the reviewer, however, i t would not serve the purpose for which textbooks of elementary chemistry are used in this country. The text is unattractive and uninspiring in appearance. I t contains a negligible - - number of illustrations. There is no variety in type. The various chapters contain practically no modern teaching devices such as thought questions, problems, review questions, summaries, etc. The content of the text does not conform to what may be considered a standard elementary course in chemistry as represented by the course developed by the Division of Chemical Education. The text contains a considerable amount of physical chemistry. I n general, i t appears too difficult for a begiming text, unless used as suggested by the authors. The hook would not be suitable for use in high schools in this country nor is i t especially well adapted t o the use of freshmen in college who have not already had a year of high-school chemistry. The criticisms as suggested with respect t o the use of the hook in this country have no particular relation t o the use as designed by its authors and suggested above. H. A. CARPENTER Four TL~ousandYears of Pharmacy, An Outline of the History of Pharmacy and the Allied Sciences. CA-ES H. LAWALL. J. B. Lippincott Company, 665 pp. Philadelphia, 1927. xv 64 illustrations. 13.5 X 20 cm. $5.00.
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This volume, as the subtitle indicates, is not, strictly speaking, a history of pharmacy, since much of the material contained therein deals with the history of other sciences as shown by the following subtitles to some of the eleven chapters into which the whole is divided: "Science in Embryo," "The Kindergarten of Science," "The Origin of Universities," "A Century of Alchemistic Frenzy," "Beginning of the Renaissance,"
"The Century of Paracelsus," "The Birth of Chemistry," and "Beginnings of Modern Science." The foregoing eatraneous material has, however, been so well interwoven with that portion dealing with the history of pharmacy that it enhances rather than detracts from the value of the book t o the pharmacist. English-speaking pharmacists, in general, and teachers of pharmacy, in particular, have long felt the need of a book of this characterwritteninEnglish. Heretofore, the English-speaking pharmacist has only had available "Chronicles of Pharmacy" by A. C. Wootton and "Pictorial History of Ancient Pharmacy and Medicine" by Herman Peters, translated from the German by William Netter, both of which are excellent books in the fields which they are intended to cover, hut neither of which tell the complete story. Professor L a W d ' s hook is well written, the illustrations are good and t o the point, and in addition t o filling a want on the part of the pharmacist, it will be found t o be interesting and profitable reading for the chemist. A. G. DUMEZ Laboratory Exercises for a Brief Course in Chemistry. LYMANC. NEWELL, Boston University. D. C. Heath and Co., New York, 1927. x 152 pp. 13.5 X 20.5 cm. $1.00.
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This is a looseleaf manual with blank sheets inserted for laboratory notes. The exercises are divided into two groups: minimum and supplementary. The minimum group "consists mainly of exercises suggested by a Committee of the American Chemical Society (see Jomtmr. OF CREMICAL EDUCATION, May, 1927) as a minimum laboratory requirement for a year of chemistry." This group contains sixtytwo exercises of which thirty-eight are starred as essential and of these five are teachers' exercises. There are also sixtytwo supplementary exercises which offer material for (I) substitute experiments,
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topics. With each of his twenty-eight topics a summary is made, which is followed by an average of ten questions. The questions cover the subject-matter quite thoroughly, are good, but are such as the average thoroughly trained teacher of chemistry will ask his classes spontaneously during recitation or a t examination. By this i t is intended to imply that this Guide to Chemistry is applicable more to the use of pupils and insufficiently trained teachers of chemistry than to experienced ones. This is not intended t o detract from the usefulness of the book. There are twenty pages of laboratory exercises, fifty-three of the latter which could serve as an outline of a laboratory course in chemistry in many high schools, and also be useful to a teacher in formulating goad experiments. There are twenty-one pages of examination questions covering eleven examinations, each of these being divided into five groups from each group of which the pupil is supposed to select one or more questions. The relative values of parts of the questions are given an the basis of ten for the whole question. These questions can be of considerable value to all teachers, from the one carrying a teaching load of many subjects in the small high school to the experienced teacher of chemistry in the Guide to Chemistry. SAMUEL WINSTON, large high school. All teachers are prone M.A., Boys' High School, Brooklyn, to use stereotyped forms of questions and N. Y. Globe Book Co., New York, this "Guide" will help them to vary both 96 pp. 12.5 X 18.5 cm. the subject-matter and the language of 1923. v Paper cover. Listed a t 34 cents; the question. postpaid 44 cents. The "Guide to Chemistry" condudes with seven pages of model answers. "This book is intended to mide teachers . There is a great deal of material similar and students in a systematic and complete review of elementaw chemistry as taught to that found in the "Guide to Chemistry," to be found in the summaries, questions, in our best secondary schools." The author rightly states that a course and problems a t the close of the chapters in chemistry should consist of numerous of modern high-school texts on chemistry. laboratory experiments performed indi- The reviewer and his colleagues use these vidually; this supplemented by lecture- when occasion arises and time permits. table demonstrations and a study of a t Perhaps the greatest value of this pamleast one standard textbook. His syllabus phlet lies in the fact that the guiding mateof topics conforms sufficiently to those rial of the chemistry textbwks is brought most prevalent in modern high schools. into a single booklet which will fit into teacher's and pupil's side-pocket. UndeniThe same may be said for his sequence of
(2) a longer course, (3) extra labmatory work, and (4) teacher demonstration. Questions are omitted from the lahoratory exercises but precise directions are given for observing results. "Specific instructions are given a t the close of each exercise far writing notes." The instructions are sometimes rather general as in Exercise 9, Hydrogen, page 23, and a t times consist of very specific questions as for Exercise 10, page 25. We doubt whether omitting questions from laboratory exercises, even a t the end, will result in more satisfactory laboratory work or more accurate records as claimed by the author. Our experience with high-school pupils is rather the other way. Much written work is required today in all studies in a modern high school and if the chemistry teacher expects high-grade written work, i t must be reduced to a minimum and answers to specific questions appear to be the most satisfactory for average pupils. We note as excellent features of this manual: many supplementary exercises for pupils and teachers, very clear directions, clear-cut diagrams. It will repay high-school teachers and others to examine this attractive new manual. A. P. MINSART
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