Abstract
IN his preface, the author to some extent apologises for the imperfections of this volume, on account of the difficulties, including “the singular penury of the laboratory over which he presided,” attending the delivery of the course of lectures of which it forms the report. No apology, however, is needed for an interesting and admirable series of discourses on a difficult and yet important topic. The book does not profess to be a complete Treatise on Respiration, but rather treats fully of certain selected points, such as the respiration of tissues, the gases of blood, the respiratory mechanism in various classes of animals, asphyxia, &c., &c. The “graphic method” is employed throughout, by far the larger number of the illustrations being representations of various respiratory movements. We would especially call attention to the chapters on the respiratory movements of fishes, amphibia, reptiles, and birds, in which the graphic method brings out many singular and interesting facts. Even in matters of science, national characteristics come to the surface; and quite apart from the language, it is generally an easy matter to distinguish the work of a Frenchman from that of German or an Englishman. Prof. Bert's work is no exception to the rule, though we must add, with singular pleasure, that it is far more cosmopolitan than many of the writings of his fellow countrymen. The author has evidently studied and appreciated the labours of countries other than his own.
Leçons sur la Physiologie Comparée de la Respiration.
Par Paul Bert. (Paris: Baillière. London: Williams and Norgate.)
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Leçons sur la Physiologie Comparée de la Respiration . Nature 1, 504 (1870). https://doi.org/10.1038/001504c0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/001504c0