52 



NA TURE 



[July 14, 1923 



knowledge and with the ingenuity with which men 

 who are determined to kill will degrade every scrap of 

 human information to their end. But it is no impossible 

 chimera that men of science should refuse to help 

 in applying their special knowledge to the prosecution 

 of war, and should let it be known that if war is to 

 continue it must be waged without their assistance. 

 Mr. Dickinson, at any rate, will be satisfied if they 

 will read his book, reflect honestly and plainly on the 

 implications of what he has to say, and bring to their 

 conclusions the same independence and clarity that 

 they apply to their daily work. It is difficult to 

 believe that there will be many who after doing this 

 will still be on the side of war. A. E. B. 



British Museum {Natural History). Guide to the 

 Exhibition Galleries of Geology and Palceontology. 

 Pp. 64. (London : British Museum (Natural His- 

 tory), 1923.) i^. 



The Keeper of Geology, in his preface to this small 

 book, says, " It is merely a guide, not an introduction 

 to the study of fossils." Those familiar with official 

 scientific publications may appreciate the modesty 

 and wisdom of this statement. But intelligent 

 members of the general public, for whom the book has 

 been written, will soon find that the statement errs 

 on the side of diffidence ; they will say, " This is not 

 merely a guide, but a remarkably good guide " ; 

 and, taking it with them round the galleries, may 

 discover to their advantage that it is one of the best 

 short introductions to the study of fossils in the 

 English language. 



The casual visitor to these magnificent geological 

 collections is often bewildered by the multitude of 

 objects and oppressed by the strangeness of nomen- 

 clature. With this guide he will be led in an orderly 

 and logical manner through the whole series of exhibits, 

 his attention being directed only to outstanding 

 features of each group ; the systematic names are 

 explained in everyday terms and the essential characters 

 of the fossils are made clear, while no opportunity 

 is lost of showing" how the forms of these extinct 

 creatures throw light upon their habits and phylogeny. 

 Thus a great deal of sound information is woven into 

 a readable story, which does not neglect human interest 

 but links up the fossils with their discoverers or with 

 some apt reference to literature or histor\^ Who 

 will not be tempted after reading of Thomas Hawkins 

 to look up his descriptions of the hunt for Ichthyosauri, 

 or to renew an acquaintance with " The Chambered 

 Nautilus " of Oliver Wendell Holmes ? 



Dr. F. A. Bather, the author, has rendered good 

 service to palaeontology and to the public at a time 

 when there was never more need for a straightforward 

 introduction to this valuable and fascinating branch 

 of knowledge, understandable bv the ordinarv man. 



J. A. H. 



The Microscope: A Practical Hand-book. By L. 

 Wright. Enlarged and rewritten by Dr. A. H. Drew. 

 Pp. 287. (London : Religious Tract Society, n.d.) 

 55. net. 



In the earlier chapters of this book an excellent account 

 is given of the fundamental principles of optics, the 

 practical optics of the microscope, and of the simple 



NO. 2802, VOL. I 12] 



and compound microscopes. The salient features < 

 a number of microscope stands by various makers are 

 detailed and many of the instruments figured. Ac- 

 cessories, dark ground illumination, and methods for 

 testing objectives are also described, together with 

 manipulation and photo - micrography. Separate 

 chapters are then devoted to the various objects of 

 microscopy, such as pond and insect life, animal and 

 vegetable histology, and others, with directions for 

 manipulating and mounting them. The sections on 

 staining have been revised and brought up-to-dfc 

 and new stains and methods introduced. Thi; 

 directions are given for the demonstration of mito- 

 chondria, the Golgi apparatus, karyokinesis, etc. Tin- 

 book contains a mass of accurate information, is pro- 

 fusely illustrated, and can be cordially recommended, 

 not only to the beginner, but also to many who have 

 already passed the elementary stage. 



Organic Chemistry : or, Chemistry of the Carbon Com- 

 pounds. By Victor von Richter. Edited by Prof. 

 R. Anschiitz and Dr. H. Meerwein. Vol. 3 : Hetero- 

 cyclic Compounds. Translated from the Eleventh 

 German edition by Dr. E. E. Foumier d'Albe. 

 Pp. xviii + 326. (London: Kegan Paul and Co., 

 Ltd.; Philadelphia: P. Blakiston's Son and C< 

 1923.) 25s. net. 



The present volume, like the two preceding ones, is a 

 useful guide to organic chemistry for general laboratory 

 use, but it suffers from the same defect in being out- 

 of-date. Heterocyclic derivatives of phosphorus and 

 arsenic, for example, do not appear in the index, nor. 

 apparently, in the text. References to English work 

 are given to the German Centralblatt, without the 

 names of the authors, and one gathers the entirely 

 incorrect impression that organic chemical work is 

 confined almost exclusively to Germany. The nomen- 

 clature is not always that adopted in England ; the 

 quinoline nucleus is numbered according to a system 

 which has not been in use in this country' for manv 

 years. The best method of preparation of a substan 

 is not specially indicated, and not enough distinction i.> 

 made between methods of preparation and methods of 

 formation. Until English chemists supply their own 

 needs, however, such books will have to be used. 



Atoms. By Prof. Jean Perrin. Authorised trans- 

 lation by D. LI. Hammick. Second English edition 

 revised. Pp. xv-f-23i. (London, Bombay and 

 Sydney : Constable and Co., Ltd., 1923.) 85. dd. 

 net. 

 The second English edition of Prof. Perrin's inimitable 

 book has been carefully revised in accordance with 

 the eleventh ' French edition, and a certain amount 

 of new matter added for the first time. The latter 

 covers, for example, Perrin's new theorj' of radiation 

 and chemical change, and there is a complete list of 

 isotopes at the end of the book. Of the original work 

 it is scarcely necessary to say anything : it has become 

 a scientific classic, and is at the same time an account 

 of the latest views on the subject. The translation 

 has been well done, and the meaning is clearly rendered. 

 In one or two cases {e.g. p. 112) " ou bien " has been 

 translated " better," which is not its meaning in the 

 examples cited. 



