The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1876-08-26
Recent Publications.


Beard, M. d. New York: Harper q, Rrothsrs
FOR sale by Loring, Short s. Harmon.
FIFTY years ago the disease which ia the ,nb-
]ect OF this monograph was almost unknown.
now 1t is estimated that there are fifty tbops.
and sufferers from it in the United States A
great deal has been written about IL. Int no,h-
ipg oeiore which is nearly so satisfactory as the
pook before US. DR.. Beard, appreciatng the
need OF more thorough investigation of the af
reetlon than any previous author had made.
ana oeheving that the practice of 70 physician
cou'a anord sufficiently wide range of cases
10 warrant generaizations, issued an elaborate
circular which contained questions on ALI
points OF the disease, and from the hundreds NJ
answers returned from all parts of the countrv
was enabled to arrive at conclusions which a,a
DOUBTLESS much nearer the truth than apv b;,b-
erto announced. Some of these Deductions ac-
cora with ideas which have hitherto widslx
preValed; but the most of them tend to show
Tue erroneous character of the generally received
opinions. de hnds that there is no considera-
Die area OF the United St,Ates which ia en,;relv
exempt from the disordf,r Cases almost never
occur among the so-ca led taborine olasses but
it is very high h-tor ed disease. ATTACHING n,o.
ios''onai literary and business people
10 tne EXCUSES of the less cultivated
.nougnt which may, perhaps. be
ooni'ofsing 10. its victims aud cheer them in
.uo Paio@ys As of their sternutations. The at
'aoks may come on at any time from the first
Oh may to the first of October, and their ay-
erage duration is about six weeks, There ia
nuc a evidence tending to show that the dis
e'-se is essentially functional disorder of the
nervous system. In order that
may be produced there must be a
peculiar tendency of the system as a predis-
posing cause, and either excessive heat or some
external irritant as an exciting cause. Auv
or all exciting causes are insufficient to bring
on an attack if the predispostion is not pres-
ent. AS for the external rrtants their mama
Is legion. The emanations from hay were at
one time thought to be the single controlling
circumstance of the affection, and hence the
common name; but it is now known that
host OF other agents are equally powerful in
thls direction, and far more appropriate des-
lgnaton would be Dust Fever. This fact
naturally complicates the treatment: for. a.
long as there was supposed to be a specific
cause, there was hope that specific mode Of
cure might be discovered. Experience provs.
that what will promptly bring relief to one.
Will have no effect on another, and may aggra-
vate the sufterings of third. As the nature Of
the disease becomes better understood. the
management of it will be less empirical though
even now much may be done to alleviate the
harassng symptoms.
The book will be welcomed by physicians A.,
valuable contribution to the literature of the
M dxuil ha
non-medical people who are unfortunate
enough to furnish In their own persons Illus
"ationS Oh this disease F. H.G.
DARwINIANA. By Asa Gray. New York. n
Appleton q Co. For sale by Bailey 8 Moves
Under the title 'Darwiniana" Prof. Asa
Gray has collected papers furnished BY him to
various periodicals during the past sixteen
years reviewing the works of Darwin. A gen.
eral discu sssion of evolution is not undertaken.
but an attempt is made to show how the views
are regarded by practical naturalist from tbe
standpoint OF his o@n specially, botany. Prof.
Gray accepts the derivation of species and the
doctrine OF ev3lution in limited sense. and
Wnile processing himself an acceptor of the
Nicene creed does not hesitate to acknowledge
tnat ne Is. Yin his own fashion," Darwinian.
his ene.eavor to show that his religious and his
scientific opinions do not of necessity clash is
msasurably successful, and will be of great aid
20 many who are now troubled because they
believe religion and science to be irreconclable
That the book is entertaining goes without
telling: Anything from Prof. Gray's pen is
sure to be entertaining.
REPRESENTATIVE MEN.-By Ralph Waldo Emer-
son, Boston: j. R. Osgood. g. Co. For sale by
Bailey & Noyes. .
Representative Men, is the favori.e with
not few of Emerson's admirers; indeed no
one fully understands the Concord philosopher
who has not read his paper in Plato, of
whom he says "Among secular books Plato
only is entitled to Omar's fanatical compliment
to the Koran, when he said Burn the libraries;
for their value is in this book" The other
papers, those in Montaigne, Goethe, Sweden
burg, are only less noticeable. The seven
lectures will be eagerly Welcomed in their new
and attractive dress by all who wish to possess
fitting edition of the greatest of American
thinkers