Within the past few years, numerous physiological books have been compiled and printed, ostensibly for popular reading and to impart certain information which could not be obtained except from very expensive medical works. On examination, nearly the whole of them prove to be the productions of persons calling themselves physicians, and issued as a medium of advertising their medicines, or their peculiar practice. In most of these books, facts in physiology are so mixed up with empirical self-laudations, absurd reasonings, useless repetitions, and fabulous cases in point, as to become not only intensely tedious, but in a measure disgusting to the reader.

The Prevention of Conception appears to be one of the main features of these publications, and each author professes to have a secret plan of his own for that purpose, which he offers to impart for a professional fee of five dollars. An offer like this to intelligent people is understood as arrant quackery; but there are such a vast number of married persons who desire to limit the number of their offspring, that many will send their money in sheer desperation, and with little or no hope of success.

As the writer of this treatise does not propose to offer his professional services to his readers, and as even the copy-right of it is disposed of in advance, he will endeavor to present, briefly and impartially, the prominent facts which modern science has demonstrated in the phenomena of procreation, the conception and production of offspring, and the various safe and harmless methods that may be resorted to by married people to prevent child-bearing. All that is known on these interesting and important subjects is given in plain language, and with but few medical terms. In collecting this information, the writer has examined all the different modes ever recommended, discovered or invented, for the prevention of conception, whether alleged to be secret or otherwise. Some of them were found to be utterly worthless; others may, in most cases, be employed successfully by extreme caution and pains-taking, while not more than two or three are perfectly reliable. These last are subject to failure, only from prejudice or want of energy; and if adopted with moderate caution, will be successful. In these discoveries the French physicians appear to be the most ingenious, and some of the plans given are consequently of French origin.

The Physiology of Generation, which comprises all medical knowledge relative to the reproduction of offspring, is a subject of intense interest to the adult portion of mankind. It has been zealously investigated by learned men of all ages—physicians, philosophers and theologians—and numerous conflicting theories have been advanced, books written, and ideas inculcated, which have presented the subject in various phases for popular reading. One class denounces all attempts to prevent conception and child-bearing as immoral, unnatural, and hurtful to health, while others hold more liberal views, and consider that married people have a perfect right to decide for themselves whether they shall breed a family or not. The writer takes no part in these arguments. He is content to impart to his readers, in a brief and matter-of-fact form, reliable physiological information which could only be obtained by long study from other sources. With this explanation, he trusts that the object of his little treatise will be appreciated by the public.

THE BOOK OF NATURE.