

 lent counsel in English as to the best methods of investigating 



