Page:Popular Science Monthly Volume 8.djvu/391

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is a remarkably clear and interesting history of an outbreak of trichina disease that was clearly traced to the eating of smoked but uncooked sausage. The disease was fatal in several cases, but the larger proportion of those attacked recovered. The author describes the symptoms of the disease, and the several modes of treatment that were adopted. The occurrence led to an extended examination of the pork produced in several counties in Southern Indiana, when it was found that from three to sixteen per cent, of the hogs that came under observation contained trichinæ. Though full of important information for the doctors and the public, this paper is, for pork-eaters, any thing but pleasant reading.

author of this address defends the paradox that disease is the normal condition, while health is the abnormal condition of our race. If this is the case, then prophylaxy and sanitation must be up-hill work indeed. Still to this work Dr. Gay does not hesitate to address himself, and his pamphlet contains many timely observations on various insanitary conditions of modern life.

book contains a few good things, that have been said a hundred times before, and that are here scattered through a large amount of nonsense which might better have been left unsaid.

is a pamphlet of sixty pages, containing a popular account of the discovery, opening, and mode of working, of the new silver and lead mines in the locality named.

the first page of this pamphlet the author says his object is to show that, notwithstanding certain apparent differences, Pettigrew and Marey essentially agree in their views on the subject of flight. But the real object, as it appears from the remaining pages, is to prove by citations from both authors that Pettigrew anticipated Marey in most of his results, the latter, indeed, having claimed as original a great deal for which he was clearly indebted to Dr. Pettigrew. It is the old fight over again concerning priority of discovery, and in this case, according to our present lights, Pettigrew appears to have the best of the battle.

13 of this series contains Tyndall's paper on "The Transmission of Sound by the Atmosphere," and an account of "Gigantic Cuttle-Fishes," by W. Saville Kent. In this paper the author recites the records of early observations of these monsters, the stories about which were considered doubtful until the recent discoveries off the coast of Newfoundland. The bulk of the article is a history of these later discoveries.

Number 14 is on "The Glacial Epoch of our Globe." by Alexander Brown. This is an interesting popular statement of how the theory of a glacial epoch arose, and of the investigations and theories relating to the constitution and movements of glaciers of celebrated observers. The number is illustrated.

Number 15 gives Balfour Stewart's address on "The Sun and the Earth;" a paper on "Force electrically exhibited," by J. W. Phelps; and two short articles entitled respectively "Weighing the Earth in a Coal-Pit," and The "Influence of Violet Light on the Growth of Animals and Plants."

interest to mineralogists exclusively. The paper is republished from the American Journal of Science. It is accompanied with two colored lithographs.