Page:Popular Science Monthly Volume 17.djvu/719

Rh L. D. Putnam, a lady to whose zeal the prosperity of the academy is largely due. We observe that a good deal of work is done in archæology, which is certainly wise, considering the richness of this Western field.

is an American reprint of the excellent work of Dr. Wilson, accompanied with a brief preface by Dr. Richardson, of Philadelphia, and such notes as the application of Dr. Wilson's statements to American sanitary condition seemed to warrant.

The book is designed to reach and interest all classes of readers, and the various subjects considered are therefore treated in a practical, untechnical manner. Dr. Wilson opens his subject by a consideration of the amount of preventable disease, which he finds to be still very great, though it has been steadily declining, and there is good reason to hope for continued improvement in this direction. Such a description of the structure of the human body and the functions of the various organs is given as will enable the reader to have a clear appreciation of the laws of health, and the causes of diseases are then explained and illustrated. Among these causes are considered heredity, personal habits, mode of living, work and worry, bad air, food and water, etc. The subject of food and diet is treated quite fully, the nutritive value of the various foods, together with a considerable amount of information of the principles of dietetics, being given. Cleanliness, bathing and clothing in relation to health, and the hygienic value of exercise and recreation, as well as the essential features of healthy houses and surroundings, are duly considered. In the closing chapter of the book the principal dangerous infectious diseases are dealt with, and their mode of dissemination, and the precautionary measures necessary indicated.

Though the work is a continuous exposition of the subject of domestic hygiene, each chapter is made complete in itself, so as to be read independently of any other. The variety and extent of the information contained in the small compass of this volume eminently fit it for household use, while the position of the author is a guarantee of the accuracy of its statements.

is an exposition of the most reliable means of making analyses of water by the well-known chemist, Dr. Frankland. The greater part of the book is of purely technical interest, but in the appendix Dr. Frankland has given briefly information regarding the purity and value of different kinds of water that is of concern to the general public.

He finds that the best water for dietetic purposes is that of deep springs and wells, and the worst that of shallow wells, which are usually situated near drains, cesspools, etc. Rain-water, collected at a distance from towns and upon surfaces kept clean, is next in purity to that of deep wells; that collected from roofs and stored in underground tanks is rarely good enough for dietetic purposes. Water from the surface of uncultivated land is fairly good, while that from cultivated land is not sufficiently good for domestic use, though better than shallow well-water. River-water when it is from cultivated land and is polluted by sewage and factory refuse, is always dangerous to use. Surface and river water containing more than 0·2 part of organic carbon or ·03 part of organic nitrogen in 100,000 parts, is to be avoided for domestic use when possible.

Dr. Frankland states that organic matter in solution in water is so very persistent, that sewage would not be completely oxidized and destroyed in traveling from the source to the mouth of any river in the United Kingdom. Impure water can be more or less improved by filtration through sand, spongy iron, and animal charcoal, but even this can not be relied upon to render sewage-tainted water fit for use. Boiling is probably effective in destroying the power of such water to communicate disease. Water suffers little or no deterioration in transmission even through long