July 17, 1885.] 



SCIENCE. 



57 



to the little remnant of ice at the foot of the 

 steep slope, as seen b}' travellers of last sum- 

 mer. 



The anatomy of the greatest glacial system 

 of Switzerland, that which forms the Aletsch 

 glacier, is excellently shown in a folded map. 

 The scale is 1 : 50,000 ; contour lines are drawn 

 in blue on the ice and snow every thirty me- 

 tres ; the moraines are marked in detail ; and 

 the peculiar zigzag bands in the ice, like the 

 grain of wood, so conspicuous in the wonder- 

 ful view from the Eggischhorn, are carefully 

 represented. This map may therefore be ranked 

 even above the interesting one of the ' Mer de 

 glace ' system (scale, 1 : 40,000) on VioUet-le- 

 Duc's sheet of the ' Massif du Mont Blanc,'- 

 published about ten 3'ears ago. 



The question of glacial erosion has alwaj^s 

 been fruitful of opposite views since it was first 

 given importance % Eamsay ; and we have to 

 regret that the summary of the matter pre- 

 sented by Heim does not go further in recon- 

 ciling the apparentl}' contradictory facts quoted 

 by the advocates of the contrasted theories. 

 Heim writes, ' Glaciation is a period of rest in 

 valley- making.' Professor Newberry con- 

 cludes ^ that a great glacial sheet, shod with 

 stones and gravel, "would not only be capable 

 of sweeping awa}' an}^ ordinar}" barriers that 

 opposed its progress, but would grind down 

 the underMng rock with a resistless and com- 

 paratively rapid action." 



Neither of these authors gives sufficient in- 

 dication of the more judicious middle ground 

 taken by James Geikie and some others, to 

 the eflfect that glacial action ma}' be destruc- 

 tive in one district, and constructive in another ; 

 that glaciers, like rivers, erode chiefly in their 

 upper streams, and deposit the detritus quietly 

 on the flood-plains and deltas of drift near their 

 termination. The great amount of glacial drift 

 undoubtedly afl^ords the strongest argument 

 that can be made in favor of the marked 

 ■changes efi'ected by glaciers, just as the vast 

 volume of stratified fragmental rocks testifies 

 to the successful persistence of water-action ; 

 and for North America, at least, we cannot 

 accept Heim's conclusion, that pre-glacial 

 weathering afforded the chief part of the drift, 

 while direct glacial erosion gave rise only to 

 fine sand and mud. The occurrence of angu- 

 lar, unweathered, and unworn bowlders, and of 

 drift rich in limestone, forbids such a conclu- 

 sion, and has been successfully quoted against 

 it. On the other hand, the evidence of the 

 protective, or at least the ver}' moderately 

 destructive, action of the old glaciers near their 



1 School of mines quarterly, vi. 1885, 152. 



termination, and the not excessive erosion in 

 any part, is ably stated ; and, to our mind, 

 this leads much nearer to the truth than does 

 the path followed by those who see an argu- 

 ment for glacial erosion in nearl}^ every lake 

 of northern countries and every fiord of west- 

 ern coasts. 



HOUSEHOLD SANITATION, 



If the author succeeds in winning the au- 

 dience she desires, she may justlj^ claim 

 pioneership in one direction of the higher 

 education of women. The path indicated is 

 not well beaten. Sanitary science is of late 

 origin ; so late, indeed, that the men who for- 

 mulated it are still young. Its proposition to 

 prevent disease by removing the conditions 

 that provoke disease, merits the popular ap- 

 proval, and legislation has been quick to help 

 sanitarians put their science to the test. With 

 plenty of money, and in fair localities, it is 

 not difficult to satisfy all the demands of the 

 sanitarians. It will, however, hardly be con- 

 tended that the sanitarians have formulated 

 insurance against the outbreak of the zymotic 

 diseases for the ordinary householder in any 

 locality where necessity has placed him. And 

 yet this is the very problem which sanitary 

 science is to solve. Much can be done in one 

 home to make it healthful ; but the influences 

 that aff*ect one home are so intermixed with 

 the influences that affect large areas, that state 

 and national interference is demanded by 

 sanitary science. The author has stated the 

 sanitary conditions of healthful homes with 

 accuracy, and with sufficient fulness to make 

 these conditions readily comprehended. She 

 appeals to the women of the land to familiarize 

 themselves with the results of sanitaiy science, 

 that they may be able to criticall}^ examine 

 their own homes, and influence opinion, so that 

 healthful conditions may be made compulsory 

 under the law. This is good work, and the 

 more of it the better. There is an immense 

 chasm between crazy-quilts and sewer-pipes, 

 sonatas and bad drainage ; but it can be bridged 

 by informing the women, and teaching the girls. 

 If rosy children and long-lived husbands are 

 worth the while, this education in what con- 

 stitutes a healthy home is worth a place in the 

 school curriculum for girls. 



Sanitary science is so new, that ' consulting 

 sanitary engineers,' without warrant of author- 



Women, plumbers, and doctors ; or, Household sanitation. 

 By H. M. Plunkbtt. New York, Appleton, 1885. 248 p., 

 illustr. 8°. 



