VOL 2, No. 6
RECENTBOOKS
515
smce emphasis is placed upon the induetrid X-Rays and Crystal Structure Electricity and Matter. aspects of the elements and compaunde, one looks with interest, for anounts of very recent developAtoms and Isotopes. ments in chemical industry. The result is gratifyVerification of the Theory of Relativity The Interior of a Star. ing. There are described, for erample. the syothesip of methyl almhol fmm the carbon monoxide The origins of wire1er.. Thermianic Valuer. and hydrogen d ordinary water gas, the producThe Origin of Spectra. tion of camphor fmm turpentine, the use of inHelium Gas and I t s Uses. sulin as an cffeefive treatment for diabetes, and the improved =dine containing tetra-ethyl The F'rincipler of Pine Measurement. The Circulation of the Atmomhere. lead to eliminate knocking. o n the other hand, there seems t o be no reference, under "alumioum The Water in the Atmasphere. Weather Foreasting. rulfate," to its use in water pvrification or in Atmospheric Electricity. sizing paper. Again, there is inadequate treatThe origin of Mao. ment of automobile lacquer, an industry of eonThe Circulation of the Blood. riderable proportions today. The Biological Action of Light. That so few minor revsions might he made, is Muscular work. noteworthy, particularly in view of the author's Insect Mimicry and the Darwinian Theory of adherence, in the thousands of paragraphs, t o Natural Selection. snedfic facts rather than hdulaence in elitterina The Origin of the Seed Plants generalities. While the Encyclopaedia is chiefly of interest as M. M. H*RZND a reference work on industrial chemistry, ss an Report of the Division of Chemistry and Sanitaaid in answering a thousand and one questions tion of the New Hampshire State Board of on applied chemistry, there are many excellent Health; Part 111, Roods and Drugs. CHARLES section. on theoretical topies also. Reading of D. HOWARD.State Chemist. Published by such articles as those on the atmosphere, the structure of the atom., isotooes. . . and ~ s o i r a t i o n State Board of Health, Concord, N. H., 1925. 14 X 23 cm. 78 PP. Probably free to interwith its statement, for example. of the average ested persons. daily amount of carbon burned and oxygen eombined in the human b d y , rhouid add alike to Though this pamphlet is far fmm a textbook in the interest of presentation in the daosroom, and to the richness of the teacher's knowledge. Thealphabeticalarrangement of the subjects is . . convenient. The language is well chosen. Alincluding in many caoes the trade names and the together the b w k is north having. eompositian of the articles. Special attention has been given t o pmhiemo of food sanitation. ROBERTCALVERT inspection of soda fountains and of madeide reHandbook to the Exhibition of Pure Science freshment stands and articles sold by them, and Arranged by the Royal Society. British problems of water supply and of sewage and Empire Exhibition 1924. The Macmillan garbage disposal of summer camps for boys and Company, New York City. 228 pages. pirl9. F'r1ce a.90. Articles moat frequently examined were water, sewage, milk. non-alcoholic beverages, clltraets, The titie of this booklet is apt t o sound forbiderenm, icc-cream, butter, toilet prepamtirms, ding to thecasual reader. To all such, a series of washing and deaming powders, and stove delightful surprises will appear when the contents polishes. Attendant court rases and their disare investigated. I n addition t o the uouai dcposition are frequently mentioned. seriptive cdmiogue of exhibits-in itself furnishOther substances examined indude: bread, ing most intereqting and iostrvetive r e a d i n k candy, cocoa, cheese, eggs. Boor, honey, maple the whole first part consistn of a series of excellent products, milk products, olive oil, vineger, ieepep= on prerent-day subjects of the greatest imcream thickeners, miscellaneous foods, pharmaportance. Such a fund of accurate information cevtica1 pmparatioos, proprietary rcmedier, has seldom beem compre.3ed within such a small liquid soaps, metal polishes, coal, enameled cookpublication I t is manifertly unwise to attempt ing ware, intoxicating liquors, and b t h v m i r to eritieise a b w k covering such a varied field. eellaneour articles. , The fact that every paper is written by a n acknowledged world leader in his field of endeavor W. SSBEBRBLON guarantees its emelienee. This Handbook furThe Science of Everyday Life. Eoona P. Van nisher mmt enjoyable, helpful and authoritative BOJECmK A N D E ~ m aLILLIAN S M ~ R Re. . reading. No teacher of chemistry or of any other vised Edition. Cloth XIV 498 pages. science can afford to be without it. Pollowi~gare the titles of the papers. 13 X 19 em. 240 illustrations. $1 60 The Genesis of the Roynl saeiety. Postp~id. Bwghton Miflin Compaoy. New Y0rk The Electron.
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This h w k is intended for seventh and eighth The authors have admirably adapted both material and method of presentation to these wades. The book is divided into two main parts. Part I deatn with the chief necessities of life and is simpler than Part I1 whieh treats of the forces of nature and their mnual. Part I treat. of air. water and f w d and how t o use them. Each of there unit. is further subdivided into three or four projects. Each project ir introduced by a series of problems whieh are experimentally solved either s s a "1dem-Vation or by individuals a t home or in school. The pupil is told nothing that he can observe for himself and is expected to use his own judgment in explaining results obtained in the erperiments. This is made readily possible by numerovs questions hearing on the problems. Pollowing the problems in each project is the reading matter divided into sections corresponding t o the order of the problems. This is caceptionally well mganised and is written in a vcry clear and interesting style. It is expected that a direussion of this reading matter will follow the performance of the problems. At the close of each project a number of individual project. and r e p o m are suggested, directions for whieh are given in books, the titles and publishers of which are given. This bibliography mnrtitutn a very valuable feature of the book. Part I1 is organi~edin exactly the same manner
or ninth grade pupils.
as Part I. There are two units. Unit I V deals with homes and clothing. Under this unit a n treated the building, lighting and heating of the home, and clothing and its ' e m . Unit V treats of the work of the wmld. The pmjeete cover mmmon machines, elemieity in the home. communication, radio, transportation and lifeits origin and betterment. The project on radio is especially clear, complete and op-to-date. The nereroary equipment will he found in any fairly well-equipped school or eovld be obtained locally a t vcry small expense. Throughout the book no attempt is made to clsssify the material in line with the special sciences, though, when oeession arises, these sciences are referred to so that the pupil is made acquainted with their genern1 content. The most striking and commendable feature of the hwk is the cmioenlly bucerarlul w a y II har combined t h e culrivntmn of the rrtrntafir att?tude of the . nunil . with the funlirbinz of a fund of vnluable information respecting the science of everyday life. I t would be difficult t o see how this could be done better. I t is in this that its value from the staodpoiot of Chemical Education would chieEy lie. On the whole the book is one of the best 01 the many text. in general ncienee with whieh the market hss been flooded during the past few years.
