and dull. Scientists both in and out of the federal services will enjoy and should profit b y reading "Science in the Federal Government/'
BOOKS visory Committee for Aeronautics), 1900 to 1916. Major military conflicts such as t h e A H E current interest in government- Civil War, World W a r I, and World sponsored science, sparked b y t h e Sput War I I were indirectly responsible for nik launching, has resulted in some major scientific developments such as the respective origin of the National talk and consideration of increased Academy of Sciences, National Re emphasis a n d possible revision of sciences in the Federal Government. search Council, and Office of Scientific and Development, each The recent book, "Science in t h e Fed Research eral Government" by A. Hunter D u - created to meet a need of the moment pree, is historical rather than a con and to a certain degree each subse quent one to meet some need not fully templation of the current situation. It supplied by the earlier organization. is, nevertheless, worthy of study and Several sections of the book deal can provide the scholar and planner with the alternate ascent and descent of with a better background for presentscience in the military services. While day problems. the book only claims to survey t h e This study covers the period from 1787, t h e inception of the Federal Gov scientific situation u p to 1940 or t h e ernment, to 1940 i n a sequence of eras start of World W a r I I - t h e Office of or chapters which i n part show a cyclic Scientific Research a n d DevelopmentNational Research Council period with repetition of activities for, against, and its subsequent Atomic Energy Commis in repetition, for trie establishment of a Department of Science versus separate sion and National Science Foundation scientific agencies o r offices in the Gov development—there is some anticipation of this era and a feeling that t h e scien ernment. T h e ultimate objective of a tific advances since 1940 to the present Department of Science was never may well represent as great a change achieved, however, so that one could not predict how effective such a change as that of the entire scientific history of this nation from 1870 to 1940. would b e . Of particular interest in our present In the earliest period, science became an object of personal attention on the day plans are the discussions through part of Secretary of State Thomas Jef out the book of various attempts a n d ferson. It has seldom since had as counter actions relative t o establishing strong personal support from top ad an independent Department of Science ministrative authorities in t h e Govern similar to that of Agriculture or Com ment. In a well documented and ref merce. While separate histories are available erenced discussion, the course of science is traced through numerous de on many scientific agencies of the Gov pressions and expansions. Much of the ernment, this critical treatise brings to gether t h e interrelation and competi text consists of brief summaries of events in an almost abstract form. tive factors between agencies and fac These provide t h e backgrouid for a tions which have not been conveniently broad picture or the leads for further available for study. It should serve as a guide in future considerations to be study as the reader may desire. The years of scientific depression fol given science in t h e Federal Govern lowing the Jefferson era e n d e d in the ment. To one intimately involved in Smithsonian inception of the 1840's. In this area, there is some induced feeling each successive cycle some new center of frustration in reading of the failures of interest evolves as the nation under of many serious efforts to advance goes an expanding and changing char science's status a n d the accident of acter: surveys and geographical ex fate which often provides the political ploration in the early 1800's; agricul or administrative situation into which tural expansion, 1860 to 1 9 1 6 ; the ex some events or people fall without liter pansion of t h e Geological Survey, 1867 ally raising a finger. Nevertheless, in to 1885; medical and public health, spite of the occasional frustrated feel 1865 t o 1916, arid industrial age estab ing, the study is both interesting and lishments (National Bureau of Stand entertaining and even occasionally ards, Bureau of Mines, National Ad humorous, for science is not always cold
What Place Science?
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Science in t h e Federal G o v e r n m e n t . A. H U N T E R DTJPREE. 460 p a g e s . T h e
Belknap Press of Harvard University Press. Cambridge, Mass. 1957. $7.50. Reviewed by Wallace A. Brode, National Bureau of Standards, Washington, D. C.
NEW BOOKS The Clinical Application of Antibiotics, Vol. III. Chloramphenicol and the Tetracyclines.
M. E. FLOREY.
ix -f-
393 pages. Oxford University Press, 114 Fifth Ave., New York 11, Ν. Υ. 1957. $19.50. Evaluation of data on which use of anti biotics is founded. Details various meth ods of treatment. Sixth Combustion Symposium. Published for The Combustion Institute, xiii + 943 pages. Available from Reinhold Publishing Corp., 430 Park Ave., New York 22, Ν. Y. 1957. $28. Up-to-date developments in the combus tion field as presented by 16 audiors dur\ g Sixth International Combustion Sym posium held at Yale University in August 1956. Handbuch der Katalyse, Vol. V. Hétérogène Katalyse II. J. BLOCK, P. BROVETTO, F. H. CONSTABLE, A. G. NASINI, G. NATTA, H. NOLLER, R. RIGAMONTI, G. SAINI, AND G. M. SCHWAB, editors,
vi -j- 779 pages. Springer-Verlag, Wien 1, Molkerbastei 5, Austria. 1957. $43.80. Deals with adsorption, kinetics, and mixing analysis. Keystone of whole work, in seven volumes. Messen und Regeln in der Chemischen Technik. J. HENGSTENBERG, B. STURM, AND O. WINKLER, xix + 1262 pages.
Springer-Verlag, Reiehpietschufer 20, Berlin, W 35, Germany. 1957. Ganzleinen DM 146. Deals with all methods of control in chemical engineering—techniques for temperatures, pressure, differential pressure, etc.—and also describes methods of continuous physical analysis and electrochemical measurements. Galvanotechnik.
J. BILLITER.
viii + 441
pages. Springer-Verlag, Wien 1, Molkerbastei 5, Austria. 1957. $15.70. Basic principles and practical uses of galvanic technology. Chemie und Bioehemie der Reduktone und Reduktonate. HANS vox EULER AND BERND EISTERT. xi -f- 344 pages. Fer-
dinand Enke Verlag, Hasenbergsteige 3, (14a) Stuttgard-W, Germany. 1957. Geheftct DM 44. Ganzleinen DM 47.40. Monograph on "Reduktone," a class of compounds made from alkaline sugar solutions and having remarkable reducing power. Deals with definitions, detection, monoacylcarbinoles, dicarbonyl compounds, etc. Methods of Biochemical Analysis, Vol. V. David Glick, editor, ix + 502 pages. Interscience Publishers, Inc., 250 Fifth Ave., New York 1, Ν. Y. 1957. $9.50.
