April 17, 1885.1 



SCIENCE. 



319 



About 1830 the cell-doctrine was accepted, 

 so far as concerned the vegetable kingdom. 

 That it was also applicable to animals, was 

 stated by Dutrochet in 1824 ; but it remained 

 for Schwann to prove in his classical treatise 

 (1839) the correctness of this thesis. From 

 that time the cellular theory may be regarded 

 as definitely established. Its extension to the 

 explanation of certain pathological processes 

 by Goodsir (1845) and Virchow (1859) was a 

 noteworthy advance. 



All this time the definition of the cell, ac- 

 cepted at the time of Valentin's work, was un- 

 dergoing modification. The protoplasm was 

 discovered, and its fundamental importance 

 recognized. Bit by bit the essential structure 

 of cells was simplified, until now the term de- 

 notes nothing but an independent particle of 

 protoplasm. This particle may have, and often 

 has, a nucleus in it, and a cell- wall around it ; 

 but both may be absent, and the tiny mass live 

 and grow and multiply. Such modifications, 

 in our conceptions as to what parts are ne- 

 cessary to the construction of a cell, do not, 

 however, in any way essentially alter the cell- 

 doctrine : it still remains a fundamental truth, 

 the basis of all morphology and physiology. 



Of late years a vast number of important 

 papers have appeared, dealing with the struc- 

 ture and the properties of cells. They are 

 scattered over the pages of many journals, and 

 written in man}' languages ; and the time had 

 come for some one to collect and unify them. 

 A good summary of the more important results 

 of the work of the past twenty years, and a 

 bibliography, aiding those desiring more de- 

 tailed information to find it in original sources, 

 was a necessity. Canon Carnoy undertook 

 this task ; and, so far as the present fascicule 

 of his treatise on the ' Cellular biology ' goes, 

 has performed it well. The instalment pub- 

 lished contains two hundred and seventy-one 

 pages, of which, however, only the final hun- 

 dred deal directly with cells. The introduc- 

 tory pages contain an exposition of the objects 

 and methods of education, which we heartily 

 commend to all teachers of natural history ; 

 also directions in histological technique, which, 

 for students of general biology, are more use- 

 ful than those in any text-book of microscopy 

 with which we are acquainted. 



The subjects discussed in the final hundred 

 pages are as follows : discovery of the cell and 

 of its parts ; elementary organisms ; the cellu- 

 lar biology ; protoplasm ; the properties of liv- 

 ing matter ; the general structure of the cell, 

 and its newer definitions ; the structure and 

 general composition of protoplasm and nucleus ; 



the general laws of the cell ; the structure and 

 composition of the nucleus in detail. The last 

 topic occupies more than sixty pages, and is 

 of great value as bringing together in con- 

 venient form the main results of the man}' re- 

 searches on nuclei made during the last ten 

 years. 



An important and gratifying feature of the 

 book is that its illustrations are not only good, 

 but new. It is difficult to express fully our 

 gratitude for this : those who have been wea- 

 ried by seeing the same veteran woodcuts 

 dragged out once more for duty in each new 

 text-book, will, however, appreciate the glad- 

 ness with which we greet these new, and in 

 most cases better ones. 



While we heartily commend Canon Carnoy's 

 book for its scientific merits, we think that it 

 has another claim to the attention of all who 

 are interested in the progress of human thought : 

 it marks the close of an epoch. Written by a 

 professor in a Catholic university, in a Catholic 

 country, and utilizing and accepting as it does 

 the results attained by the best biological work- 

 ers and thinkers independently of all theological 

 prejudice, it is a sign, among many, that modern 

 biology has won its battle. There will still be 

 occasional echoes of the struggle, and we may 

 for some time to come meet such instances of 

 persecution as that to which Professor Wood- 

 row was recently subjected ; but the war is 

 over. The religious world in general recog- 

 nizes daily with greater clearness that science 

 is not necessarily irreligious ; and that the 

 conviction that our universe has been devel- 

 oped and is governed in accordance with im- 

 mutable laws, is compatible with belief in an 

 all-wise Law-giver. 



LANGLEY'S WORK ON MOUNT WHIT- 

 NEY. 



From a scientific point of view, the ' Report 

 of the Mount Whitney expedition of 1881' is un- 

 questionably one of the most important volumes 

 which has ever been issued by our govern- 

 ment. It presents fully and clearly, not only 

 the observations made upon the mountain, with 

 their results, but also much of the preliminary 

 work and discussion which showed the need of 

 such an expedition, together with a description 

 of the ingenious and delicate apparatus devised 

 by Professor Langley for the investigation. 



Researches on the sola? 1 heat, and its absorptio?i by the earth's 

 atmosphere. A report on the Mount Whitney expedition. By 

 Prof. S. P. Langley. "Washington, Government, 1SS4. (Prot. 

 papers U. S. signal serv., xv.) 242 p., illustr., 21 pi., map. 4°. 



