August i8, 1923] 



NATURE 



235 



recorded by public bodies in favour of the metric 

 movement ; there are also lengthy lists of municipal 

 authorities^ commercial associations, and manufactur- 

 ing companies which have definitely adhered to the 

 proposed reform. The rest of the work is devoted 

 mainly to the history of metric legislation in the 

 United States and the British Empire, selected articles 

 on the metric system, and a comprehensive bibliography. 



From what has been said, it will be seen that the 

 contents of the book are somewhat heterogeneous, 

 and in parts reminiscent of a collection of press cuttings ; 

 it necessarily presents only one aspect of the question, 

 being propagandist in the extreme. We cannot 

 conceive of any reader faithfully perusing its pages 

 from cover to cover, any more than he would an 

 encyclopaedia, but as a storehouse of opinion, anecdote, 

 and similar material for the apostle of metric weights 

 and measures to draw upon it will exercise considerable 

 influence upon the rate of progress towards " world 

 metric standardisation." A good index facilitates 

 reference to the principal topics and authorities dealt 

 with in the book, which is dedicated to James Watt 

 as the originator of the decimal method of measure- 

 ment, and contains many portraits of its advocates. 



In Great Britain there is at present little evidence 

 )f a popular demand for the compulsory adoption 

 )f the metric system, though Chambers of Commerce 

 j^and the Trade Union Congress annually pass resolutions 

 advocating the reform ; the Decimal Association, 

 whilst continuing its metric propaganda, is devoting 

 attention mainly to the decimalisation of the coinage, 

 with the adoption of the " high-value penny " (one- 

 tenth of a shilling, the latter retaining its present 

 value) as the principal item in its programme. In 

 the United States, where the benefits of decimal 

 coinage are already enjoyed, strong efforts are being 

 put forth to add thereto the advantages of decimalised 

 weights and measures, and a Bill is now before Congress 

 for that purpose. The energy devoted to the campaign 

 in that country, of which the volume under review 

 affords striking evidence, commands our admiration ; 

 but it must be admitted that the opposition to the 

 movement in certain quarters is both bitter and 

 powerful. A. H. A. 



Our Bookshelf. 



Catalogue of Scientific Papers. Compiled by the Royal 

 Society of London. Fourth Series (1884-1900). 

 Vol. 18: Q-S. Pp. iv + 1067. (Cambridge: At 

 the University Press, 1923.) 9Z. net. 



From the outset this monumental work has occupied 

 a very high position as a trustworthy work of biblio- 

 graphical reference — due to the judicious extension of 

 its range, the faultless accuracy of its entries, and the 



NO. 2807, VOL. 112] 



critical examination to which its author headings have 

 been subjected. It is international in scope and appeal, 

 but of purely British manufacture, and is now nearing 

 the completion of the first century of its labours, for the 

 final volume of the present series is promised next year. 

 At first sight it might appear a tolerably simple matter 

 to assign to their proper author headings a collection 

 of carefully prepared transcripts of the titles of papers ; 

 but this view would not be confirmed by any cataloguer 

 or indexer of experience. Initials of the forenames of 

 writers have to be expanded, entries under writers of 

 the same name and forenames to be distinguished, 

 pseudonyms to be unmasked, and changes of name 

 accounted for. With the spread of Western science to 

 the East, the difficulties of accurate editing Jiave 

 multiplied. Nevertheless the standard of sound 

 workmanship set by the editors of the earlier volumes 

 has been maintained. 



No great loss, we think, has resulted from the partial 

 elimination in the present series of references to serials 

 containing reprints, abstracts or translations of original 

 papers. The retention of these refere;ices in the case of 

 papers written in the less familiar languages serves most 

 practical purposes of research. We trust that in the 

 concluding volume Dr. Forster Morley will furnish us 

 with complete statistics of the number of papers and 

 their authors for the period 1800-1900, together with a 

 chronological table or graph showing the rate of growth 

 of scientific periodical literature for the same period. 



Handbook for Electrical Engineers : a Reference Book for 

 Practising Engineers and Students of Engineering. 

 Compiled by a Staff of Specialists. Edited by H. 

 Pender and W. A. Del Mar. Pp. xxiii + 2263. 

 (New York : J. Wiley and Sons, Inc. ; London : 

 Chapman and Hall, Ltd., 1922.) 305. net. 



The many engineering researches both theoretical and 

 experimental which have been carried out in recent 

 years have created a demand for handbooks which will 

 give the practical results obtained in a way that can 

 be readily understood. The principal articles in this 

 work under notice are written by well-known engineers 

 and professors. The arrangement is excellent and there 

 is practically no overlapping. It contains more theory 

 than is usually found in similar works. The mathe- 

 matical symbols are very clearly printed, the diagrams 

 are excellent, and the index is very complete and well 

 arranged. Although there are many references to 

 radio communication, " wireless " is not mentioned. 

 We are pleased to see that both " ground " and " earth" 

 are given. The word " hydrology " is used to denote 

 the " science of water." In water power engineering, 

 for example, hydrological data such as the rainfall, 

 natural drainage, and the velocity of the stream are 

 required. 



The Evolution of the Conscious Faculties. By Dr. J. 

 Varendonck. Pp. 259. (London : G. Allen and 

 Unwin, Ltd. ; New York : The Macmillan Co., 

 1923,) 12^. 6d. net. 



This book contains much valuable matter in the 

 shape of introspective analysis, experimental investiga- 

 tion, and critical examination of theories, of the 

 mental faculties. Dr. Varendonck leaves the im- 

 pression of an enthusiastic and competent student of 



