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Histology and Embryology. By C. S. Minot. 
nearly alike ; but it must be understood that there are many others 
whose objectives are also of the best quality. At present there is 
no difficulty in getting the best lenses and instruments, providing 
an American or English microscope of large size and complicated 
structure is not chosen. It will be found that those only who use 
a microscope for amusement utterly condemn the simple instru- 
ments, while those who make investigations and gather wide ex- 
perience often assert that the greater the simplicity the better. 
The European histologists I have met generally use a stand without 
rack and pinion for coarse adjustment, without movable stage and 
without movement round a horizontal axis. 
As to books, Frey’s ‘ Manual,’ of which there has been a trans- 
lation published in New York, is only pretty good. It came into 
general use because it was for a long time without rivals. There 
have lately appeared two little works on this subject, in England, 
one by Professor Rutherford, the other by Mr. Schaeffer, both of 
which are considered good. But by far the most important work 
is Ranvier’s ‘ Traite Technique d’Histologie,’ now being published 
in Paris, in numbers, three of which have already appeared. The 
moderate price of the book — only 25 francs for a volume of a 
thousand pages — the fulness of detail, and the superb illustrations 
alone are sufficient to recommend the work. M. Ranvier has 
written a treatise which will probably always be remembered as 
one of the most important and valuable manuals ever published, 
and which ought to be owned by everyone who attempts to in- 
vestigate the elementary structure of animals . — The American 
Naturalist, July. 
