( 150 ) 
NEW BOOKS, WITH SHORT NOTICES. 
An Introduction to Practical Histology. By George Thin, M.D. 
London : Bailliere, Tindall, and Cox. 1877. — This is essentially a 
practical book, by an experienced and thoroughly practical man. To 
those who are familiar with Dr. Thin’s writings, and with his excel- 
lent manipulative skill as a worker, and with his valuable conceptions 
as a thinker, there is no need for any remarks of ours on the subject 
of his present book. But as we fancy that not a few of our non- 
medical readers are unacquainted with his valuable labours, a few 
observations are demanded. And in the first place it must be said 
that the volume under notice is a hook sui generis. It is as unlike 
anything with which the microscopist is acquainted as possible. It is 
essentially a treatise giving the author’s experience of many ways of 
recent workers, and of many devices of his own for the successful 
examination of the tissues of the body. Being a volume intended for 
the medical man alone, it is devoid of illustrations, and we think this 
is a circumstance to he regretted. Assuredly few know better than 
the author how completely histology has been modified by the use of 
particular methods of mounting and of treating tissues. He is well 
aware that the structure of connective masses and of nerve and 
muscle has been discovered to be different from what was taught a 
few years since. It is therefore in our opinion a source of regret 
that a greater number of cuts have not been used in illustration of the 
author’s observations. But having said this, our criticism is almost 
entirely favourable to Dr. Thin. 
The volume is unfortunately not divided into regular chapters, 
being, in point of fact, almost continuous throughout. But in the first 
place the author gives some exceedingly useful hints to the beginner 
of histology. They are thoroughly practical and to the point. 
Iodized serum he appears to lay stress on as a fluid for the prepara- 
tion and preservation of delicate tissues. But it is a pity that in 
detailing the method of obtaining this fluid, he has not given the 
exact proportions in which the iodine should be used. Another 
fluid which appears of special value in cases of amyloid degeneration 
is the violet of Methylaniline, of which he gives an account of 
M. Cornil’s. Accounts are also given of the best mode of killing 
animals, and then of injecting them ; of the use of Recklinghausen’s 
moist chamber ; of the mode of preparing sections of hard tissue 
with the microtome ; and lastly, of the different ways of mounting 
tissues. 
The section devoted to the blood is in our opinion hardly so full 
as it might be, even for a beginner. Still the author’s remarks are 
always terse and to the purpose. He gives also the mode of esti- 
mating the number of corpuscles. But the method he advocates is 
that of M. Malassez, which, though excellent in its way, is inferior 
in respect of convenience and of time, to that devised more recently 
by MM. Nachet and Hayem. With regard to the mode of preventing 
