book reviews The Merck Index
8th edition. Edited by Paul G. Stecher, Merek & Co., Inc., Rehway, New Jersey. Merck & Co., Inc., Itahway, 1713 pp. New Jersey, 1968. xii Figs. $15.
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This new edition of the Merek Index contaius 2,000 more entries in the monograph section, more synonyms in the cross index of names, and several new reference features, in addition to the revised tabular data and organic name reactions. More than 9,500 chemicals and drugs are arranged alphabetically by generic or nonproprietary name. Nearly 5000 chemical structures are illustrated and toxicity and medical uses are described for about 4,800 chemicals. A chemical formula index is new in this edition. Other new features include: abbreviations adopted by USAN and WHO for organic radicals; code letters used by various companies for experimental compounds; and a n indexed table of contents. The extensive expension and revisions in the monographs and the additional reference features should enhance the usefulness of this standard work.
JANET B. VANDOREN College of Wooster Wooster, Ohio 44691 Life of John William Slrun, Third Baron Rayleigh
Robert John Strutt, Fourth Baron Rauleigh (An Augmented Edition with snnotations by the author and a Foreword by John N. Howard), The University of Wisconsin Press, Madison, Wis., 1968. xxii 439 pp. Photographs. 14 X 22 cm. $10.
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This excellent biography of Lord Rsyleigh (1842-1919) by his son (1875-1947) was originally published in 1924. The son, also a physicist, resigned his position to go through his father's manuscripts and papers in prepmatian for this extremely readable account of Rayleigh's life and accomplishments. The hook was well received. Soon after the publicstion, the biographer began t o prepare for a possihle next edition; he used a specially made interleaved copy and wrote down annotations and later items, as well as corrections. However, these notes were not published and the augmented biography remained as it was left by Rayleigh's son. The present printing has now taken the additional material into account and indicated in the main text the proper place of insertion. The notes themselves appear in the Appendix. Rayleigh's work ranged widely and i t has been well said that "he took all physics as his province!' A survey of the 6-volume set of his Collected Papers (now available in a 3-volume set from Dover Publications) reveals that among the 446 p q w s there i~ a fairly equal representation of mrtthematics, light, heat, electricity, magnetism, and the properties of (Cmtinued on page A992)
A990
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Journal of Chemical Education
