The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1874-08-01
Recent Publications.

PHYSIOLOGY FOR PRACTICAL USE. Edited by
James Hinton. New York: d. Appleton & Co.
For sale by Bailey and Noyes.
We pretend to teach physiology, in our
public schools, and our children obtain for the
time being some vague ideas as to what the
word physiology means, but as to its practi-
cal application to the occurrences of every day
life, they obtain not the faintest idea, for the
very simple reason, that neither teachers nor
scholars have any thorough text book on that
subject. This book, which is a collection of
articles from the "Peoples Magazine"
London publication, edited by James Hinton,
one of the greatest living aurists, fills up the
gap in our present ignorance of physiology,
and obtains high position for itself, at its
first appearance. The range of subjects dis
cussed is loo extensive to be here named at
full length, but those most forcbly treated, as
it seems to us, are: The Senses of Hearing
and Smell; Taking Cold; Sleep; Ventilation;
Alcohol; Gymnastics; and one of the closing
articles on Health and Occupation. In re-
spect TO this latter article, what fruitful essays
could not one write, on such themes as these:
''There is no disease so deadly as no occupa-
tion;" "no constitution is 50 morbid, as that
by which no work is done;' Concentration
of thought upon any organ is often the cause
Of disease tkerein.'' These are self-evident
truths, if one will take the least trouble to
think, but thought IS rarely given to such i'm
portant truths. One great practical lesson
to be learned from physiology, is that our
bodily organs perform their work, uncon-
scously to us, and that when we become
conscious of their existence just then does it
become plain that they are diseased, more or
less.
We trust that the very few words which we
find time to say about this physiology for
Practical Use'' may induce many to read it,
both young and old, for it really is work,
that one finds interesting enough to dash
swiftly through, as if it were some entertain
ing novel, and then afterwards one finds sub.
ject for earnest sober thought.
CooMAssIE AND MAGpALA. BY Henry NJ Stanley.
New York: Harper s. Brothers. For sale by
Loring, Short s. Harmon.
The discoverer of Livingstone tells in this
volume of five hundred pages the story of two
British campaigns in Africa, the campaign
against Coomassie and the campaign against
Magdala. These wars, although against
semi-barbaric nations, are the most brilliant
which have Illustrated the British arms since
1915. Even the successes in India, surpris-
ing as they are, are not so creditable to the
English soldiery and to English generalship.
The story is we'll and fully told. Mr. STAN
ley has a genius for gathering news and for
putting it into a picturesque garb. His Eng
lish is what is disparagingly called ''newspa-
per EngEsh," but it is very readable and en-
tertaining. A profuson of maps and illus
trations add to the value of the volume.
LIFE OF LORD CHIEF JUSTICE DENMAN. By Sir
Joseph Amould. Vol. L. Boston: Estes & Lau-
riat. For sale by Dresser, Mcclellan & Co.
Thomas, afterwards Lord Denman, was
the son of Thomas Denman, a physician,
and Elizabeth Brodie and was born in Queen
street, Golden Square, London, Feb. %, ITO
The street where he was born now bears
his name. At the age of nine he was sent
to Eton, where he remained seven years.
After studying with an uncle year,
he entered Cambridge in 1906 Mathe-
MATES was then the essential element
of Cambridge education. Proficiency in
this branch was the road to college honors.
Denman had no taste, perhaps no head, for
mathematics and believed all such studies to
be OF no use for the future and no discipline
for the present. Consequently he COM
menced his career without the prestige of
high college rank. He began the study of
law in the year 1900, and praeticed as a
special pleader from 1903 until he was called
to the bar in 1906. He chose the Midland
Circuit and was soon in full tide Of successful
business. From that time until his elevation
to the bench he had no lack of clients or fees.
But the lawyers life when fell of common
business is only decent obscurity from
which he has TO be lifted, if lifted at all, by
connection with some great case, which
tanscends the petty contests between man
and man and lays hold on the rights or SYM
pathies of mankind. Denman emerged into
public notice at the trial of Queen Caroline,
an almost forgotten scandal now, but then
filing larger space in the public mind than
does the miserable business by which Mr.
Tilton is at present gibbeting himself as his