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THE AMERICAN NATURALIST [Vol. XLIV 



summary of the larger work, but with the emphasis laid on the 

 human central nervous organs. The presentation has the great 

 advantage of beginning with the consideration of the spinal cord, 

 the more primitive pan of the central nervous system, and then 

 proceeding to the more specialized part, the brain, instead of 

 dealing with these subjects in the reverse order as in the early 

 editions of the "Lectures." The condensation has been most 

 admirably done. and. as a work that is intended to state briefly 

 those matters that are best established for the structure of the 

 central nervous organs in man. it is a masterpiece. The regrets 

 that one may have about the volume are chiefly because of 

 omissions, but condensation implies omissions and it is hard to 

 imagine under the circumstances a belter selection of materials. 

 In one respect the general presentation might perhaps have been 

 improved. It is strange that Dr. Edinger, who accepts the 

 neurone theory so completely, should have abandoned this 

 method of presentation in dealing with the brain, though he 

 adopts it in his account of the cord. Possibly, however, the 

 greater uncertainty of resolving the brain from the standpoint 

 of the neurone as compared with the cord, is a justification for 

 this difference of treatment. In illustration and typography the 

 volume is on as high a level as in subject matter. 



G. H. Parker. 



