lath HISTORY OF BOTANY.t This volume is the outcome of
a series of lectures, delivered in the University of Liverpool, in which the progress of the science
* Torment. By C. E. Jacomb. London: A. Melrose. [6s. net.] t Outlines of the History of Botany. By E. J. Harvey-Gibson, C.B.E., D.L. London : A. and C. Black. [12s. Od. net.]
of Botany is traced from the earliest recorded times to the present day. Professor Harvey-Gibson expresses, in his.
preface, the hope that the " outlines " may help the student of Botany "to form a proper estimate of the relative values of the results achieved by investigators," and "to picture for himself, in correct perspective, the evolution of the science as a whole." It is certain that the study of the history of a subject does produce an increased appreciation of the methods and points of view of the workers who have increased knowledge in that field, and often gives a more correct idea of the real interest of the subject than can be culled from the ordinary elementary text-book. An element of human interest also is added.
The origin of this science is traced back, by the author, to Theophrastus, a pupil of Plato and Aristotle, who was born 370 B.C. This writer is remarkable both for the breadth of his knowledge and for its correctness. He seems to have laid the foundations not only of the study of the external and internal structure of plants, but also of the modern branch of the subject known as Ecology. He corrected the prevalent idea of the indiscriminate mutation of forms :—" Some say that wheat has been known to be produced from barley and barley from wheat, or, again, both growing on the same stool ; but these accounts should be taken as fabulous." The next development of the science took place in connexion with the Herbalists, who were mostly concerned with the medicinal value of plants, but who nevertheless contributed much to the advance of the pure science.
After this period investigators pursued the subject for its own sake, and we learn how Saussure, in 1804, followed up the observations of Ingendlousz on plant nutrition, and showed clearly the difference between the respiration of plants, which is comparable to the process of breathing in animals, and the gaseous interchange taking place during the day, which is part of a nutritive function ; how Hales, an admirable experimentalist, laid the foundations of plant physiology in 1717; how Andrew Knight showed that plants were able to perceive gravity and light, and to move in answer to such perception ; that Robert Brown was able to make his wonderful discoveries with the help of very imperfect lenses, and that Williamson laid the foundations for the study of fossil plants in England, a tradition handed over to Scott and Oliver in the present day. The writer shows clearly how the progress of the science has been bound up partly with the improvement of the microscope and partly, especially the portions of the subject connected with nutrition, with the progress of chemistry. It is for this reason that one would like to have seen, under a consideration of the growth of plants, some mention of Bose's Crescograph, appar- ently one of the most sensitive instruments ever invented, and one that will probably revolutionize our ideas of plant growth and movement.
The lecture-room style is observed throughout the volume to ensure "a more vivid and readable" presentation. This is attained, but the " flow " is interrupted by discussions arising mostly out of views expressed by Sachs in his History of Botany. Professor Harvey-Gibson's book is the only one in which an attempt is made to consider in a general manner the develop- ment of the science. The author makes no claim to deal in an exhaustive way with the subject, but he has produced a very readable statement, which may be recommended not only to students of Botany but also to the general reader. ,
Previous page
