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tions. T o LIatht-\vs. wit-ncr, and especially physiology and phy&logic-al chemistry, is a living, dynamir thing, and he tells its story lvith a n infectious enthusiasm T h e text is subdivided into forty chapters under the six major headings as follo~vs: and JIetabolism of the Glucides”; “ T h e Chemistry and Lletabolism “ T h e Chemistry and Metabolism of the Proteins”; “ T h e Special Chemistry of Important Tissues. Blood and Connective Tissues”; “ T h e Catalytic Agents of Grov t h and Development. Vitamins arid Hormones”; and “ T h e Income of Energy.” As might be anticipated from these major headings, the applications of physics a n d physical chemistry t o problems of biochemistry and physiology have been almost TT holly ignored, only casual mention of physicochemical principles appearing here and there (ten pages are devoted t o “ t h e physical chemistry of the blood a n d tissues”). The reviexer believes that i t is unfortunate that Mathews seems to prefer the term“g1ucides” a s a substitute for the generally used English term “carbohydrates,” although actually he uses the two terms more or less interchangeably. It appears t o be extremely doubtful if this particular series of nomenclature changes will be officially adopted by English-speaking chemists, a n d its introduction into a textbook intended largely for the instruction of future physicians cannot b u t bring with it a certain element of unnecessary confusion. However, a n y minor faults are insignificant n.hen contrasted with the real accomplishments. It is a most admirable and accurate textbook of physiological chemistry a n d deserves a wide adoption i n colleges and medical schools ~1here the emphasis of the course is placed upon the physiology and biochemistry of the human. It is not a general biochemistry text b u t specifically one directed a t the human organism, a n d a s such ranks with the best in t h a t field. Ross AIKES GORTNER. A p p l z e d R a d i o c h e m i s t r y . By OTTO H A H K . 278 pp. Ithaca, Yen. York: Cornell University Press, 1936. Price: S2 50. Scientists are indebted t o Cornell University for making available in the form of monographs the lectures given by their Xon-Resident Lecturers i n Chemistry. The present volume b y the n-ell-known director of the Raiser Rilhelm Institute for Chemistry in Berlin-Dahlem constitutes a n-elcome summary of the valuable a o r k done in the n riter’s laboratory and elsewhere in applied radiochemistry, and comprises the lectures delivered b y H a h n a t Cornell Cniversity i n 1933. Since t h a t time our knowledge of certain subjects covered in the text has increased and the interpretation of various phenomena has changed. For this reason i t is to be regretted that the book has not been kept u p t o date. After the introductory lecture, “ F r o m the Ponderable to the Imponderable” (published in Science 77, 397 (1933)), the book is divided into four parts. The first p a r t gives a condensed account of the chemistry of radioactive elements. I n order t o avoid duplication of more extensive reviews found in monographs of previous lecturers (Paneth, Fajans), H a h n discusses particularly the selection of radioactive atomic types suitable for applied radiochemistry. The main bulk of thP book is devoted t o the latter subject a n d gives a clear expos6 of the brilliant researches carried out in Hahn’s laboratory, with due reference t o the literature on radiocdlloids, distribution of minute amounts of solid material in gases, and of radioactive elements between solids and solutions, adsorption, coprecipitation (formation of mixed rrystals and anomalous mixed crystals), indicator methods (with application t o biological problems), and emanation methods. T h e latter are finding more and more recognition in studies of the behavior of solids on heating.
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The author not only gives a description of the phenomena, but has also attempted to interpret them. Certainly, with regard to the interpretations, the last word has not yet been said and in this respect the book is stimulating to further research. For example, it is hard to assume that bismuth (ThC) is mainly present in the form of anions a t a p H of 4 (p. 58-9) If this were true the effect of ammonia upon the formation of radiocolloids (p. 60) is hard to account for. Hahn’s “precipitation law” (p. 67) is stated in too general a way berause even in the case of the formation of true mixed crystals the distribution of the micro-component depends upon the manner of formation of the precipitate. This is evident from Hahn’s o ~ v ndiscussion further on in the book (p. 73ff). In conclusion, i t should be said that full credit is given to other workers in the fields covered and that their views are discussed in an impartial way, even if they happen not to be in complete agreement with those of the author. Print and appearance of the book are excellent.
I. 31. KOLTHOFF. Enzymologia. Carl Oppenheimer, Editor-in-chief. Published by W. Junk, The Hague, Holland. Each volume to contain approximately 400 pages and to appear in 6 parts. The parts will appear a t irregular intervals. Priced a t 15 fl. (Dutch) per volume. This is a new scientific journal devoted exclusively to the broad field of enzyme chemistry, enzyme kinetics, and enzyme behavior in its biological and technological aspects. An imposing array of collaborating editors, including practically all of the outstanding leaders in enzyme research, is listed on the cover page and assures the subscriber that the new journal will be truly international in scope. Articles are acceptable for publication in either English, French, o r German. Volume I, P a r t 1 was published June 30, 1936, and P a r t 2 appeared August 1, 1936. These t x o parts contain twenty original papers including contributions from such well-known authorities as C. Seuberg, K Linderstrom-Lang, A. Fischer, J . H. Quastel, H. D. Kay, J. B. Sumner, and others of equal standing. Among those papers which have appeared there are several which should be of interest t o the physicist and physical chemist, especially the one “On the Luminescence of Bacteria,” which includes a quantitative study of the spectrum of the light emitted by Photobacterium phosphoreum and the influence of various environmental factors on the light emission of this organism. If the two parts before the revieiTer are iepresentative of \$hat we may expect in future issues, this journal will rapidly become an indispensable tool to all workers in biochemistry and physiology, for more and more students of life processes are coming to realize t h a t the reactions of living matter are largely governed by enzymatic phenomena. Ross AIKEN GORTNER. A N D K.31. WATSON. Second Industrial Chemical Calculatiuns. By 0. A. HOUGEX edition. 487 pp. New York: John Wiley and Sons, Inc., 1936. Price: $4.50. Those of us who found valuable material in the first edition of this book on the application of physical and chemical principles to industrial problems will welcome this new edition with its considerable rearrangement of the old material and the addition of some t h a t is new. For the benefit of those who are not familiar with the first edition, the following partial list of subjects treated will be of interest: P-V-T relationships of both ideal and actual gases; vapor pressure relationships; vaporization processes; humidity and wet- and dry-bulb thermometry; specific heat of gases, liquids, and solids; heat
