oompetenee in his self-assigned task. If we look s t the book as a teaching aid, however, specifically as a textbook in a one semester course in enzyme chemistry, such as tho one taught to graduate students by this reviewer, one maior shortcoming emerges. It appears, because the author has been too consistent and successful in his announced aim "to describe individual enaymes and ensyme systems in some detail and to use the information a t hand to develop concepts." This pragmatic approach certainly has its merits: it may indeed be the method of choice for teaohing a course in enayme chemistry a t the National Institutes of Health to a largely postdoctoral clientele as the author has been doing, but in the less rmified atmosphere of a university department, preliminary and systematic exposition of general principles would appear to be tho preferred alternative. These subjective criticisms aside, we have found the book eminently usable and readable and shall continue to use it, a t the desk, and in the classroom. Dr. Mehlcr hae made a notnhle contribution. HENRY R. MAHLER INDIANA UNIYEABITY B L O O M I N ~ O NINDIAX* .
scientific work are considered. Most important were the Confucians and the Taoists. The Confucians evidently believed thst the only proper study of mankind was man. For example, "Fan Hsu requested to be taught agriculture, but the Master said, 'I am not so good for that as an old farmer.' He also requested to be taught horticulture, but the Master said, I a n not so good at that as an old gardener.' When Fan Hsu had gone out, the Master said, 'What s. small minded man is Fan Hsu. If a ruler or an official loves good customs, righteousness, or sincerity, people will Bock to him from all quarters bearing their children on their hacks, so what does he need to knon about agriculture?' " The opponents of Confucius were the followers of Taoism, "the only system of mysticism the world has ever seen which was not profoundly anti-scientifio." Dr. Needham finds the Taoist viewpoint sympathetic to his own beliefs gathered from a lifetime of work in biochemical sciences. "Confucian knowledae - was masculine and managing; the Taoist condemned it and sought after a. feminine and receptive knowledge whieh could arise only as the fruit of a. passive and yielding attitude in the ohmvation of
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SCIENCE AM) CMLlZATlON IN CHINA. VOLUME 1: INTRODUCTORY ORIENTATIONS. VOLUME 2: HISTORY OF SCIENTIFIC THOUGHT Joseph Needham, ReaderinBiochemistry, University of Cambridge. Camlxidge University Ress, New York. Volume 1: 318 pp. 35 figs. 9 1954. uxviii tables. 19.5 X 25.5 cm. $10. Volume 2: 1956. xxii 696 pp. 49 figs. 12 tables. 19.5 X 25.5 cm. $14.50.
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THESE am the first two volumes of a seven-volume work that promises to be one the most interesting scholdy a chievements of our time. Dr. Needham, a member of Cambridge University, is well known far his biochemical researches, culminating in the work, "Biochemistry and Morphogenesis," published in 1942. Nearly 20 years ago three Chinese biochemists, Shen, Wang, and Lu, arrived in Cambridge to work at Needham's laboratory. "Whatever they took sway with them from Cambridge they left there a precious conviction that Chinese civilisation had played a role of hitherto unrecognized amplitude in the history of science and technology." From that time until the beginning of the war, Needham continued the study of Chinese language and thought. From 194246 he undertook for the British government a special mission to Chungking. He was able to meet many scholars and to study rare old books and manuscripts. The first volume provides a concise review of the geography and history of China, and then a detailed account of the interchange of scientific ideas and techniques between China and Europe. Volume 2 is concerned with the history of scientific thought in China. The main philosophical schools and their rehtions to 532
Splendid ancedotes are found in profusion throughout both volumes, so that for the reader this ia surely one of the most delightful of all seholdy works. Dr. Needham is a master of English prose, and in his translations from the Chinese as well as in his own discourses, he has sustained a crystillline beauty of style. He loves his subject and this love has illminated his writing and made it a joy to read. Of special interest to chemical readers will be the account of the theory of the five elements, dating from the -4th century. These were water, fire, wood, metal, and earth. We may note the addition of woad and metal, and the omission of air from the four elements of the Milesian philosophers. An unusually interesting sccount is given of the applications of these elements in the world picture of the ancient Chinese, whieh Needhilm finds to bear some resemblance to the philosophy of organism of Whitehead. Only an expert in Sinology, history, and philosophy would be qualified to oritieiee the interpretations that Dr. Needham draws from his materials. His philosophy would appear to be based largely on the ideas of Marx, Whitehead, and Leibniz. Critics as diverse as Toynbee, Weley, Sitnsom, and Sarton have welcomed the volumes as valuable and important contributions to the history of thought. The most discordant note has been a review by an associate professor of history at Princeton University, Charles Gillispie, which was recently published in the American Scientist. Gillispie, writing from a positivist bias, was annoyed by Needham's efforts to relate scientific thought to political, religious, rtnd technological backgrounds, which he found to be an "abject betrayal of the autonomy of science, and a surrender of the measure of independence which it has won for scholarship and thought."
These books have been beautifully produced and illustrated by the Cambridge University Press. Unfortunately, savants in the West today are not accorded the respect that was sometimes theirs in ancient China, so that few individual scientists will be ahle to afford the cost of the complete set. Perhaps the Library of Science may be ahle to arrange far a special edition as was done in the oase of Singer's "History of Technology." At least we may hope that all school and university libraries will provide enough sets for student and faculty use, for, as Bertrand Russell is quoted as saying, "I think thst if we are to feel a t home in the world.. .we shall have to admit Asia to equality in our thoughts not only politically but culturally. What changes this will bring about I do not know but I am convinced that they will be profound and of the greatest importance." WALTER J. MOORE IND~*N* UN~VERB~T~ BLOOU~NGTON, INDIANA
QUANTITATIVE ANALYSIS Willis Conwav Pierce, Professor Chemistry, ~ o i a l d ~u;ner Sawyer, Assistant Professor of Chemistry, University of California at Riverside, and Edward Lauth Haenisch, Professor of Chemistry, Wabash College. Fourth edition. John Wiley & Sons, Inc., New York, 1958. aiii 497 pp. r 15.5 X 23.5 cm. $5.75.
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THIS well-written text is the fourth edition of the one first nublishod in 1037 I+ F'icrwn!.d IIwnislt. 'I'1.v mod etrikinr rluugc.i from (1." thlnl c.litiw iw1111l+:t rr:rrr.cuy+mwt of the order of prciiettrarUm of material, a new chapter on evaluation
and a more liberal use of illustrati& problems. The text is divided into five major parts. Part One deals with the basic tools and methods of analysis. Part Two is concerned with the theory and calonlations of andyticsl chemistry. The three remaining parts consider in order, Titrimetric Methods of Analysis, Gravimetric Analysis by Precipitation and Light, and Electrical Methods of Analysis. The Last of these parts considers colorimetric analysis, potentiometrio titrations, and electrodeposition. The material in the text is so atranged that laboratory work may begin with either gravimetric or volumetric analysis. The laboratory determinations are familiar ones whieh are useful for their teaching value. The authors point out in their preface that the experiments in this edition are those that have been found to give good results. New experiments include, among others, calcium by EDTK, nickel by precipitation with dimethylglyoxime and eleetrometric titrations with a commercial pH meter. The theory is well illustrated by representative problems that have been (Continued on page A604) JOURNAL OF CHEMICAL EDUCATION
solved in a clear, concise manner. Answers are given to about half of the large numher of problems, (a good pedagogic practice). Where appropriate, ionic oquatiana are used throughout the text. Tho authors digress from this practice occasionally, e.g., neutralieation of phosphoric acid an page 103. A more extensive discussion of the single-pan balance would be in order because of its wide use in industry. The authors devote only one short paragraph to its discussion. The titretian of calcium with NDTA is hardly t,ho same kind of complex ion titration as cyanide with silver. Thc treatment d buffer solutions could be more extensive bemuse of their importance to chemistry and in natural processes. The conciseness of presentation along with the breadth of coverage of material show painstaking care on the part of the authors to condense the basic elements of the field in s moderately sized text. Previous editions of the text h a w made this book one widely used in elementary quantitative analysis courses; the present edition willcertainly keep it among the leaders in the field. This book can be recommended to all teachers of quantitative analysis for their careful consideration. GLENN H. BROWN U ~ r v ~ n s t or r r CINOWNATI CINCINNATI. Omo
TEXTILE CHEMICALS AND AUXILIARIES H e n r y C. Speel, Chemical Consultant, Darien Connecticut, andE. W.K. Schworz, Chemical Consultant. New York. Second edition. Reinhold Publishing Corp., New York. 1957. vi 545 pp. 16 X 23.5 om. $13.50.
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IN REVIEWING the first edition (See J . CHEW.EUUC.,30, 270 (1953)), i t was stated that the hook represented an excellent review of the textile industry. This holds true for the second edition. However the new edition has not changed as much as the industry in the int,ervening years, in spite of the numerous changes and additions reflecting the newer synthetic fibers and the newer auxiliary chemicals made by the authors. Part I discusses the Nature and Processing of Fahrics in eight chapters. I t is this part which gives such a fine, concise picture of the whole industry. A new chapter on felts and nonwoven fabrics has been added to this section. Part I1 treats the chemicals used in the indust1.y. Nine chapters are concerned with chemicals. water. som.
water-resistants, mothproofing agents, etc. The previous review states: "The coverage in each field is quite adequate, written ior the chemist, not the specialist in the psrtirular field. T h e fact that
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