BOOKS OF THE DAY

Dominion, Volume 9, Issue 2848, 12 August 1916, Page 6

BOOKS OF THE DAY

POPULAR HYGIENE. Jthool Hygiene. j All who? are,interested in tlie important iuestion of'children's health should welcome the appearance of a new revised •..•tod almost i rewritten e.dition of "News-, holme's _Schooi Hygiene: The Laws of btlealtli in Reltvtion to School Life" (George Allen and'Unwin).. The original wort, first published in 1887, went through, no fewer than thirteen editions, afifd 'ifor all. James Kerr, M .A., ■ .MD.,jßh6uld~ attain;* even(;- greater popularity,:;for,tha .infoniia.tion.:now. given in i tJfteei'jiageß iS;'&J milch more practically • in touch with latter*-day educational conditions. As tho book now stands, it is a veritable cyclopaedia of the subject with • hioh it deals; indeed, it is' difficult to conceive of any question relating to the health of the child or to, the hygienic conditions and'circumstances which may affect health-or scholastic efficiency which is not examined and discoursed; :upon.' in tin eminently practical manner. After » preliminary chapter on .physiology, psychology, and ethics in relation to hygiene, Dr. Kerr dealß with such subjects as speech stammering, age and sex ■ in relation to school work, and the .-im•jportance of; open air, alike in:thc child's school and; recreative hours. Excessive mental eierciso and fatigue are examined, and certain useful tests described. Tho case of abnormal children is the subject of another chapter, the author giving an interesting summary of tho Binet-Simon system, or measuring scale, Jor intelligence. Physical defects, such as blindness and. deafness, are next discussed, and some sensible advice is given in' the chapter entitled "The Teacher's 'Health." Eye-sight in school life, phyEical education, sleep and rest, nutrition : land diet '(under which latter'heading Borne advice is given which, parents may ,v«ry well study with/. advantage,/ alike to their pockets and to'the-health of .their children), dental care, clothing, oleanliness, school accidents, and infec- : tious diseases, are, dealt with in turn, the first part of the book closing with some remarks upon the necessity for regular, State-provided jnedical': inspection. The author is clearly of opinion that tho existing system of medical inspection in Great Britain leaves riuch to be desired. •"A ,wide view of the administration of tho present, school, services suggests," says jDt. Kerr, "that the official requirements necessitate great .efforts and'cost-in the remedying of comparatively trivial defects, while scanty opportunity is af-

forded, and little is being done, to seek k out or remove the causes of these -defects, or to directly improve the school and its work from the hygienic point of view. In Part 11, the author discusses the. relation) of school buildings and apparatus to the'health of scholars, ' and makes some interesting suggestions • as to the ventilation, natural aud mechanical, and the lighting and warming . of schools.'. A . glossary of medical terms and a nindex are given at the end of the book, which contains a large number of illustrations and diagrams, .which serve to enhance the utility of ■ tho advice in the test. This new edition of a work which has long • bceti* recognised as a high authority on tho hygienic side of education deserves a .place in every teacher's library, and could be. read Witt great advantage by' • all concerned directly, or indirectly in education - and .administration. (N.Z. Erice 55.;6d.) .

Methuen's'-Health Series. i: - Two new volumes have recently beeriadded to Methuen's Health "Series (Methuen and Co.), a series in which ■hygienic questions are dealt with in an agreeably popular and useful way. In ••'The Care,of the Teeth," by Arthur T. Titts, M.R.C.S., L.D.S.-,- the author hasendeavoured to state.the various points of the problem of dental disease and its . prevention, in clear, non-technical language, and to put his readers in possession of.', all the facts, necessary to show how tho disease ..is caused, and how best to cope with' it. A certain vuse of technical terms has fceen unavoidable, but where used an explanation of their meaning has been given. Particularly interesting ■is the chapter headed "Local ' and Remote Effects of Dental Sepsis in Children and lAdults."■ The connection between'dental sepsis audi glandular enlargement, enlarged tonsils, and discharges from the ' car, is much closer and more frequent, tays theVauthor,. than is .commonly imagined, and tho poison-creating- and carryingtendency of diseased teeth Is Vaqilained at some length. The author closes bya strong plea for a publip •health dental service, and for wider ■recognition; of the dangers arising from hath teeth, and specially .urges.tho necessity for •, effective inspection and treat- ■ ment ofischool children. "The Prevention of tho Common Cold" is- the title of tha second volume. The author, Dr. Oliver K. Williamson, comlats the far too common belief that the oft recurring acute cold is due to causes over which the sufferor has no control. No doubt, "says the author, "this is to & great extent due to a general impression (an' impression quite in accordance with facts that have a scientific basis) ' that tho cold is "caught," that is, that it is infectious in. origin. It cannot, ihowever,' )» too strongly insisted upon . ."that in nearly all cases much can and should bo done by common-sense precautions aid careful attention to. details of health,, both in regard to general and local; conditions, to prevent the occurrence of this , annoying disability. iAfter an chapter on tho significance of colds; the liability to lung ■disease and bronchitis as sequels, and to other .effects of common, colds, Dr. Wil- , liamson describe in detail the structure and functions of the parts concerned, dealing nest with causation, and finally ,with prevention, a special chapter being devoted to. the prevention and care of colds in children. (The New Zealand price of each book is Is. fid-.). . j

TWO WAR BOOKS ■

•'Australasia Triumphant.' In "Australasia Triumphant" (Sirnp\in, Marshall and Co.-, per S. aud W. Mackay), Mr. A. St. John Adcock gives a useful: and interesting resume of tho achievements of tho Australians and Now ■"Zeaianders in tho great war, by sea and on land. The occupation of Samoa and "German New Guinea, the "patrolling of the Pacific" by the Australian Fleet, the hunting down and destruction of the Emden, and the wonderfully prompt dispatch of Australian and New Zealand forces to Egypt, are' all described. The fight for tho Suez Canal is the subject of a succeeding chapter, and Mr. Adcock then retells the glorious story of the Dardanelles, with a special tribute, of .course, to "The Dare-devil Anzacs." For much of the information in his book tho author is indebted to the personal narratives of Australians and New Zeaianders, and although ho falls into somo rather curious errors, the book is, on the whole, a very useful and interesting contribution to the history of tho war. The illustrations, of which there ore a largo number, are very interesting, "but they refer almost entirely to the Australians, indeed, save in two pictures, the words Now Zealand are not to be found in tile "titles. (New Zealand price,, ,3s. Gd.) Crusading at Anzac.

• From the office of the "British Australasian" comes a paper-covered portfolio entitled "Crnsading at Anzac, "Anno Domini, 1915," pictured and described- by Signaller Ellis Silas, a sol-.dier-artist with tho Australian Expedition a r.®l'® e ■ Mi'. Silas has a fino command of l^Bir^ftfi^^dEaKiugs.-beuig. "working up,"' give an exoalleiifc i3e& of the many stirring events ishioh he was privileged to witness. There is a vigour ,in(l dash about some of the sketches which is

most attractive—they fairly palpitate with. life. The artist is specially successful in pictures of. life in the trenches, and his marino sketches are admirablo. An excellent feature of the publication is the series of pithy and vigorously written descriptions of. the incidents illustrated, the letterpress facing each sketch. "Forewords" are contributed by Generals Sir lan Hamilton and Sir William Birdwood.