i66 
Analyses of Books. [March, 
us, we take care that when once recognised as such he shall not 
ave the. opportunity of repeating his offence, and especially of 
repioducing criminal descendants. 
The author’s proposal of inflicfting penalties equal to the sum 
stolen, & c ., multiplied by the chance of detection, might answer 
admirably for offences against property ; but for crimes against 
tbe person— which our laws, with the single exception of wilful 
murder, punish more leniently — it would be utterly inadequate, 
and, like our present system of inflicting paltry fines for cases of 
ruffianism, would be merely adding insult to injury. 
We have not the pleasure of agreeing with all the positions 
advanced by the author ; but we must recognise this little work, 
as a whole, as a signal instance in favour of applying the prin- 
ciple of Evolution to the study of Sociology and Ethics. 
Poisons: their Effects and Detection. A Manual for the Use of 
M - R - C - S " RC ' S " LoJotTlZTs 
Without doubt we have here the most comprehensive and 
E™gSlXu°a 0 ge. 0n S WhiCh ' ,aS ‘ huS &r appeared in the 
In an introductory chapter on the “ Old Poison Lore ” the 
author expresses the not improbable surmise that “the first 
poison-knowledge was that of the septic poisons. Perchance the 
savage found that weapons soiled with the blood of former 
victims made wounds fatal : from this observation the nex? sTen 
would oe that of experiment, -the arrow or spear would be 
i a lI . mann . e r of offensive pastes, and smeared with the 
juices of plants which were deemed noxious ; and as the effects 
were mysterious they would be ascribed to the supernatural 
powers, and covered with a veil of superstition.” su P einatuiaI 
From this traditional origin the history of poisons and poi- 
soning is traced downwards with the aid of such fragmentary 
records as exist. . It is stated that Attalus Phylometer, of Per- 
gamus, was acquainted with Hyoscyamus, Aconite, Conium and 
Veratrum, and that the Egyptians were acquainted with prussic 
acid, at least in a dilute state, as obtained from certain plants 
Phere is, according to Duteil, in a papyrus preserved at the 
Louvre, the sentence “Pronounce not the name of I A O 
the m JSl a j ty 0f the peach ‘ " that those who revealed 
the mysteries were put to death with peach-water. There is 
