a A 
n2 
From these facts the author draws the logi- 
cal conclusion, that beriberi is a parasitic dis- 
ease, and that the parasites attack particularly 
the blood, muscles, and medulla. In seeking 
the origin of the parasite, it was found that 
similar organisms were found at times in rice- 
grains. The characteristics of the grains of 
rice attacked by the parasite are given; and the 
hypothesis is advanced, that rice is often the 
vehicle of the microphyte by which it enters 
the human system, which appears to be in ac- 
cord with the fact that rice is a principal article 
of food in the regions subject to the disease. 
Contaminated grains of rice, subjected to the 
same cultivation as the blood of beriberi pa- 
tients, produced organisms entirely identical in 
appearance. Injections of the liquid of the 
rice-culture in guinea-pigs produced death in 
thirteen, seventeen, and twenty days, with para- 
lytic phenomena, and death by asphyxia; and 
the microscopic examination of the spinal me- 
dulla and muscles showed the presence of the 
same organisms found in animals inoculated 
with the blood-culture of beriberi. The author 
proposes to continue his investigation of the 
suspected relation between a rice diet and beri- 
beri. 
BIOLOGICAL THEORIES OF AN ARTIST: 
Morphology. Estimates of intelligence. Vital chem- 
istry. By Frank B. Scort, artist. Buffalo, 
Bigelow pr., 1883. 16p. 8°. 
Tue author says in his preface, ‘‘ If we fail 
in proving the truth of what we advance, our 
labor will not be lost: we may lead the way to 
further discoveries. Columbus was mistaken 
in his seeking another way to India, but his 
mistake led to the discovery of a new conti- 
nent.’’ In science great continents of knowl- 
edge never have been discovered by ignorant 
adventurers: we therefore do not believe that 
Mr. Scott will achieve the important success 
he dreams of, although he is mistaken in per- 
haps half his statements. We are acquainted 
with no other publication, purporting to be 
scientific, which contains so many amusing 
errors and entertaining hypotheses in so few 
pages. We need only give the following ex- 
tracts in our justification. ‘‘ Without oxygen, 
hydrogen, nitrogen, and carbon, we have no 
knowledge of life. . There are other ele- 
ments subordinate to these. There is also 
some other element not subordinate. . . . Per- 
haps this fifth element was the quint-essence of 
the ancients. Huxley, in his ‘ Biology,’ calls 
it electricity.”” Will the author kindly refer 
us to authority on the quintessence of life of 
SCIENCE. 
ies a ee 
[Vor. IIL, No. 58. 
the ancients ; also to the page of Huxley? He 
further states that the blood at one moment is 
red with oxygen; the next, black with carbon. 
We have no doubt that sufficient carbon might 
blacken the blood, but we are surprised to learn 
that the mixture occurs regularly during life. 
The whole pamphlet resembles these samples. 
THE ILLINOIS GEOLOGICAL REPORT. 
Geological survey of Illinois. A. H. WortTHEN, 
director. Vol. vii., Geology and paleontology. 
Springfield, State, 1883. 4+43873 p., 31 pl. 8°. 
Tue first two volumes of this series of re- 
ports appeared in 1866; and the others have 
followed at intervals since then, the seventh 
having appeared during the past year. ‘The 
leading feature of these reports is paleontology, 
in connection with which the names of some of 
the ablest American paleontologists appear. 
In his preface to the present volume, Mr. 
Worthen says, that to complete the paleontol- 
ogy of the state upon the plan originally con- 
templated will require two volumes more, 
with from forty to fifty plates of illustrations 
each, but that this cannot be done until au- 
thorized by special legislative act. It is not 
improbable, therefore, that the present volume 
_will be the last of the series. 
Mr. Worthen’s chapter, of fifty-one pages, 
on economic geology, treats mainly of local 
sections in different parts of the state, princi- 
pally of coal-measure strata. He announces 
the discovery of ‘ coal-oil’ in the town of Litch- 
field, a dense lubricating-oil, mingled with 
salt water, which he thinks comes from the 
base of the coal-measure conglomerate, or one 
of the upper Chester sandstones. 
Four borings have reached the oil at a . depth 
of nearly seven hundred feet, each boring 
yielding about two barrels of crude oil per day. 
He also reports the discovery of brine in Perry 
county. Six borings have been made, each 
flowing sixteen gallons a minute, from which 
an aggregate of thirty-five hundred barrels of 
salt is made annually. 
The work on the fossil fishes by Orestes St. 
John and Mr. Worthen is a very important 
one, embracing two hundred and eight pages 
and twenty-six plates. It treats of those char- 
acteristic carboniferous families, the Coch- 
liodontidae and Psammodontidae, and also 
of Ichthyodorulites. The important works on 
similar fossil fishes, which were published in 
previous volumes, are well known; and yet 
the material now published is unexpectedly 
comprehensive as regards the variety of forms 
