REVIEWS 327 



of antimony, and accordingly these related products are also discussed in the 

 present monograph. 



The subject is treated to a certain extent in an historical manner from the 

 earliest investigations, such as Cadet's " fuming arsenical liquid " and Bunsen's 

 Cacodyl, right up to the work of Ehrlich and Benda on Salvarsan, and the later 

 work of Bertheim, Karrer, Danysz, Mouneyrat, and others, not omitting Prof. 

 Morgan's own valuable contributions to the knowledge of this most important group 

 of organic substances. The whole book is a complete and satisfactory reply to those 

 somewhat shallow-minded critics who look upon organic chemistry as a mere 

 "molecule-juggling" — to use the half-contemptuous expression of Prof. Donnan. 

 There are few branches of human activity which have not, during the last few 

 decades, learnt valuable lessons from the study of organic chemistry, and no pro- 

 fession, perhaps, has profited more than the medical calling, on which the organic 

 chemist has showered riches beyond compare. 



Prof. Morgan's work should prove of the greatest value to all chemists and 

 physicians, to all of whom the excellent bibliography given at the end should 

 be very useful. 



(2) Mr. Mitchell's work on the Edible Oils and Fats possesses a very topical 

 interest at the moment not only to chemists but to every one who has a butter 

 ration-paper ! The author has endeavoured with success to give a concise outline 

 of the chemical composition and properties of the more important oils and fats, 

 together with a description of the methods of extracting them from the crude 

 materials, and of purifying and preparing them for food purposes. A chapter 

 dealing with the physical and chemical methods of examining edible oils is also- 

 included, and tables of typical so-called "constants" are given with the descrip- 

 tions of the individual fats, with the object of enabling any one who has no 

 specialised knowledge of the subject to understand the technicalities of an analysis. 

 With this end in view, the principles rather than the working details of well-known 

 analytical methods have been described. The first three chapters deal with the 

 nature, properties, and composition of fats, their extraction and purification, and 

 their constants. In Chapter IV. a good summary of the most important methods 

 of examination is given, whilst the remaining five chapters deal with the character- 

 istics of individual fats and oils, with hardened oils, and with butter and margarine. 

 A useful bibliography is given on pp. 124-53, an< ^ the book appears to be well 

 indexed. 



It is somewhat difficult to criticise a work of this kind in which a meritorious 

 attempt is made to condense a very large subject in a little space. When one 

 recalls the size of Lewkowitsch's standard work on fats and oils, the task of: 011- 

 densing it is seen to be no light one. Naturally enough, the book tends to suffer 

 a little from the inevitable compression, and shows some signs of congestion here 

 and there, but that is, perhaps, no disadvantage, bearing in view the particular 

 purposes for which the book was compiled. With regard to the question of 

 hydrogenised fats discussed upon pp. 108-15, no new patents appear to be dis- 

 cussed of later date than 1912 ; one might perhaps expect some account of the 

 more recent patents on the subject during the last five years ; in certain other 

 respects also the book does not appear to be quite as up to date as might be 

 hoped. Various illustrations of apparatus for the extraction and analysis of fats 

 are given. The book should prove of service to those who have to deal with 

 edible fats and oils. 



Frederick A. Mason. 



