December 29 192 1] 



NATURE 



563 



lig-ht of later work. Students who wish to learn 

 something of the nature of metallography without 

 studying one of the larger works will find a simple 

 account of the subject in the second and third 

 chapters, illustrated by excellent photomicro- 

 graphs from standard works, but references to 

 original sources are throughout irregular and 

 imperfect. 



{2) The well-known treatise on electric steel 

 furnaces by Rodenhauser and Schoenawa has now 

 reached a third edition and has been completely 

 revised by the authors and the translator. 

 During the stress of the war period there was a 

 remarkable increase in the number of electric fur- 

 naces employed in the steel industry, but the 

 results obtained have been varied. Opinions 

 strongly in favour of — and others as strongly un- 

 favourable towards — the electric furnace are held 

 by different technical experts. The reason for this 

 diversity appears to be that in many cases the 

 furnace has been improperly handled. A steel 

 smelter who is ignorant of electrical engineering, 

 or an electrical engineer who has little or no 

 acquaintance with the metallurgy of steel, is un- 

 likely to obtain success with this method of manu- 

 facture. Where the right combination of engin- 

 eering with metallurgical knowledge and experi- 

 ence is found, the electric furnace gives most 

 favourable results. The perfect control over the 

 melting conditions which it allows is greatly in 

 its favour, especially when steels containing costly 

 alloy metals are concerned, and its position in the 

 steel industry is assured. This is true even of 

 countries where fuel is abundant, but the advan- 

 tages are still greater in those countries where 

 water power is available and fuel scarce. This 

 gives importance to the electric blast-furnace, an 

 appliance which can scarcely compete with the 

 highly efficient blast-furnace on its own ground, 

 but which may prove the salvation of iron-ore 

 producing countries which have no coal. 



The present work is written mainly from the 

 electrical p>oint of view, and is very full in its 

 treatment of the electrical conditions of construc- 

 tion and working. The metallurgical working is 

 comparatively lightly touched on ; in fact, the 

 chemistry of electric steel making still awaits text- 

 book treatment. As might be expected from the 

 associations of the authors, the induction furnace 

 is given greater prominence than is usual in other 

 works on the subject, and the discussion of this 

 type is very full. The Rochling-Rodenhauser 

 furnace is now in use in 20-ton sizes, a remark- 

 ably large capacity for this class, while it is main- 

 tained that induction furnaces may be used suc- 

 cessfully for the refining of steel, although the 

 NO. 2722, VOL. 108] 



question of the relatively cold slag is not fully 

 dealt with. The work refers mainly to. German 

 and American practice, and the types of furnace 

 most largely employed in this country are rather 

 briefly discussed. The consideration of the elec- 

 trical conditions and of the thermal balance is very 

 thorough, and many records of actual runs are 

 included. English readers will also be glad to 

 have the detailed account of iron-ore smelting in 

 Sweden and elsewhere, illustrated by clear dia- 

 grams and numerical records. An interesting 

 account of experiments on the reduction of ore 

 (a fine magnetite high in sulphur) by means of 

 sulphurous coke breeze in the Rochling-Roden- 

 hauser furnace is given, liquid metal from a basic 

 Bessemer converter being used to start the charge. 

 A good efficiency was obtained and about half the 

 sulphur was eliminated without the use of lime. 

 Minor criticisms are, of course, possible, but 

 metallurgists who are considering the advantages 

 of this method of manufacture will find the book 

 indispensable. C. H. Desch. 



Our Bookshelf. 



The Year-Book of the Scientific and Learned 

 Societies of Great Britain and Ireland. Compiled 

 from official sources. Thirty-eighth annual issue. 

 Pp. viii4-366. (London: C. Griffin and Co., 

 Ltd., 1 92 1.) 155. net. 



We are glad to extend a welcome to the new issue of 

 this invaluable year-book. The system adopted in 

 previous issues of classifying the societies according 

 to the subjects with which they are concerned is 

 adhered to, and a few pages are devoted to miscel- 

 laneous societies particulars of which were received 

 too late for classification. 



We notice that, of the twenty-six Research Associa- 

 tions referred to in Nature of December 15, p. 489, 

 which have been approved by the Department of 

 Scientific and Industrial Research, one only — and 

 that, one of those more recently constituted — namely, 

 the British Cast Iron Research Association, appears 

 to have been included. We have also been unable 

 to find any mention of the Association of Economic 

 Biologists. In spite of these omissions the year- 

 book is an indispensable adjunct to every library, 

 society, and similar institution the members of 

 which require accurate official particulars of the 

 learned societies of the British Isles. The pub- 

 lishers perform a national service by providing this 

 annual conspectus of scientific organisations and 

 their work. 



Le Mouvetnent Biologiqiie en Europe. By Georges 

 Bohn. Pp. 144. (Paris: Armand Colin, 1921.) 

 4 francs. 



During the summer and autumn of 191 3 the 

 author of this pamphlet visited the most active 



