REVIEWS. 
193 
In Zone V., which embraces France, North Italy, Germany, and Russia, 
in those places where most of the rain occurs in the summer, the rainfall ap- 
parently varies directly with the sunspots ; while in the case of the wet season, 
being the winter, the rainfall varies inversely, the very same changes in the 
physical state of the sun acting in totally opposite directions under the dif- 
ferent conditions. It is evident, not only from a fact quoted by Mr. Blan- 
ford, namely, that the rainfall at Madras in 1860— a year of maximum 
sunspots — was lower than that for any other year between 1832 and 1867, 
but also from the author’s own work, that it is impossible to look for any 
broad distinctive secular changes in the rainfall of the world, and that it 
will only be by minute research, and the elimination of local peculiarities, 
that the cyclical variations, if existing, will be discovered. In his appendix 
the author discusses the question of the relation between sunspots and 
cyclones. 
SEWAGE POISONING.* 
S O many evils are due to the influence of sewage-gas escaping into our 
houses that we cannot but welcome every sensible suggestion that aims 
at keeping out so dangerous an inmate — a visitor, indeed, whose mere presence 
in a house is generally so disagreeable to the senses that it is a wonder people 
treat it with so much indifference. In a lecture delivered before a London 
Medical Society, and just published as a pamphlet, Dr. E. T. Blake dis- 
courses of the various diseases which may be traced, directly or indirectly, 
to the influence of sewer-gas, of which, as might be expected, he gives a 
sufficiently formidable list, pointing out especially that, besides those more 
acute affections which every now and then produce general alarm by their 
local prevalence and often fatal termination, there are a host of apparently 
less serious complaints which nevertheless are productive at least of much 
trouble and uneasiness, and by their long continuance cause serious injury to 
the health. By a description of the usual arrangements adopted for the 
conveyance of the sewage of our London houses to the main sewer, Dr. 
Blake shows how ingeniously these are contrived to facilitate the ingress of 
the deleterious gases, and, indeed, in many cases for enabling them to reach 
and accumulate in just those parts of the house from which they ought 
most carefully to be excluded ; but having drawn this unpleasant picture, he 
does not abandon his readers to despair, but indicates pretty fully the course 
to be adopted in order to secure the exclusion of the unwelcome and mis- 
chievous intruder. Dr. Blake’s pamphlet is illustrated with a series of 
woodcuts contrasting things as they are and as he thinks they should be, 
and there is no doubt that a great improvement in the sanitary state of our 
houses would be effected by the adoption of the rules which he has laid 
down. 
* “ Is Diphtheria Preventable ? — Sewage Poisoning : its Causes and Cure.” 
By Edward T. Blake, M.D. 8vo. London: Hardwicke & Bogue. 1879. 
NEW SERIES, VOL. III. — NO. X. 
0 
