The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1884-04-18
Magazines.

49,
Magazines.
The current Littells Living Age presents the
best of the old worlds literature of to day in
ftly-chosen excerpts from the best that can be
found in foreign mOnthlies and quarteriies.
Macmilan's, always good and never better,
opens with a fine description of historic London,
in which the ~vastness of that monster metropolis
and its numberless features are ably treated.
Another good paper is on a voyage to Australia
for health.
Cassells Family Magazine covers all that is
desirable in a vivacious and excellent monthly
visitor to the fireside. The wants and tastes of
every member of the household are carefully and
intelligently anticipated, and all matter admit
ted to its pages is n%otonly good but SO presented
as to make it apparent and attractive.
The Popular Science Monthly grows in favor
steadily and deservedly. Each number contains
not only pabulum for the exact, but recreation
snd education for the casual reader and amateur.
A glance at the contents of the May number is
enough to commend it. Among its varied con
tents are: The Sins of Legislators, by Herbert
Spencer; THE Progress of the Working Glasses
in the Last Half Century by Robert Giffen,
LII. d.; THE Milk in the Cocoanut" ian analyti-
cal examination of this phenomenon. by Grant
Allen; How Flies Hang On. " Christian Agnos-
ticism,' "The Morality of Happiness" etc.
The North America is pre- eminently the mag
azine of to-day and of timely topics. The read
ing world has come to understand that there
may be found papers on all important current
topics and each is well considered. The May
number, now at hand, contains papers on DE
fective naturalization Laws" by Justice Will
lam Strcng; Matthew Arnold, Edwin p. Whip
pie; "a Zone of Worlds, Richard A. Proctor;
''The Railway and the State" Gerritt l.. Ian
sing; ''Illusions of Memory" Prof. Osborn;
t"Thp Meaning of S0nO = HplaD kandpick John
son, and 'Workingmen's Grievances" a joint
paper by William Goodwin Moody and Prof. J. L.
Laughlin.
The Philadelphia Medical Times for April
contains the conclusion of a series of articles by
DIR. II. f. Formed, of the University of Phila-
delphia, on the parasitic origin of consumption,
as held by Koch. DR.. Formed is an eminent
authority and concludes from his studies that
while the presence of the bacillus is a valuable
diagnostic sign of consumption that its discovery
throws no light on the cause of tubercular dis
ease, and that the too ready acceptance of the
bacillus theory is likely to do more harm than
good. DR.. Formed does not believe that con
sumption or any form Of tubercular disease is
contagious. Published tri-weekly, by j. b. Lip
pincott & Co., Philadelphia.
In the Botanical Gazette for April is an alb
stract of Professor Buckhouts [of the Pennsyl
vania Agricultural Collegel report on the
Arizona potatoes, which he has been raising,
and finds to be simply diminutives of the cult
waited potatoes. He concludes tina if anything
better than the Chill potato is made from their
Arizona relatives it will be by a long continued
series Of carefully selected cultures. There are
papers of Asa Gray, Geo. Vasey, 7. j. Burgess
and w. a. Miligan, and the usual notes and
queries of interest to all scientific botanists.
Edited by John NJ. Coulter, of Wabash Col
lege, c.. r. Barnes, of Purdue University, and
Prof. j. G.. Arthur, of Charles City, la. $1.00
a year. Address John Coulter, Charlottesville
Ind.
The Southern Bivouac, published under the
auspices of the Southern Historical Society,
Louisville, KY, is devoted to the literature of
the late war, as suggested by the experience of
'the other side" Undeniably there is a tend
ency to glorify Southern heroes. 1t could not
well be otherwise, so long as it's editors are hui
man and retain their memory of those danger
Gus days. The April number con tains a well
written account of the pursuit and capture of
Colonel Streight and his command, in which the
ColoneIs nerve and ready resources are given
full credit, the writer evidently approaching the
daring and soldierly qualities of our gallant com
mander. Altogether, the Southern Bivouac
seems to be very conservative and full of enter
tanning "reminiscences. It's editors seem to ac-
cept the results of the war, and are able to rec
ognize heroism wherever found. The subscrip-
ton price is but $l.50 a year,
The current number of the American journal
of the Medical Sciences contains a collec-
ton and analyses of all the known cases
Of localized cerebral disease as yet re-
ported by American physicians. OF five hun
dred cases, fifty of the greatest value because
restricted to diseases of the outer layer of the
brain, where conscious mental activity goes on,
are discussed by DR.. NJ. A. Starr, of New York.
The old doctrines of Flourens, that the brain
acts as a whole, has long been discarded, but
most anatomistsa and Psychologists are now dis
posed to believe that different parts of the cortex
possess different powers. Localized diseases of
regions of the human brain have so far given bet.
ter results than physiological experiment on the
lower animals. The most positive conclu-
sion as to localization of function after
years of observation and experiment is, that
the power of expressing ideas by words is con
nected with a small area on the ~forepart of the
left half of the brain. The famous American
crowbar case. which was long denied by English
authorities, leads the list. In this case a crow
bar three and a half feet long was driven
through the brain, from the left angle of the Jaw
to the centre of the top of the skull, The patient
walked upstairs to bed, told his own story of
the accident, and was about in seven weeks,
suffering no apparent inconvenience, except
blindness of the left eye. He lived twelve years,
working as a farm laborer, but his disposition
was altered SO that he was irritable, excitable
and emotional. The skull is preserved in the
Warren Anatomical Museum at Boston. The
entire article will be of value to all
Interested in the physiology of the brain.