DECEMBER, 1951
667
Cernenl. Except in caae of coincidence in the location of a nuclear r ~ a o t o rand the cement mill no effect is anticipated. Brick. Little or no effectsince brick plants are small. Flal Glass. Use of atomic power would probably be disadvant.n.eeous althoush a v e v smell reduction in cost might be possible. Iron and Steel. By possihly combining the development of t h e sponge iron process with the development of electrical power for the nuclear reactor to produce hydrogen, an effect on the lotstion of steel produotion and the utilization of iron ore is foreseen as a. po~sibility. No other effeot is anticipated. Residalial Healing. In some areas nuclear heating might provide convenience but in any event little or no reduction in oost.. Of mwe value than learning t,he effects of atomic power on the selected industries is the annlyais of the importance of power. its location and distribution on each industry. The methods dew+ oped by the authors should he of eonsiderrtble utility to ot,her8. Part 111attempts to see hou.aur regionel and national economy might change were atomic power to become widely used. Results of Part I and I1 are used and factors including effects which might trigger new developments are estimated. Outside of trigger effects there will be no short-term effects. Longer-term effpctr become very speculative and depend heavily on the stimulut,ion of invention leading to the introduction of new power-consuming devices. Some increase in income is expected, however, in the lone term. and if this also results in a more raoid accumulation of capital, effects of fairly large magnitude might be expected in our econom>-. However, the cheapening of power alone will not produce these effects. The hook is scholarly ;md written primarily from the point of view of the economi~t. A t,remendous volume of data h w been aathered. analyzed, and presented in orderly fashion. To the &chnical man who thinkEof new developments as important not, so much because they save money but rather because they enable us to do something previously impossible and probably not even considered previously, the book is somewhat discouraging. As mentioned by the authors, it ie the stimulation of inventions and the interaction of new developments that makes them important. I t is likely that the development of atomic power will come about because of its special applications rather than because of general effects on our economy. Thus the reviewer feels that the information, the balanced point of view, and in particular the techniques for handling t,he analyses of the effeots on national or r e gional economies are far more important than the conclusions drawn if t,hey were solely to ho considered.
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JOHN P. HOWF:
0
AN INTRODUCTION TO TEXTILE FINISHING
I. T . Marsh, Manohester, England. John Wiley & Sons, Inc., New York, 1951. xv 552 pp. 161 figs. 14 X 22.5 em. 27 plates. $5.50.
ent fibers is described and also tho application of cellulose derivatives, resins, and rubber t o the finishing of fabrics. Then the proofing of fabrics against water, moths, mildew, and fire is considered. Included are a bibliography of finishing and name and subject indexes. The book is well illustrated with figures and plates, inaluding one in color. This book brings together a. large amount of previously scattered material dealing with the finishing of cotton, wool, silk, linen, and rayons; however, the newer polyamide, polyester, acrylic, and vinyl fibers receive little or no attention. As i~ natural the coverage for the British patent literature is much more oomplete than far United States patents. The author's wide knowledge of textile finishing has enabled him ta make a very worth-while contribution to this field and this book should find a place in every finishing plant and textile libra~y. W. W. RUSSELL
Bnowv L'N,v.nsrTr I'novromucs. RHODE IB..*~D
THE VITAMIN B COMPLEX
F. A. Robinson, Deputy Director of Research, Allen and Hanhurys Ltd., England. John Wiley & Sons, Inc., New York, 1951. xi 688 pp. 14 X 22 cm. $9.
+
THISbook presents a. wealth of detailed, systematized information regr~rdingvitamins of the B group. With true British conservatism the author uses the Britifih phzrmocopoeis. name, aneurine, for what in America. is called thiamine, yet he tacitly acknowledges the appropriateness of thiamine in several ways: e. g., he writesof thiaminase. No formal definition of the B group of vitamins is attempted, hut in general the definition as accepted by R. J. Williams seems by implication to prevail in tho author's mind. Twelve chapters, of which the first is the longest, deal respectively with aneurine, riboflavine, nicotinic acid, pyridoxine, pantothenic acid, biotin, the folio acid complex, vitamin Brz (erythrotin), p-aminobenaoic acid, inositol, and chaline. The thirteenth chapter is entitled "Miscellmeous watersoluble growth factors." I t presents brief accounts of experiments leading to the coining of names that are now abandoned and of other experiments suggesting the existence of food factors that have not yet been definitely established. One might wish that the story'of vitamin Br4and its significance had been more fully developed. The last chapter is a useful and stimulating general view of this field. The author has done a fine job in documenting the book. Full lists of references are conveniently placed a t the ends of the several sections into which each chapter is divided. Indeed, the book is of great value as a working bibliography in addition t o its vduable text. All workers in nutrition and in vitamin research will find this hook extraordinarily useful ae a reference treatise.
+
THEpresent text is a companion volume to "An'Introduction to Textile Rleaohing" written by the same well-known British textile authority. As stated in the preface "the subject matter of this book is based on t,he experiences of the writer during his twenty years' service as 8 researoh chemist in the textile industry, and from a careful study of the literature of the ~ubjeet." "Two criteria have been taken for this work, first, commercial importance, and secondly, scientific and technical interest." The book desk principally with the chemical aspects of textile finishing although some consideration of the mechanical aspects is necessarily included. Aft,er describing the principal types of finishing machinery, the processes of creping, mercerizing, parchmentizing, preshrinking, softening, starching, weighting, and delustering are considered. Also the setting, milling, and giving to wool an unshrinkahle finish are presented. The reaction of formaldehyde with differ-
PHILIP H. MITCHELL
0
THE ATOMIC-MOLECULAR THEORY
Leonord K. Naah. Harvard University Press, Cambridge, Mass., 1950. v l l 5 p p . 15.5 X 23 cm. $1.35.
+
T m s is number four of a. series of "Case Histories in Experimental Science." Numbers one and two were prepared by the editor of the series, James B. Conant, and appeared in his book, "On Understanding Science: An Historical Approach"; number three was on the "Early Development of the Concepts of Temperature and Heat," prepared by Duane Roller. The editor of the series considers their purpose "to assist the student in recapturing the experience of those who. participated in exciting events in scientific history. . .(Thus) by the
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