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tountries whose climate is proverbially devoid of moisture, anddso exposed to dry scorching winds, the natives are invariablytiin, wiry, and of bony frames, being seldom or never corpu-lent; whereas those dwelling in climates of an entirely diffe-rtnt character are endowed with more muscular frames, and fre-qiently show an inclination to obesity. Of the former con-d.tion, Arabia furnishes an excellent illustration, seeing itsnitives are spare, wiry, and rarely exhibit any tendency tobecome fat; whilst in England and Holland, which have bothKoist climates, especially the kingdom last named, the in-habitants thereof are generally corpulent; indeed, to be "Dutchbuilt," is a common proverb throughout Europe. Subsequently,various additional interesting topics were discussed in theauthor’s communication, all bearing upon the main questionsbrought under notice, but to which space precludes any furtherreference at present, and therefore must be wholly omitted.Dr. Webster, however, finally observed, that by the publicgenerally, and even occasionally by medical men, erroneousnotions are often entertained respecting the unhealthiness orsalubrity of particular countries; the opinions expressedthereon being often formed from physical sensations producedupon an individual’s own bodily system, rather than throughminute investigations and enlarged experience. An agreeableclimate is not always the most salubrious, compared withplaces where atmospheric impressions seem of a contrary de-scription. For instance, the fame of the south of France, oreven Italy, both much lauded on account of their salutaryclimates, and sanativo effects in alleviating disease, appearsfounded on exaggerated reports, which often prove erroneous.The air in these southern districts no doubt frequently feelsdelightful to strangers; nevertheless, maladies are generally asserious as elsewhere, seem often more rapid in progress, and be-come equally uncontrollable by treatment. Further, the ave-rage term of human life is there rarely so prolonged as in morenorthern and bleaker regions of the globe. Human develop-ment would also appear far quicker in warm and dry countries,but it sooner decays; whilst longevity is oftener met withamongst inhabitants living in the former than the latter dis-trict. If allowed to speak figuratively (Dr. Webster observed,when concluding his paper), throughout most southern placesin Europe, animal life somewhat resembles a wax taper brisklyburning in oxygen gas, which blazes up rapidly, gives at thesame time much light, produces a great flame, but sooner burnsaway and gets quickly extinguished ; whereas, under differentexternal circumstances, the phenomena consequent upon atmo-spherical influences frequently assume an entirely oppositeaspect, and hence prove much less prejudicial to health orhuman existence.An animated and interesting discussion ensued, in which

Dr. James Bird, Mr. Milton, Dr. E. Smith, Dr. Camps, andDr. Routh took part. The author having replied to the severalspeakers, the Society then adjourned.

Reviews and Notices of Books.Clinical Lectu°es on the Principles and Practice of .1Wedicine.

By JOHN HUGHES BENNETT, M.D., F.R.S.E., Professor ofthe Institutes of Medicine, and Senior Professor of ClinicalMedicine in the University of Edinburgh, &c. &c. ThirdEdition, with 500 Illustrations on Wood. pp. 1005. Edin-burgh : Adam and Charles Black.JUST twelve months have elapsed since we reviewed at some

length the admirable volume of which we have now before usa new edition. We accepted the opportunity on that occasionof pointing out some of the valuable qualities of the author asa teacher of clinical medicine, and we affirmed of his book thatit was one of the most important professional publications ofthe day. Our judgment has been well ratified; for the formeredition became exhausted within the year, and the author hasbeen called upon to prepare a new issue much sooner than themost sanguine anticipations could have looked for. Here it is,and even with improvements. The whole of the work has beencarefully revised, and the volume has been extended by theaddition of fifty pages, of twenty cases, and of thirty-four newwoodcuts. In his preface, Dr. Bennett thus expresses himself :" I am still, however, deeply sensible of the many imperfec-

tions with which this work is chargeable, and for which I must

solicit the kind indulgence of my medical brethren. To exem-plify the entire subject of practical medicine by means of casesin a work of moderate compass is obviously impossible; butsufficient examples, I trust, have been given to illustrate themore important modifications which the advanced state ofdiagnosis and pathology has effected in the treatment of dis-eases. The flattering manner in which it has been received bythe profession, and noticed by the press, confirm the convictionI formerly ventured to state-viz., that such modifications willbe shown by further experience to be, not merely temporarychanges, but permanent improvements in the practice of theart." "

I Few books have of late issued from the press, in which acombination of the most advanced or even recondite morbid

anatomy and pathology, along with pure practical medicine, isto be found more clearly and happily worked out than in these"Clinical Lectures" of Dr. Bennett. In some sense, too, theircollection forms an encyclopaedia, of modern scientific medicineto which the student and busy practitioner can refer with thecertainty of being made acquainted with the latest researchesof the day.

Occasional Papers on the Theory of Glaciers. Now first col-lected and chronologically arranged, with a Prefatory Noteon the recent Progress and present Aspect of the Theory.By James D. FORBES, D. C. L., F. R. S. ; CorrespondingMember of the Royal Institute of France, and Professor ofNatural Philosophy in the University of Edinburgh. A. andC. Black." GLACIER" is a name which is given to a mass of ice which

descends from snowy mountains into the adjacent valleys,where it attains a level often far below the upper limit of the

surrounding vegetation. In Great Britain, as no mountainfully attains the height of the snow line, there are no glaciers;but patches of snow, with a more or less icy structure, remainthrough the summer in the clefts of some of the Scottish hills.It is the opinion of the author, however, that geological ap-pearances strongly indicate the former existence of glaciers inScotland and Wales, The characteristic appearances of a gla-cier can be nowhere better studied than in Switzerland and

Savoy; but they are to be found in almost all the chief divi-sions of the globe, from Spitzbergen to the Himalayas. In1842 Professor Forbes visited the Mer de Glace of Chamouni,to determine by a series of experiments the laws of its motion.From thence he addressed a series of letters to Prof. Jamieson,which contained the original draft of the " Plastic or ViscousTheory" of the formation of glaciers. This theory was after-wards expounded in a more methodical and detailed mannerin a work entitled " Travels in the Alps." In 1846 this theorywas clearly stated, in "A Thirteenth Letter on Glaciers," inthe following terms:-

" All the phases of a consolidation of a glacier are due to theeffects of time and cohesion alone, acting on a substance soft-ened by the imminent approach of the thawing state, in oppo-sition to the belief which I formerly, in common with mostpersons, entertained,-that snow could not pass into pellucidice without being first melted and then frozen. Friction andpressure alone I affirmed to effect the change, especially in theglacier which during a great part of the year is kept on thevery border of thawing by the ice-cold water which infiltratesit. In this condition, molecular attachment I stated to becomparatively easy, the opacity disappearing as optical con-tact is attained. The glacification’ of the 2ijvj takes place bythe kneading or working of the parts under intense pressure,and the multitudinous incipient fissures are reunited by thesimple effects of time and cohesion."

Professor Forbes’ " Theory of Glaciers" was thought well ofby a few, keenly criticized and opposed by many, and neglectedby more. In 1850 Mr. Faraday delivered a lecture at theRoyal Institution on certain properties of water, and moreespecially of water in the act of freezing. He showed, amongstother things, that if a film of water be enclosed between twoplates of ice, even at a thawing temperature, the film of wateris frozen and the plates of ice cohere; and also that damp snow

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becomes by the same process compacted into a snowball, whichwill not occur if the snow be dry and hard frozen.

" These facts appear to have excited little notice until atten-tion was called to them by Dr. Tyndall, in a lecture also de-livered at the Royal Institution on the 23rd of January, 157.He gave to the phenomenon the name of 2-egelatioi?. He appliedit to explain the observation that portions of ice crushed in amould under Bramah’s press may assume new and compactforms without showing any trace of flaws : this he attributedto the regelation’ of the water in the crevices......Dr. Tyndallsoon applied his experiments on the consolidation or mouldingof ice, and his adaptation to them of Mr. Faraday’s fact of, regelation,’ to the explanation of the veined structure andmovement of glaciers...... Thus it will be seen how the theoryof glaciers became anew, in J857, a matter of attention to menof science......All these results of the discriminating study ofthe familiar substance of ice near 32’-the deduction of M.Person, the fact of Mr. Faraday, the experiment of Dr. Tyndall,the prediction of Mr. James Thomson, and its verification byhis brother-instead of militating against the correctness of mytheory of glaciers of 1842, seem to me to afford so many inde-pendent confirmations of it." (Prefatory note passim.) )Hence the idea was suggested to the eminent philosopher of

the North to publish a literal reprint of those minor writings inwhich from time to time he had endeavoured, first to expoundthe " plastic theory," and afterwards to defend it,-the largerand more correct views which may now be taken of the entire

subject not by any means rendering valueless the generalizationwhich was made with the full advantage of the recent investi-gations we have before alluded to. A critique of the "theoryof glaciers" in these pages is of course out of the question; allwe can further do is to recommend the perusal and study ofthe highly interesting collection of papers contained in Pro-fessor Forbes’ volume.

Beeton’s Dictionary of U22iversal I-nformatzon; eomprisingGeog1’aphy, History, Biography, Mythology, Bible-Know-ledge, a Chronological Rec01’d, and the Correct Pa°orLuncaataonof every Proper N arne. Edited and Compiled by S. O.BEETON and JOHN SnERER. 8vo, in Monthly Parts.London: Beeton, Bouverie-street.WE have carefully looked over the parts of this work, Nos. 1

to 6 inclusive, already issued, and consider that they fairly de-mand a notice in this place. The leisure of medical practi-tioners is so circumscribed that they have generally no time towade for information into long treatises, or even to seek for

what they require to know on special points in long articles inencyclopaedias. Any work, therefore, which will supply whatthey need in a brief compass is to them a valuable boon. So

. far as general information goes, which is apt to get very rustyduring the fatigues and incessant occupation of a laboriousprofessional life, the book before us is just the one adapted tobe pre-eminently useful as one of reference. The articles in itare short, but pithy; and, so far as we have seen, they appearto comprise in a few words all that it is necessary for the gene-ral inquirer to retain in memory. We might particularize thoseon Abd-el-Kader, Abernethy, Addison, aesculapius, Agra(which contains a most excellent summary of the causes andprogress of the late Indian revolt), Arnold (the celebrated headmaster of Rugby School), Bacchus, Bacon, &c., as favourable

specimens. The true pronunciation is given after each name.Many wood engravings are scattered through the work; andin each number is a map, or some other useful sheet. The ex-

ceedingly low price of this Dictionary is an additional reason forits obtaining very general encouragement. It is really a re-markable work.

Letters on Modern Agriculture. By Baron VON LIEBIG.Edited by JOHN BLYTIEC, M.D., Professor of Chemistry,Queen’s College, Cork. pp. 284. London : Walton andMaberly.No man who wishes to understand the theory of agriculture,

as it has been elaborated by modern science, should be unac-quainted with the valuable researches of Liebig on this impor-

tant subject. The wealth and material prosperity of a natioidepend more on the production of the soil than on aryother single cause. The views of the great chemist of Giessmhave been already more than once expounded in the colunnsof this journal. Our readers are doubtless familiar with ’the

preference which he so strongly entertains for mineral as coi-trasted with organic manures. These views are given atlength in the work before us. As a translation, the perform-ance is perfect, and the printing and getting-up are a credit tothe publishers.

Traité de Physiologie. Par F. A. LONGET. Vol. 1., Fascic. II.Paris: Victor Masson. April, 1859.

Tms is part of the reissue of M. Longet’s justly celebratedTreatise. In this second edition the whole of the first volume

is, in fact, only a reprint of the first edition. It does not need,therefore, more than the simple announcement of its appear-ance, since its high merits have already been fully appreciated.The second volume, on the other hand, will be printed anew,and will include all the changes and additions which the pro.gress of science can demand.

Foreign Department.CONTAGIOUS NATURE OF THE SECONDARY SYMPTOMS OF

SYPHILIS.

M. AUZIAS TuRENNE, the originator of syphilization, had,some months ago, induced the Minister of Public Works to askthe Academy of Medicine of Paris the following questions:-

1. Are the secondary symptoms of syphilis contagious?2. Have the secretions of these symptoms with infants, as

far as contagion is concerned, properties different from thosethey possess with adults ?The Academy appointed a committee, composed of MM.

Velpeau, Ricord, Devergie, Depaul, and Gibert, to considerthese questions, and give in a report, which has been read byM. Gibert, at the meeting on the 24th ult. It would appearthat M. Ricord desired to be excused from joining the com-mittee, so as to be better able to engage upon the discussion ofthe report. From M. Gibert’s exposition, we and that thecommittee instituted experiments at the St. Louis Hospital,and have come to the conclusion to propose, that the questionsasked by the Minister shall be answered in the followingmanner :-

1. There are secondary, or constitutional, symptoms ofsyphilis which are contagious. The principal of these is themucous papule, or flat tubercle.

2. This rule holds as good for the nurse and suckling as forother individuals; there is no reason for supposing that, withchildren at the breast, the secretion from secondary symptomshas properties different from those observed with adults.As M. Ricord was not present, the discussion was adjourned,

and took place at the meeting on the 24th of May, when thatgentleman yielded to the experiments made on healthy sub-jects by the reporter, and conceded that some secondary symp-toms were contagious.

INJECTION OF THE CONCENTRATED SOLUTION OF PERCHLORIDE

OF IRON INTO THE SAC OF AN ANEURISM.

M. DEBOUT, well known in Paris by his investigations re-specting the effect of such injections, has lately read before theAcademy of Medicine the following case.--A general, aged fifty-eight, and of weak health, presented

an aneurism of the upper part of the ulnar artery on the rightside. The size was about three- inches by two. Twenty dropsof the solution were injected into the sac from four differentpoints in varying directions. The temperature of the limbbecame immediately lower, and severe pain ensued. Thetumour became hard, and lost its pulsations. From internalcauses, the patient died four days after the operation, thetumour having diminished to one inch by one-third of an inch.On examination, after a longitudinal section of the sac, it

was found occupied by two clots. One was peripheric, occupiedthe greater portion of the sac, and was composed of concentricfibrinous layers like those observed in aneurisms undergoingspontaneous cure. In the centre of these layers was the clot