MAY, 1948 0
299
BENJAMIN SILLIMAN, PATHFINDER IN AMERICAN SCIENCE
John F. Fulton, Sterling Professor of Physiology and Chairman of the Advisory Board of the Historical Library of the School of Medicine, Yale University, and Elizabeth H. Thomaon, Research Assistant. Henry Schuman, Inc., New York, 1947. i s 294 pp. 24 figs. 14 X 21 cm. $4.
+
majority of the compounds deelt with are described, and the proofs of their constitution and configuration are thoroughly discussed. Many problems of stereochsmistry, whieh a t present command cousidorahle interest, arc, on that account, particularly fully dealt with. "A textbook of moderate siee must inevitably be limited in certain directions in order t,hat other questions may be deelt with more fully. In this hook, the chemistry of naturally occurring substances, and biochemical topics have been particularly emphasized. These topics have been the center of interest in the last decade. As the book deals with the more important compounds of biological interest, it should he of value also to students of medicine." The inclusion of a generous amount of information on natural products goes far to illuminate and adorn this survey of organic chemistry and imparts life and spirit to the picture. From a. careful study of this work, students will derive a benefit which reflects the purest luster on the ability and genius of Karrer and his translator.
SCIENCE has progress~dfar since the day in July, 1801, when President Dwight offered to a young student of the law Yale's first professorship of chemistry and natural history with the assurance: "I could not propose to you a course of life and of effort which would promise more usefulness or more reputat,ion.. . . In the profession uzhieh I proffer to you there will be no rival here. The field will he all your own.. . . You will advance in the knowledge of your profession more rapidly than 'your pupils can follow you, and will he always ahead of your &dionce." In this career, that was brought to a close when he retired in GEORGE HOLMES RICHTER 1853 after over a half century of service, he made no remarkable original contributions, but his influence on the development of TRERICEINBTITUTE scicnee in this country was tremendous. He was the first to Honmor, TEXAS teach geology in America. The Yale Medical School was organized primarily through his efforts. In 1818 he published the . first issue of the American Journal of Science and sustained it as. 0 MAKROMOLEKULARE CHEMIE UND BIOLOGIE its editor with his own resources for twenty yeam until he was succeeded by his son. He was the founder of tho Peahody Hermann Staudinger, Professor and Director of the Chemical Museum and the first college gallery of art. His efforts created Institute of the University at Fmiburg. i. Br. (Germany) and of the the first graduate school in this country and slso led to the Research Department for macromolecular chemistry. Wepf and Co., B a d , Switzerland, 1947. 160 pp. 15 X 20.5 Ern. SF*. establishment of the Sheffield Scientific School. 18.-(83.06). He was SO successful as s. teacher even as a young man that a member of the Yale Corporation, the c ever end I%. Ely, wrts TEE main purpose of this most recent contribution of the moved to say, "Why, Domini, is there not danger that with these internationally known German organic chemist to scientific physical attractions you will overtop the Latin and the Greek?" literature is to offer a link between macromoleculer and biological To which Silliman replied, "Sir, let the literary gentlomen push chemistry. The hook is divided into twenty-two chapters and sustain their departments: it is h y duty to give full effort whieh cover in considerable detail the latest micelle theories, to the sciences committed to my care." proof for macromoleoular structures, macromoleoular natural The authors not only tell the story of the life of Yale's first products, their identification, constitution, shape of macrogreat teacher of science but also weave into their story the de- molecules, viscosity of colloidal solutions, swelling of macrovelopment of science and higher education during the first half of moleoular substances, and the ruhber-like elasticity of fibrillsr the nineteenth century bath in this country and abroad. I t is a macromolecules. With the exception of the last two chapters, book that all students of the history of science and Yale men "What is Life?" and "Life on earth is only once," which are everywhere will enjoy reading. highly philosophicd speculations and do not fit too well in a text on~maeromolecularchemistry, this book should be read by JOAN A. T I M M xn\wnr wlru undwsrands rhr German language and is interested in organic and colloid rhrmi*rrs, bidogy, and mcdicine. .\ tranalat ion inro 1hli.h should I,+.taken into seriou* consideration. 0 ORGANIC CHEMISTRY Paul Kmrer, Professor at the University of Zurich. Translated by A. 1.Mee, Head ofthe Science Department, Glasgow Academy. Third English edition. Elsevier Publishing Company, Inc.. New York, 1947. u+ 957 pp. xxiv tables. 16 X 25 cm. $8.50.
In our modern education, the painful though necessary attainment of a reading knowledge of German consumes tho time and dampens the ardor of the youthful student. Accordingly, the appearance of the English translation of Professor Karrer's great "Lehrhuch" not only merits the close attention hut also the applause of students of organic chemistry. The choice of subjeot matter and the arrangement of materisl will arouse the esteem and sustain the interest of novice and teacher alike. Indeed, the masterful consideration of such a tremendous range of materials tempts one to the whimsical ohaervation that this hook is s poor man's Beilstein. "This aim was to provide stuHents with a textbook of organic chemistry of medium size, whieh would give them a survey of the ever-increasing body of facts. To make the problems of organic chemistry more easily understood, and to make the subject more real and live, special attention has been paid in all chapters to the description of methods of synthesis and of determining the eonstitution of organic compounds. The methods of producing the
0
CHARACTERIZATION OF ORGANIC COMPOUNDS
F. Wild, Downing College, Cambridge University Press, London; The Macmillan Company, New York, 1947. viii figs. 65 tables. 15 X 22.5 cm. $3.75.
+ 306 pp.
11
WILD'SBOOK is not a college textbook to bc used far a. course in qualitative organic analysis. He assumes that the student already knows how to classify organic compounds from his elementary courses and hence only four and a half pages are included on this subjeot. The separation of mixtures is treated in three more pages. Instcad, the book is designed far the advanced student and research worker. I t "summariees every important general method" (through 1945) which has been used for the purpose of making derivatives of a given homologous series. The red value of the hook is in the practical hints that are given on what to do if the derivative fails. The writer has not seen this done so extensively in any other text. There are hints also on the use of solvents that are not in other books on the subject;
