288 
POPULAR SCIENCE REVIEW. 
rarely seen a work produced wLich could rival the present one in paper, 
binding, typography, or illustration. Some of the coloured illustrations are 
marvellous in point of execution. 
ANIMAL MECHANICS.* 
I F there is one Fellow in the University of Dublin who has assuredly a 
most wonderfully-developed brain, that Fellow is the Eev. Samuel 
Haughton, F.R.S., the author of the remarkable work which now lies before 
us. Few who are not intimately familiar with the list of working savants 
in these countries are familiar with his name ; but those who are acquainted 
even slightly, no matter in what branch of science, with the workers, can 
have failed to mark out this man. As the joint-author of Galbraith and 
Haugh ton’s well-known manuals of physical science, he has been known 
for many years. Again, as a most distinguished geologist and palaeontologist, 
he is familiar enough to the great body of stone-men. As a clergyman 
he is known to many ; and, lastly, as a physician and physiologist he has 
made an almost unsurpassed reputation within the past ten years. As- 
suredly one will say that the tales of “Admirable Crichton” are not far- 
fetched when the nineteenth century can produce a man who possesses 
nearly unsurpassed repute as a physicist and geologist, as a divine, a phy- 
sician, and a physiologist. 
The book which Dr. Haughton has now presented to the scientific world 
is essentially a new one, for the subject of it is a branch of anatomical and 
physiological science entirely novel, and one, too, which the author has 
almost peculiarly carried out. It is upon animal mechanism, or, in other 
words, it deals as a purely scientific physicist might with the question of 
the mechanical powers which various points of the animal economy present. 
Such, for example, as the question whether such and such a muscle is 
the best that can be adapted to do the work which it is expected to perform. 
And in working out these questions he has displayed the most profound 
patience, and has arrived at the most striking results. In fact, he has 
shown us the way to a new field of research, which will not long be un- 
trampled by observers. The only difficulty is the fact that the man who 
follows out the study must unite to his merely anatomical and physiological 
knowledge an acquaintance with at least the simpler forms of mathematics. 
Such an union Professor Haughton possesses, and hence he has given us the 
capitally novel and interesting work now before us. 
We differ from Dr. Haughton in regard to his views on the question of 
evolution, though we fancy his opinions more nearly approach some of 
Darwin’s doctrines now than they did twelve years ago; but that need not 
affect us at all in our consideration of this admirable volume. For, no matter 
whether the muscles arrived at the excellence he proves them to possess 
by a gradual process, or were first so formed, it is, nevertheless, interesting 
* “ Principles of Animal Mechanics.” By the Bev. Samuel Haughton, 
F.R.S., Fellow of Trinity College, Dublin, M.D. Dublin, D.C.L. Oxon. 
London : Longmans, 1873. 
