ful manuals on topics of vital moment to the people, but the danger is that they will be too much cheapened, and become inadequate to the ends they propose. In the present case we think a mistake has been committed in dividing this book into two parts, the first treating of "School Hygiene," and the second of "Industrial Hygiene." These topics are too large and too momentous to be both dispatched in a fifty-cent primer. The author has done as well as he could with the subjects in the space assigned, and the book undoubtedly contains a good deal of important information well presented. The first part, comprising 106 pages, is much the best, but it would have been still better if he had devoted the other fifty pages to the same subject; various points that he has treated should have been much more amplified, and "Industrial Hygiene" dealt with in a separate book.
The Ocean as a Health-Resort: A Handbook of Practical Information as to Sea-Voyages for the Use of Tourists and Invalids. By William S. Wilson, L. R. C. P. Philadelphia: Presley Blakiston. Pp. 260. Price, $2.50.
In this age of restlessness, when "everybody goes to Europe," and the trip around the world is becoming commonplace, a special book on the requirements and experiences of sea-travel and its hygienic influence may be useful to a large number of persons. To the unpracticed traveler a first sea-voyage is generally a very uncomfortable experience. Aside from sea-sickness, there are many more inconveniences and disagreeablenesses than are compensated for by the novelty of the situation; and, if a person is out of health, these effects are naturally aggravated. The author of this book assumes that there would be a great mitigation of sea-troubles if there was more information about them to guide the traveler; and so he has attempted to bring together various hints, explanations, and practical directions by which sea-life may be made most comfortable. He gives instruction as to the outfit, and what is to be expected in the way of accommodation, food, and amusement in long voyages. The diseases to which sea-voyages are supposed to be favorable are considered, and the various curative effects of the ocean-climate. The most suitable routes for particular hygienic objects are pointed out, and the choice of ships and the best times of the year for voyaging are also noticed. There are chapters on the "Management of the Health at Sea," on "Occupations and Amusements at Sea," on "Objects of Interest at Sea," and on "The Meteorology of the Ocean." The book is English, and the author assumes the voyage to Australia by the Atlantic route to be, on account of its length and many advantages for invalids, the typical health-voyage; but he gives many particulars concerning various other sea-routes, so that those inclined to ocean-travel can have a choice of courses, and make their preparations accordingly. The volume is well worth consulting before going to sea, and, as it is not large, it may be found profitable to take it along.
The Philosophy of Mathematics, with Special Reference to the Elements of Geometry and the Infinitesimal Method. By Albert Taylor Bledsoe, LL. D. Philadelphia: J. B. Lippincott & Co. Pp. 248.
This work appeared several years ago, but its discussion of mathematical questions is of permanent interest. It is not a general philosophy of mathematics, such as might be based upon the historical development of mathematical conceptions, but it is limited to the higher mathematics, and is a critical inquiry into certain controverted questions which have long exercised the ingenuity of the learned. One of the main objects of the book is to combat the idea that the circle is to be regarded as but a regular polygon of an infinite number of sides. The book abounds in mathematical erudition, and has much interest for the devoted cultivators of the science.
The Orthoëpist: A Pronouncing Manual. By Alfred Ayres. New York: D. Appleton & Co. 1880. Pp. 207. Price, $1.
The author has in this manual given the pronunciation, as determined by the best usage, of a large number of English words that are frequently mispronounced. The list contains about thirty-five hundred words, and includes the more commonly used foreign ones. The recognized authorities are cited in support of the pronunciation given, and when they differ the preponderant opin-
