faith in him." What a notion of the Deity!
Health Primers: No. 1, Exercise and Training; No. 2, Alcohol, its Use and Abuse; No. 3, The House and its Surroundings; No. 4, Premature Death, its Promotion or Prevention; No. 5, Personal Appearance in Health and Disease; No. 6, Baths and Bathing. New York: D. Appleton & Co. 1879. Pp. 96 each. Price, 40 cents.
The deep and widespread interest that has of late years been taken in matters pertaining to the preservation of health has caused the publication, among much that is good, of a great deal that is bad on the subject of hygiene. This has usually appeared in the shape of crude and untrustworthy compilations, that when made the basis of practice have been productive of positive injury, and have led to a general distrust of all hygienic teaching. These Primers originated in a desire to change this state of things by supplying, in a form suited to the wants of the general reader, trustworthy information capable of practical use on the more important every-day questions relating to personal and family hygiene. Their preparation has been undertaken by several eminent medical and scientific men in London; the choice of topics and critical supervision of the work being intrusted to an able and responsible committee.
The series, when complete, will consist of fifteen volumes; six of these have now been published, and, as will be seen from the titles given above, they are all on subjects of the first importance. The writer in every case has been selected for his special acquaintance with the subject he was to treat, and as a consequence each Primer is filled with substantial and useful information, presented in a simple and elementary form, that brings it within the reach of the average reader.
Some idea of the valuable practical information contained in these volumes may be gained from the following résumé of the contents of those already published:
No. 1, on "Exercise and Training," is illustrated, and deals first with the "General Principles" of the subject; this is followed by "The Exercise suitable for Different Ages, Sex, and Physical Conditions"; and the Primer closes with a chapter on "Training," in which the relations of different dietaries to exercise, the amount of exercise required, its due regulation, etc., are considered. In No. 2, on "Alcohol," the properties of this substance are first described in an "Introduction"; then come, the forms in which it is used as a beverage; its effects when taken sparingly and in excess; the diseases it gives rise to; and its right use, if used at all. No. 3, on "The House and its Surroundings," opens with a chapter pointing out the common defects observed in houses; treats next of site and construction; then of drainage; water-supply; closets and plumbing; warming and lighting; bedrooms, kitchen, etc.; and the operations of purification. No. 4, on "Premature Death," begins with a statement of the proportion of people who die before their time; this is followed by a description of the principal causes of premature death; and, lastly, we are told what to do to secure a reasonable length of days. In No. 5, on "Personal Appearance in Health and Disease," the form and size of the body, with their healthy variations, are first described; the changes that take place in the fatty layer or tissue are next discussed; then the changes observed in the bony framework; the changes in the organs due to development, etc.; artificial alterations of shape; color and changes of color; and, lastly, temperament and habit. No. 6 treats of the "Physiological Action of Baths"; varieties of baths; bathing localities; and the uses of the bath.
Draper's Scientific Memoirs. New York: Harper & Brothers. 1878.
We briefly noticed this interesting work some months ago, with the intention of recurring to it again at a favorable opportunity, to enforce some points not then considered. Meantime there has appeared a review of the volume in the "London, Edinburgh, and Dublin Philosophical Magazine," that is both so authoritative and so pertinent that we can not do better than transfer it to the columns of "The Popular Science Monthly." Dr. Draper contributed numerous articles descriptive of his important researches to the pages of that magazine at the time his investigations were made. Many of the
