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A TREATISE ON PLAGUE: Dealing with the Historical, Epidemiological, Clinical, Therapeutic, and Preventive Aspects of the Disease. By W. J. SIMPSON, M.D.Aberd., F.R.C.P.Lond., D.P.H.Camb, Professor of Hygiene, King's College, London; Lecturer on Tropical Hygiene, London School of Tropical Medicine; formerly Health Officer, Calcutta ; Medical Adviser to the Government of Cape Colony during the Outbreak of Plague in 1901; Commissioner for the Colonial Office to Inquire into the Causes of the Continuance of the Plague in Hong-Kong. With Maps and Illustra tions. Royal 8vo, 16s. net.

LANCET." We congratulate Prof. Simpson upon the completeness of his work. He has given to the practical physician an accurate guide to the diagnosis and the treatment of plague; the bacteriologist will find here a trustworthy account of the plague bacillus, its nature, its virulence, and its vitality; the sanitarian will read of the way in which to deal practically with an epidemic; and the politician, if he will but realise the condition of India as recorded in these pages, will be enabled to form some idea of the pressing calamity, which threatens to assume aspects and proportions that may in the near future require most strenuous endeavours to allay." THE GEOGRAPHY OF DISEASE. By Frank G. CLEMOW, M. D. Edin., D.P.H.Camb., Physician to H.M. Embassy, Constantinople. With 12 Maps and Charts. 155. ("Cambridge Geographical Series.")

THE PRESERVATION OF ANTIQUITIES: a Handbook for Curators, Translated, by permission of the Authorities of the Royal Museums, from the German of Dr. FRIEDRICH RATHGEN, Director of the Laboratory of the Royal Museums, Berlin, by GEORGE A. AUDEN, M.A., M.D.Cantab., and HAROLD A. AUDEN, M.Sc. Vict., D.Sc. Tübingen. Crown 8vo, 45. 6d. net.

KUMMER'S QUARTIC SURFACE. By R. W. H. T. HUDSON, M.A., D.Sc., late Fellow of St. John's College, Cambridge, and Lecturer in Mathematics at the University of Liverpool. Demy 8vo, 8s. net.

NOW READY. Vol. V. Demy 8vo, 155. MATHEMATICAL AND PHYSICAL PAPERS. By the late Sir GEORGE GABRIEL STOKES, Bart., Sc. D., LL.D., D.C.L., Past. Pres. R.S., &c. Reprinted from the Original Journals and Transactions, with brief Historical Notes and References. Vol. V. (Concluding Volume). Demy 8vo, 155. Volumes I., II., III., and IV. already published, 15s. each.

London: CAMBRIDGE UNIVERSITY PRESS WAREHOUSE, Ave Maria Lane, C. F. CLAY, Manager.

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THE ANOPHELES MOSQUITOES OF INDIA. A Monograph of the Anopheles Mosquitoes of India. By S. P. James and Dr. W. G. Liston. Pp. 132 and plates. (Calcutta and London: Thacker and Co.) Price 248. net.

THERE

HERE is one feature in which this book far surpasses any other devoted to mosquitoes, viz. the coloured plates. The authors and their artist, Dr. Turkhud, are to be congratulated on the excellence of these pictures. It will be now possible to compare an Indian Anopheline with a plate, and with practical certainty to be sure of its identity. The same could not be said of any representations of mosquitoes hitherto produced. These plates are beautifully executed, and depict faithfully the bands on the palpi, the spots on the wings, and the leg markings. It is a pity that some few Anophelines are not represented, but of these we have, of course, the systematic description.

The book is divided into two parts: (1) general, 12) systematic. The first chapter gives a general account of mosquitoes, egg, larva, nymph, and external anatomy of the imago. The description is clear and adequate for medical men, for whom the book is primarily written. We think perhaps a short account of the internal anatomy might have been added, as a knowledge of this is so important. The chapter ends with a short account of Theobald's classification of mosquitoes, which the authors are unable to accept. Instead of dividing the subfamily Anophelina into twelve genera as Theobald has done, they place them all (at least the Indian ones) in the old genus Anopheles. We cannot help thinking that this, in spite of some of the difficulties of Mr. Theobald's classification which they point out, is a retrograde step. The authors deal with a total of twenty-four Indian species; the total number of Anophelines, however, now amounts to nearly a hundred, and, to say the least, it would be very inconvenient, if not impossible, to deal with these if we placed them all in a single genus. In some of these, e.g. Lophoscelomyia, Christya, the difference in scale structure is so marked from, for example, a typical Myzomyia that we prefer to follow Mr. Theobald and put them in separate genera. Again, we do not know whether the authors would propose, ignoring scale structure, to arrange the rest of the Culicidæ in a single genus, Culex, and take no notice of the obvious differences in scale structure, e.g. between Mucidus and Culex, or between Stegomyia and Culex. We think, to be logical, they should do so, and try to classify them by palpal bands and leg markings; but this would be well-nigh impossible. We think the authors would have made their position more secure if they had been content with placing in the same genus only those in which they failed to recognise the differences in scale structure defined by Mr. Theobald. It may be granted that doubts sometimes arise, but we cannot regard

this as an excuse for merging into a single genus those in which the differences are well marked and easily appreciable.

The second chapter contains a synoptic table of the Indian species of Anophelines, based upon the author's classification according to palpal bandings, wing spots, and leg markings; the chapter concludes with a description of the method of identifying Anopheline larvæ. The essential points are very clearly set forth, and there follows a classification-a modification of that originally constructed by Stephens and Christophers. One point noticeable as showing that even all the Indian Anopheline larvæ are as yet unknown is that the table only contains eighteen species, whereas the table of imagines contains twenty-four. This table should be of great assistance in helping actual workers in identifying their catch of larvæ from any source.

The third chapter is devoted to the habits of Anophelines. These most interesting questions are, as the authors admit, only beginning to be studied, and now that a book of this kind enables observers to identify their mosquitoes, we may expect much light on these questions-questions of vital importance, but to which many pay no attention. One of the most interesting problems is the distance of flight of Anophelines. Christophers and myself found in Africa instances which proved conclusively that normally the flight of Anophelines was quite a restricted one, to be counted in yards and not in miles, as was not uncommonly stated. A striking example of this we found in the central portion of Freetown, Sierra Leone. Although we lived there for several months during the dry and rainy seasons, we never discovered Anophelines in our rooms, yet a quarter of a mile away they existed in myriads in the native huts; and many other similar instances were observed by us. Yet in Mian Mir observations are quoted to show that P. fuliginosus will on occasions fly two and a quarter miles, and M. rossii three-quarters of a mile. But, of course, the conditions at Mian Mir are very different-in one case an open plain, in the other a crowded town. Closely bound up with this problem is the question of dispersal of Anophelines. Two of the most important means are (1) by flight, (2)" by a gradual spreading, by short stages, from areas in which they are abundant." This latter method is, it seems to us, one of the most important and overlooked by those who have no intimate knowledge of mosquito habits, but who readily draw up schemes for their wholesale destruction. We agree with the authors when they state, "observers who consider that Anopheles can be materially reduced in numbers by the obliteration of all breeding places in the immediate vicinity of dwellings, rely chiefly upon the suppositions that the range of flight of these insects is very limited and that they do not disperse any considerable distance from their breeding grounds. It would appear from the observations just recorded that such suppositions are incorrect, and if this is so, the task of materially reducing the number of Anopheles in any place will undoubtedly be one of great magnitude."

Again, granted that Anophelines have been diminished in numbers in a certain area, it by no means follows that the malaria will be diminished. We could furnish many instances observed by us in Africa where Anophelines were extremely scanty (but present) yet the malarial index was high. In fact, it is not always possible to trace any relation between the number of Anophelines and the value of the malarial index, although on the contrary it often is so. Finally, we may point out that we have at our disposal an accurate and easily applied method of determining whether anti-mosquito measures have diminished malaria. It is now universally accepted by medical men, but not generally known to the layman, that the great source of malaria in the tropics lies in the native children, who to the outward eye show no signs of ill-health, though they contain in their blood malarial parasites. The malarial index or endemicity is the percentage of children under ten years of age that harbour parasites. It is not uncommonly 100 per cent.

If, then, the anti-malarial measures have reduced malaria, this figure must decrease. If malaria has been abolished it must be zero. (It is hardly necessary to state that, in determining this index, children of the same age must be selected for comparison, and the comparison must be made at the same time of the year before and after operations; such precautions are obvious, and are, of course, always taken by those engaged in such observations.) To sum up, no facts are convincing where this proof is not adduced. If the malarial endemicity is reduced to zero, then anti-mosquito measures have been completely successful-but not until then.

Let us return, however, to the book. We think it would have been advantageous, considering the great importance of the subject, if the authors had compiled a tabular statement of those species that are known to transmit malaria in nature, though the data on this point can be found by search. At present, then, out of twenty-four Indian Anophelinæ it has only been shown that three convey malaria in nature, viz. :M. culicifacies, by Stephens, Christophers, and James; M. listoni, by Stephens, Christophers, and James; P. fuliginosus, by Adie; and we know with practical certainty that M. rossii does not. The third chapter contains many interesting details of larval life, but it is to be hoped that many observers, using this book as their guide, will study the subject further and fill up the many lacunæ.

Chapter iv. is devoted again to the vexed question of classification. Then follows part ii., containing the systematic description of each species. The descriptions are excellently done, clear, and sufficient, and not overloaded with details which terrify the already overburdened medical man in the tropics. In fact, this book admirably fulfils the object of enabling "medical men engaged in tracing the connection between mosquitoes and human disease to identify and speak with precision of the species implicated." These words are attributed to Prof. Ray Lankester, and if they represent his words we cannot but think he elaborate monograph of the Culicidæ, excel

lent as it is, issued by the museum authorities has not had this result. The majority of medical men in the tropics can ill afford the time or inclination to read these detailed descriptions. We think if the museum authorities would issue concise but adequate accounts of, say, the Anophelinæ only, medical men would be greatly helped. For a few shillings the United States authorities publish excellent bulletins on various subjects, e.g. the ticks, the flukes, and so forth, but if a medical man in British possessions wants to identify the species of tsetse-fly he is working with he must buy a monograph issued by the museum costing fifteen shillings. If he wants to know anything about ticks, the museum leaves him in the dark. Seeing what medical men have done recently in elucidating malaria, sleeping sickness, and, most recently of all, tick fever, we think they might reasonably expect some help in return. We would point out finally one small matter which might be corrected in a future edition. In the list of illustrations only i-x are mentioned, though these number xv at least. The arrangement of the plates is erratic, e.g. v, xi, vi, xiv, vii, &c., so that they are very difficult to find. The proofs have evidently been carefully read, and we have detected no error of any importance.

The authors have had the great advantage of describing species caught on the spot and studied under their natural surroundings. We trust somebody will be found in Africa to write an equally good text-book of African Anophelines.

We think that all medical men in India will feel grateful to the authors for this excellent work. J. W. W. STEPHENS.

EXERCISES IN PHYSICS. Notes and Questions in Physics. By Prof. John S. Shearer. Pp. vii+284; illustrated. (New York: The Macmillan Company; London: Macmillan and Co., Ltd., 1904.) Price 7s. 6d. net.

THE

'HE present volume has been written to take the place of a similar book prepared several years ago by Prof. C. P. Matthews and the author. Actual experience in the class-room indicated the desirability of certain extensions and changes in the text, and also of many explanatory notes and solutions.

The book is, in reality, a collection of problemsmany of which have been selected from examination papers-together with occasional hints with regard to solving them, and very brief introductory paragraphs to each section which explain the principal technical terms referred to therein. It will be easily understood, therefore, that the book is not intended to take the place of regular text-books, lectures, or of laboratory practice. It is designed, indeed, to accompany these. The supply of problems in many text-books is exceedingly scanty-the present volume amplifies the supply. It will be found of great service to the teacher in suggesting problems to set as class work. As no answers are given, there will be less temptation to the teacher merely to quote the selected problems; anyone who is alive in his subject will modify them to suit his

MATHEMATICAL METAPHYSICS.

own preferences. The absence of answers makes the
book of no use to the private student who requires Principien der Metaphysik.

some check on the work he does. On the whole,
we think that the utility of the book would be
increased by the addition of these; or, if this is not

By Dr. Branislav Petronievics. Vol. i., part i. Pp. xxxi +444. (Heidelberg Carl Winter, 1904.) Price 15 marks.

:

favoured, then by their publication in a separate THIS is the first instalment of a new work on

volume.

The whole ground of physics is covered, including

mechanics. The general difficulty is only slight.

By far the largest number of the problems could be tackled by a first-year university student. In mechanics very many are even of matriculation standard; thus, "The Washington Monument is 169 metres high. In what time will a stone fall from top to bottom?" Mingled with these are a few requiring the calculus. Many require only a qualitative answer; thus, 'Explain why it is difficult to walk up an icy hill." These remarks are equally true of the other sections; thus, in electricity, the following is a commonly occurring type of question:-"Two copper wires are of the same cross-section, but one is twice as long as the other. Compare their resistances." Indeed, this question illustrates the general character of the book very well. Take each clause of an ordinary text-book and express it in question form that seems to have been the mode of

formation. We miss the bright sparkle of genius which flashes out from the examination papers of many of the examiners that we know. Still, we think, and we have said, that many will find it a very useful book.

Turning next to the hints, which, we think, might be multiplied with advantage, these are not always above criticism. Take, for example, the following :

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We are of opinion that equality of the two momenta is the fundamental fact which can be proved only by experiment. The operation of changing from a variable acceleration to the change in velocity is inadequately represented by a multiplication by the time.

The arrangement of the problems seems to have been imperfectly attended to; very many questions are to be found in sections with which they have nothing to do. For example, under the head "Colour" occur a series of questions such as "Why does an object appear equally bright at all distances from the eye?"

A series of useful tables completes the volume. The numerical constants given are not always scrupulously exact. For example, log #=0.497150 and not 0.497149 (as given) when only six figures are to be retained. Again, why should a student (or teacher) be misled into taking log 2 as 0.994299 when the much simpler number 0-994300 is more exact? There are two other examples of this on the same page. This is the kind of number which, if quoted at all, ought to be checked and re-checked until the author is sure that he has it right.

metaphysics. It discusses only general ontology and the formal categories (in other words, the general

ontological and the quantitative problem). The second

part of the same volume, we are informed, will deal with the qualitative and hyper-metaphysical problems, and the second volume will then go on to cosmology and psychology.

The author's guiding principle is expressed in the motto, "Correct mathematical ideas are the key for the solution of the riddle of the universe." We doubt if this will command the acceptance of any metaphysicians whose interests are not primarily mathematical. Mr. Balfour, in a well-known passage, has pointed out how often the battles of theology are decided beyond the borders of that study; it is a little hard if the metaphysician, who contemplates all time and all existence, is to be fettered by the geometrical views of his age, and before he makes any headway in prima philosophia must study closely the hundredpage account of the new geometry "with 3 tables containing 56 geometrical figures.”

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We doubt in particular whether ordinary metaphysicians will ever accept the "discrete" or atomic view of space here given, however fashionable it may be among modern mathematicians. That view goes back to the Arabic school of the Mutakallimun. Dr. Petronievics adopts, with some slight differences, the development of the theory advocated by Giordano Bruno. He distinguishes two kinds of point," Mittelpunkt (der reale mit Inhalt erfüllte Punkt) and Zwischenpunkt (der irreale die leere nichtseiende Lücke darstellende Punkt). The discussion of time follows the same atomic lines. The plain man wonders in what fashion precisely his old friend "Achilles and the tortoise is to be dealt with on these principles. (That fallacy, it is true, appeals in the first instance to those who combine an atomic view of Time with a non-atomic view of Space, but it has surely its difficulties for any who regard either Time or Space as discrete.) The same guileless innocent, while understanding readily the general data which enable a Kelvin to calculate the approximate size of "atoms" of water, does not see quite so readily how we can ever hope to reach the data for determining the size of atoms of impalpable Time or Space. Nor, again, does he see the special benefit of abolishing the old Euclidean point in favour of the new one endowed with both position and magnitude, when to all intents he is compelled, a moment later, to revive in the term Zwischenpunkt the "point" of his earliest geometrical affections-" that which has position but not magnitude"; and he recalls the Horatian tag, "Expelles furca, tamen usque recurret."

Still, the discussion contained in this volume is stimulating, and considerable dialectic power is displayed. One will watch with interest in the later volumes whether the author succeeds in dealing with

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