SCIENCE IN
THE MAKING
Joel H. Hildebrcmd. Columbia University Press, New York, 1957. 116 pp. Figs. and tables. 14 X 21 cm. $3.
THISlittle hook embodies tho Bamptan Lectures for 1956. Its substance is drawn from a, course, given by the wcll%noun Professor Emeritus of Chemistry a t the University of Califarnia, designcd to acquaint college st~tdenta with the nabure of ~cience. In the first chapter stages in bhc develol)ment of a, general theavy of solution are used to illustrate "science in the making." The second chapter sffords a great many examples of the disuse and misuse of science in matters of concern to men m d their aoeietios. Using therm~d~mamics by way of illustration, the third chapter considers the nature and function of scientific theories. The fourth and final chapter presents a "lab-stool philosophy" that
couples deep faith in the benefits realizable by a wise exploitation of scientific knowledge with a vigwously expressed contempt for various solutions to the "human predicament" which arc no more plau~ible than they are illusory. The illustrative rxRmples arc lucidly but very tersely stated. One previously unacquainted with the iiubjeet matter might have difficulty in following t,hcm. But t h i ~ is not a textbook: it,s aim is not to teach science but to give somc sense of what ~cinneeis. The writing is direct, replete with vivid analogies and metaphors, highly personal, and often quite tart. The author is no respecter of the prejudices of others, hut does not hssitate to inject x fnw of his own. He has eiven us no DrOfound analysis hut x diva'iing, slight, provocative, impressionist sketch of science.
W S C O SOURCE BOOK FOR SCIENCE TEACHING UNESCO Publioations Center, 152 W. 42nd St., New York 36, N. Y., 1956. 222 pp. 15.5 X 23.5 cm. Paper bound, $2.50; cloth bound, $3. THE book is a modification and amplification of one previously prepared for use in w-ar-devastated countries illustrating to teachers of science, especially general science, methods of preparing equipment from minimal materisls iiuch as those that would be available in almost any amdl city. I t contains many clever ad:~ptatioas of such minimal equipment to experimentation in the elassroom. The fact that it still retain^ some of its English accents and spellinp may he a little confusing to American readers, hut there are still so many stimulating ideas thzt most teachers, even on the college level, might, with profit,
JOURNAL OF CHEMICAL EDUCATION
look it over t o get suggestions of how aimply lecture denmnstrlitionr c t n hc done. The principal ubjertion to the book warld tw that i t is mow a list of denamrrrations rather than i t is a means of interpreting what is ohserved. Too many of the experiments are merely outlined and the results pointed out with no suggestion whatever as to the scientific interpret* tion of the results. Were i t on a more advanced level, this would he quite defensible, hut on the level for which it Reems to be intended of general seienee in high school, i t might he better to have added a sentence or two in many eases pointing out the principle which is being demonstrated. Even this criticism is not serious enough, however, t o prevent this book from heing of great use to teachera, hoth in training and in practice. orA L I t is true that readers of the J O ~ R N C H E ~ C AEDUCATION L will have relatively little use for the actual material presented here, but I hope that many of them find it pos8ihle to point out to the high-school teachers they know t h ~ the t hook exists, and even to obtain the hook for the local high sehools so that i t may he used to stimulate seientifie experimentation in the serondsry schools of this country. J. A. C.411PBELL HARVEYMODD COLLE(IE C ~ * n w o mC . ~rmonm*
electricity was discovered, nor when a loadstone was used for the first time in navigation, and we may wonder whether they were new a t the time of Prometheus. And so it goes throughout the "Introdue tion" which culminates in a. call for ". . . one great effort for more effective utilization of man's recorded knowledge. . . This is a worthy cause but perhaps we should first acquire the knowledge. Upon boarding the galactic conveyance and before admission t o the company of the select we are to pass through a purgatory where we are to be cleansed of such archaic impediments as grammar, syntax, etymology, etc., and then iustmeted in "language engineering." This new form in which the wise will commune is defined on p. 330 in "phrastie elements" whioh I do not understand. Whatever i t does, the article is certainly phrssy. If we still persist in using that obsolete tool there ia no hope for us. Page 93 warns us to "keep in mind that the basic struetural features of modern language were developed long before the dawn of our modern industrial era." Do we not realize that dealing with our grocer or butcher, or when ordering a double bourbon in our favored bar, we are doing so in the language of Beowulf? Such othera, as Mendeleev, Planek, or Einstein did formulate their ideas in the existing languages hut for "documentation" these me inadequate. On page 197 we find, "The lihrmian of the future. must he a creature of many muts, tions. . ." What does this mean? There are more questions of this kind that we could ask if space permitted. However, the hook contain8 several papers of value and interest, such as those by Adkinson, Fano, and Bernier, hut these presentations are too "earthy" and of little use in the stellar realm of manage ment, executives, decision makers, and other Olympians. The problems of gathering, recording, storing, and dissemination of scientific information are very important and need solution. The problems are not new; they existed a t the time of Hammurahi and they will exist after wire recording will become archaic. Kent (pp. 2741) outlines the problems clearly and presenk the cause for s cooperative effort very effectively. We ehould work for the best possible solution of these problems. But whatever these may he, I do not believe that they will stem from "language or engineering," "conceptualization," "semantic factoring."
..
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DOCUMENTATION IN ACTION Jesse H. Shero, Dean, Sohool of Library
Science; Allen Kent, Associate Director, a n d l a m e s W. Perry, Director, Center for Documentation and Communication Research-all at Western Reserve University, Cleveland, Ohio. Reinhold Publishing Corp., New York, 1956. xii + 471 pp. 16 X 23.5 cm. $10.
THEpeople whose avowed occupation is "scientific information" appear to have convinced themselves and ave trying hard tn convince the rest of us that u new Road is upon us. Unless we quickly houd the good ship "Documentation" the consequences are too frightening to contemplate, Now, in the days of Xoah the problem of preservation waa rather simple: there was one ark and no other choice or ehance. This time there is quite a fleet of arks ready to rave us, our firm, or corporation, and indeed civilizsi tion itself. These new vessels are not only modern but of space-ship quality. The most ambitious of them all is describedin a. "graphicreeord"called "Documentation in Action." The ship's cruising radius is in the galaxies and beyond for which i t is fully equipped. Apparently her terrestrial worth is very slight, but that need not disturb us for ". . . knowledge carries within itself the seeds of its own destruction-a kind of radiw (p. 6). No need to get active halflife.. technical about "halflife." The galactic conveyance is equipped with the most advanced and some, as yet, nou-existing devices. I t is propelled by thrusts generated by hot air derived from verbiage not necessarily based on correct informs, tion. The "new social dynamics" are not really new. They were not new whet,
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VOLUME 34, NO. 8, AUGUST, 1957
\I. HOREH
cxr;uro*l. ABBTR*CTB W ~ s n m o r o D. ~ , C.
,
THERMAL POWER REACTORS
FROM NUCLEAR
A. Stanley Thompson and Oliver E. Rodgers, Studebaker-Packard Corporation. John Wiley & Sons, Inc., New York, 1956. riii 229 pp. 15 X 23.5 Em. $7.25.
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THEmajor portion of this volume, eonsisting of eight chapters, constitutes a eoncise introduction to the pertinent nn-
clear engineering arising in reactor design and operation. The opening chapter gives the necessary nuelear physical background and is followed by two chapters, totaling 91 pages, whioh develop reactor criticality conditions and hoth steady state tend transient neutron distributions. Chapter Four covers radiation shielding, Chapter Five, reaotar materials. Only the three final chapters, totaling 65 pages, are primarily related to the question of power production, and here are covered thermal stress, power extraction, and thermal power cycles. This hook is recommended to the reader with a background in differential equations who desires familiarity with quantitative considerations of thc neutron reaetor. R. A. NAUMANN PRXNOETON UNIVEBS~T~' Pnwceron. N e w J~aser
PHYSICAL TECHNIQUES IN BIOLOGICAL RESEARCH. VOLUME 2: PHYSICAL CHEMICAL TECHNIQUES Edited by Gerald Oster, Polytechnic Institute of Brmklyn, and Arthur W. Pollister, Columbia University. Academic Press Inc., New York, 1956. xv 502 pp. 15.5 X 23.5 cm. $12.80.
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BIOLOGICAL research is distinguished by the complexity both of the systems investigated and the methods employed. Few biological scientists tare familiar with all the techniques that could he used to advantage in their work. On the other hand, methods are sometimes developed and refined by scientists who are unaware of specific systems for their novel applioation. Unfortunately, a scientific method is generally reviewed in detail far the expert active in the field or outlined superfieidly in a. brief qualitative descrip tion. Neither approach satisfies the real need of the research worker. In the present volume, the editors and authors are to he complimented for maintaining a balanced diseu~sion that indicates the limitations and advantages of many physical chemieal techniques. This hook, the second in a three-volume series edited hy Gerald Oster and Arthur W. Pollister, reviews physical chemical methods commonly used by biochemists, cytochemists, and biophysicists. The nine chapters include: Tracer Techniques: Stable and Radioaetive Isotopes (Jacob Saeks); The Measurement and Properties of Ionizing Radiation (J. S. Kirh,vSmith); Sedimentation, Diffusion, and Viscosity (A. G. Ogston); Surface Film Techniques (Alexandre Rothen); Adsorption and Chromatography (Norman Applesweig and Thomas F. Cleary); Electrophoresis and Ionophoresis (Kurt G. Stern): Electrical Potential Differenees (K. S. Spiegler and M. R. J. Wyllie); Magnetic Methods (Scott Rlois); and X-Ray Diffraction and Scattering (Gerald Oster). The value of m y measurement is limited by the modifications in the experimental system that result from the measuring process, and the assumptions necessaF for the interpretation of the
