A Physician's Portfolio
tray Leaves from a Physician's Portfolio. By Sir James Crichton-Browne. (Hodder and Stoughton. 12s. ed.) mums physician cannot well help having things to say hat arc worth hearing, and Sir James Crichton-Browne nthines all the advantages of this position with the further ualification of being a Scot. It is not unfair on competing
vists, or writers of eauseries—which is a better description ban essays for these discussion papers. We are grateful for ree of them in particular. First, that on the Carlyles at raigenputtock, which makes it plain that Mrs. Carlyle was ore comfortably off there than are nine-tenths of the new r nowadays. She had a servant to wait on her, a horse ride, and if she milked the cows, it was only when it amused r to do so. What an unveracious person Fronde was ! ut it is curious to reflect how ill veracity throve in the neigh- urhood of Thomas Carlyle. He diffused exaggeration.
The second paper to our liking is that in praise of the herring, -hid' contains more food value than any other fish—and is nkindly neglected by the fried fish shops. Oddly enough, the reach also neglect it. But the Scots do not--wise people. nwise, however, Sir James thinks, when they gave up claret nd taok to whisky. The paper on claret contains serious ulation as to whether it would not be possible once again make Scotland wine-drinking, as it was up to the eighteenth tury. A hundred years ago claret was sold on draught in streets of Perth, and it seems that even now the herring ts' crews drink it when they are on shore —regarding it as a mperance drink. As indeed it is.
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