534 



SCIENCE. 



[Vol. VII., No. 175 



respiratory centre. Furthermore, the spreading 

 of the convulsions to the trunk and limbs finds 

 its explanation in the fact that almost all the 

 muscles of the body are at the call of the res- 

 piratory mechanism, when such additional strain 

 is necessary in order to succeed in the fight for 

 breath. And the whole series of facts finds a 

 striking corroboration in the experiments of Salt- 

 mann, who found that the cortex of young pup- 

 pies was unexcitable before a certain period, 

 owing to the fact that these higher paths of 

 motor effects had not yet been laid down. Dr. 

 Jackson's view of epilepsy has met with consider- 

 able favor ; and the modification of it now pre- 

 sented adds to this very suggestive, original, and 

 ingenious interpretation of the facts of cerebral 

 physiology and pathology. J. J. 



ASTRONOMY IN APPLETON'S 'ANNUAL 

 CYCLOP AEDT A: 



Appleton's ' Annual cyclopaedia ' has for sever- 

 al years past included a summary of astronomical 

 progress. These summaries have been so far from 

 satisfactory as to call for some critical attention. 

 They have been lacking in nearly every quality 

 which they should have, — literary form, appro- 

 priateness, judicious selection, well-digested con- 

 clusions, and freedom from doubtful speculations. 

 That for 1885, which has just been issued, does 

 not show the slightest improvement, unless it is 

 that the scissors are less freely used than formerly. 

 In the qualities of redundancy and deficiency it 

 seems, if possible, worse than its predecessors. 

 As examples of the former, we have a whole 

 column devoted to Dr. Muggins's supposed photo- 

 graphs of the solar corona, mixed up with his 

 opinions of its nature and cause. A column is 

 devoted to the red sunsets, which are not shown 

 to have been more numerous than they always 

 have been since the memory of man. Nearly the 

 same space is devoted to pointless remarks upon 

 ec lipses in general and the two eclipses of the 

 year. Not a word is said about the observations 

 of these eclipses, — a deficiency which is perhaps 

 compensated by the information that the next 

 central eclipse visible in New Zealand will occur in 

 1927. The table of periodic comets has nothing to 

 do with the astronomy of the year, and omits the 

 only element of the slightest popular interest ; 

 namely, the times of perihelion passage. For the 

 paragraph on oeeultations it is hard to imagine a 

 ration d'etre, unless it was to fill space. No allu- 

 sion is made to any observations of an occultation 

 during the year. More than a page is devoted to 

 the system of telegraphing astronomical discover- 

 ies, which has been in operation tor several years, 



and had, we think, been mentioned in previous 

 volumes of the ' Cyclopaedia." Any thing more 

 valueless than the paragraph on bibliography it 

 would be difficult to conceive. It concludes by 

 informing us that "the Sidereal messenger, the 

 only astronomical journal published on this conti- 

 nent, is issued monthly by Prof. W. W. Payne of 

 Northfield, Minn." This journal so well deserves 

 popular support, that we have no hesitation in re- 

 peating the announcement. The unsoundness and 

 inconsistency of the remark on the solar spots are 

 curious. We are first told that there has been no 

 abatement, up to 1885, in their number or magni- 

 tude, and that suspicion therefore attaches to the 

 theory of their periodicity. This is followed by 

 several statements fixing the maximum in 1884 

 or 1885. Asa matter of fact, Dr. Wolf fixed the 

 maximum at the end of 1883. 



Among subjects omitted may be mentioned, of 

 American origin, Langley's ' Researches on lunar 

 heat ; ' Hill's ' Contributions to the lunar theory ; ' 

 Hall's * Investigation of the satellites of Uranus 

 and Neptune ;' the discussion of the astronomical 

 day, which has filled so prominent a place in 

 scientific literature ; and the work of Rowland 

 and Pickering in celestial photography. The im- 

 portant foreign works which have been passed 

 over, and which might have well taken the place 

 of the stuffing that forms a thiid of the article, 

 are too numerous to mention. The only conclu- 

 sion which can be drawn is, that one-half of the 

 article is better fitted to fill space than to give 

 valuable information about the astronomical prog- 

 ress of the year. 



BIMETALLISM IN THE UNITED STATES. 



Professor Laughlin has produced a most 

 valuable book both lor study and for reference. 

 It is not only a history, but a critical examination 

 of successive policies in the light of economic 

 theory. It might, perhaps, he objected that the 

 lesson is sometimes a little too obtrusive ; but the 

 independent reader who feels under no obligation 

 to accept the author's conclusions may well par- 

 don this fault. The author is a decided mono- 

 metallist, and presents the arguments from the 

 point of view of his own school. No objectiosj 

 can, however, he made to his statement of facts, 

 and the reader can readily separate his arguments 

 from them. One of the characteristic features of 

 the book is the Dumber, variety, and fulness of its 

 graphic representations, which add greatly to the 

 value of the work, and would have added yet 

 more had they been better planned and arranged. 



The history of bimetallism in the United States. By J- 

 Laukence Laughlin. New York, Appleton, 1H86. 8°. 



