New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1892-03-20
TYNDALTS NEW BOOh.


>-r,v III, >t,NiFNT- Iiy John Tyndal. F. H. D.
limo PIP. 500. u. Appleton y Co.
Professor ryndan Ia, gathered ia this volume such
a his shorter writings he thinks deserving u pup
| LEGATION A. a permanent form Whether he has cN-
! cIudco th,se theological and controversial piece,
| UhIch have APPEARED frequently from MS pm %!
t. wears OF whether he IS r-srrvng them for another
volume can oulr b. lcf 10 conjecture ~ all event,
sac l.. cant,trG himself with one paper Of the MID
referred 70, namely tine Presidential Addr,s "n The
eolbatl~ delivered icfogc The 6la-eIw sunday society
The variety ~ subject, discussed IN the pe"lt '"l'c
ton of essay. lectures and addrc'-c' is strongly
Characteristic of Tyndnlrs versatility. with" M"
horouehnc., Of moss ol d., i1luifls j., balanced log
he rr,phlc power which rcrdcs, hi, Alpine paprrs
| - cuio,aple 40 more lucid writer either Ia or ont
Of scientific circles hH, ever taken upon himself thr
work OF exposition: and when be- ventures some
what beyond the sphere In which he holds form WIN
inds pntaLl- authority, ne puts his case with such
, persuasive cogency that no opponent can afford to
CONT without him. 1t is tue that this quality ~
his writing Ia, often mad angry passions rise IA
the breast, 81 tlO-c vino differed from bin for though
ne may be wrong. he Is never In the least ambiguous,
never 10 be- laughed NJ or pojh-poohod. For he ha
a trick Of appearing perfectly logical aud rational N
the most agerdyaiins points, ahd 20 dNe' MS 'Ncf-
snries almost 10 despair.
In tbs volume he has now brought together essays
| and address, upon Gocthcs "fnrbcnlchrc7 atoms,
molecules and ether wave; Count Rumiori; Loui Is
Pasteur his life ana lahors' the rainbow ana lis con-
| pcucrs Thomas Young: lie IN the Alps; about
common water; personal recollection, OF Th1ma,
Carlyle: on the origin, propagation and prevention
Of phthlSis; old Alpine jOtng,. ard the addrc', de-
livcrcd at the Eghbcck Institution In la-i. There
/, no paper IL the volume which Is not Interesting.
for Professor Tyndall knows how to popuiaric even
comparatycly abs;rse subjects. and hi biographical
sketches OF men Of scicnce-such as those on Count
Rumford and Lou. rustcur-are, he says Of the
latt,r records in which The vcritics + science arc
endowed with the Interest - romance The career
Of Count RunfoId indeed, lend, Itself easily to this
hind Of Treatment Tor BE only distinguished
man Of science, but eccentric in particular dcgrcc,
and his latter years. 81 temper 80 violent as to
| remind one Landor. In another important paper
Koch ard Ia" ubcrcular bacillus discussed with
| an energy aud forthrightncss sufficiently tcstNing
| 10 Tyndalls conviction OF The urgent need of popu-
arlzng scientific views Il tie question. Here he
deals principally with the dangers Of infection arising
from the recklc,sncss with which phthsical patients
are too commonly treated. The subject is certainly
not an agreeable one but 1t concerns matter which
all the world ought be nlOrmcl upon and Ignorance
about which has been accountable for countless dcnts
| and unmaHnable suffering.
Koch'S observations and experiments showed, among
| other things, that the tuberce bacillus is endowed
with wonderful Vitality II mas, Enclosed In 8puum.
be dried up and blown about In the form OF dust hut
its murderuus capabilities remain undiminished. and
al apparently any interval ii be bcatled into the
| lungs Of some human being and at revive and g.
about its fatal mission Professor Tyndas paper was
written In 1882, and lie adds note, under date Of
October 1901. IN which lac give. The following Illus
traOn the rcchlcs~ness stimulated by the asser: ion
| that consumption is not an Infectious disease
| While occupied with experiments on the inhalation
Of tuacrcllous al? by dogs, Tnppcncr assisted By
a robust OF forty, who specially warned never
% tnrry In the locality where the dogs confined.
| IIc however seemed bent proving the dOctfnc of
| tuberclc- contagon To- be deison, and recIlcssly
| exposed himself to the Infectious dr This strong
| man. who free from any suspicion Of hereditary
faint smittcn by tuberculosis OF exactly the same
Kind rs that exhibited by the dogs, and In fourteen
proved the identity of the disease which killed him
with that which affected the dogs. the only difference
being that he having lived longer, exhibited the malady
| In q more advanced stage OF course however un.
answe.,.bc such facts may be. they viii leave many
minds uncOnvinced and 1t must be expected that for
| some time to come at least. there will b. found even
directors OF hospitals who refuse believe that there
Is any danger OF Infection IN the consumphvc wards.
one OF the most generally interesting Of these Frag
mcns7 + that paper OF personal recoecons OF Thomas
Carlyle which appeared originally in 1880. In "The
Forughy Review Whoever failed TO read the artic lie
then Sond read II In this volume for IL operates
corrective TO the largely morbid view Of Carlyle derived
BY Mr. FrOIde fron the Sclfexamnatlons OF the phil
osopher's declining years. Professor Tynda refuses
to admit that Carlyle represented himself at that time
faithfully and he adduces q mass NJ facts which go
] far 10 sustain his position. VI Carylcs "Reminls