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THE POPULAR SCIENCE MONTHLY 



Qualitative Chemical Analysis. A Guide 

 to the Practical Study of Chemistry and 

 of the Work of Analysis. By Silas H. 

 Douglas and Albert B. Prescott, of 

 the University of Michigan. New York : 

 D. Van Nostrand. Second edition, re- 

 vised. Pp. 254. Price, $3.50. 

 Tiiis excellent work has grown out of 

 the exigencies of chemical teaching. In its 

 earliest form it appeared in 1864, and passed 

 through several editions. It was intended 

 to be used, with Fresenius's " Manual of 

 Qualitative Analysis," as a guide to the ex- 

 perimental study of substances to be made 

 in connection with analysis, but beyond its 

 immediate requirements. It is now revised 

 and enlarged so as of itself to answer the 

 needs of the student, and relieve him from 

 the necessity of obtaining more than one 

 text-book for inorganic qualitative work. 

 Its aim is stated to be, " to aid the student 

 in gaining an accurate acquaintance with 

 the facts whereby analyses are made ; and a 

 clear understanding of the coordination of 

 these facts the principles of analysis has 

 been the chief object of this work. It is 

 the result of experience in the constant en- 

 deavor to prevent habits of automatic op- 

 eration and of superficial observation in 

 analysis." Various improvements in the 

 work are pointed out in the preface to the 

 new edition, which have been arrived at by 

 the experience of the last ten years, and 

 which bring the volume up to the require- 

 ments of the times. 



The Chemist's Manual. A Practical Trea- 

 tise on Chemistry, Quantitative and Qual- 

 itative Analysis, Stoichiometry, Blowpipe 

 Analysis, Mineralogy, Assaying, Toxi- 

 cology, etc. By Henry A. Mott, Jr., 

 E. M., Ph. D. New York : D. Van Nos- 

 trand. Pp. 625. Price, $6. 



This work is designed not for popular 

 reading, bit for practical students of chem- 

 istry, and will answer the purpose of a kind 

 of condensed library of technical informa- 

 tion, in which the ordinary text-books are 

 deficient. Compiled by a working student, 

 from the needs of his own experience, it 

 cannot fail to be useful to others in similar 

 circumstances, who will find the labor here 

 done to their hand which they would other- 

 wise have to do for themselves. The au- 

 thor has prepared the work on the principle 

 that every scientific man " should compile 



his own pocket-book, as he proceeds in 

 study and practice, to suit his particular 

 business." Having accumulated from time 

 to time a large number of valuable notes, 

 tables, and chemical data, which became too 

 voluminous to be carried in the pocket, he 

 then decided to extend, systematize, and 

 publish them. Dr. Charles F. Chandler, 

 Professor of Chemistry in the Columbia Col- 

 lege School of Mines, introduces the work 

 by a brief preface, in which he says : 



"This carefully-prepared 'Manual' of Dr. 

 Mott will prove especially valuable as contain- 

 ing a judicious selection of the most important 

 methods, most of which have been tested by lab- 

 oratory experience, and found to give satisfac- 

 tory results. These are presented in a concise 

 form, with reference to original authors. The 

 numerous tables of constants will also be found 

 of great value. This work will possess a special 

 value for the student and laboratory-worker, and 

 will serve as a useful reference-book for the gen- 

 eral scientific reader." 



Mr. Van Nostrand has got the work out 

 in excellent style, and we have only to make 

 a small complaint of the inartistic monotony 

 of the page-headings, which simply repro- 

 duce the title of the book, without giving 

 any guidance to its successive subjects and 

 the variety of its contents. 



The Microscopist. A Manual of Micro- 

 scopy and Compendium of the Micro- 

 scopic Sciences, with 205 Illustrations. 

 By J. H. Wythe, A. M., M. D., Professor 

 of Microscopy and Biology in the Medi- 

 cal College of the Pacific, San Francisco. 

 Philadelphia : Lindsay & Blakiston. Pp. 

 259. Price, |4.50. 



Dr. Wythe's manual first appeared twen- 

 ty-five years ago, and he now issues the 

 third edition, rewritten and greatly en- 

 larged. In regard to his object in prepar- 

 ing the volume, the author says : " It is 

 proposed in this treatise to give such a 

 resume of microscopy as shall enable the 

 student in any department to pursue origi- 

 nal investigations with a general knowledge 

 of what has been accomplished by others. 

 To this end a comprehensive view of the 

 necessary instruments and details of the 

 art, cr what the Germans call technology, 

 is first given, and then a brief account of 

 the application of the microscope to various 

 branches of science, especially considering 

 the needs of physicians and students of medi- 

 cine." The sciences here referred to are 



