Page:Folk-lore - A Quarterly Review Volumes 32 and 33.djvu/76

64 scrying and analogous or derived purposes. In the course of the work he discusses taboos of various kinds, positive rites, such as the rites of divination especially connected with philtres and love-divination, and death-rites (breaking or covering mirrors at a death, and so forth), the belief in the life after death, the journey of the soul and reincarnation, in so far as these are related to mirror-magic. His examples include both tales and practices, and are drawn often from the most unexpected quarters. With the English literature of anthropology he has an acquaintance much more intimate than writers in the German language have in the past sometimes cultivated. He attaches greater value to the Freudian theory and symbolism than I should be disposed to do; but I have not closely followed the recent developments in psychology. Outside this, however, his comments are sane enough, displaying on occasion considerable insight; and the student of folklore will find here an abundance of useful information on the subjects treated of.

under his familiar pseudonym of P. Saintyves, M. Nourry sets out to investigate the obscure subject of the origin (or origins) of the art and science of medicine. Asking the question whether it is, as many historians and philosophers have believed, purely empirical, his answer is that chance may have played some part, though not a very great one, but that, judging by the conduct of the lower animals, the human instinct, the appetites and aversions manifested by us from time to time, according to our state of health, age and other conditions, must have often determined our conduct, and being observed have led by experience to more or less systematic empirical treatment of the sick. This course, however, has been diverted by magical and sacerdotal practice and theory; and the cradle of medicine has been surrounded by mystical influence, rather magical than religious. He discusses the three chief magical