4S6 



NATURE 



[June i6, 192 i 



surgery, and sanitation. Be this as it may, and 

 there is much to be said for it, there can at any 

 rate be no doubt that yeast has been more thor- 

 / oug-hly studied than any other micro-organism — 

 and from the most diverse points of view. The 

 book under review gives a clear and comprehensive 

 account of these investigations, written by men 

 who are peculiarly fitted for the task by their long 

 experience in different branches of the subject. 

 To Prof. Lindner fall the chapters on morphology, 

 classification, and cultivation, whilst the remain- 

 der of the subject — the chemistry of the cell con- 

 tents, the enzymes, and the energy relations — is 

 dealt with by Prof. Euler. 



Turning over the pages and remembering that 

 the date of the book is 191 5, one cannot help 

 being struck by the great activity which is still 

 being shown in research on this subject, and by the 

 many notable additions which will have to be 

 included in any new edition. The stream of work 

 which has flowed uninterruptedly since Buchner 

 laid bare the secret of zymase shows no signs of 

 shrinking, but rather increases in volume year by 

 year. Fresh facts are constantly being discovered 

 and fresh light thrown on related subjects. At 

 the moment the centre of interest and discussion 

 is shifting from alcoholic fermentation, over which 

 it has long rested, to the important problems 

 raised by the nutrition of yeast and by the abun- 

 dant production in the yeast-cell of one of those 

 mysterious dietary essentials, the vitamins. In 

 this connection many early observations were 

 made concerning yeast, culminating in the experi- 

 ments of Wildiers, who in 1901 postulated the 

 necessity for a substance of unknown nature — 

 which he termed "Bios" — for the growth of yeast. 

 Some investigators have identified this with the 

 vitamin B (water-soluble B factor) of McCoUum, 

 and an interesting controversy has arisen over the 

 question. Another instance of the inexhaustible 

 vitality of the subject is thus afforded, and it can 

 be asserted with confidence that we are far from 

 the end, perhaps rather only at the commence- 

 ment, of the biochemical discoveries originating 

 in the study of yeast. A. Harden. 



The Man who Did the Right Thing: A Romance 

 of East Africa. By Sir Harry Johnston. 

 Pp. vii4-444. (London: Chatto and Windus, 

 192 1.) 85. 6d. net. 

 The man who did the right thing, and (except 

 for one moral lapse, not of his own seeking) 

 continued to do the right thing to the end of 

 the chapter, was, as one might expect from a 

 narrative so naively autobiographical as this 

 "romance," an African pioneer, explorer, 

 naturalist, and proconsul. The scene is laid in 

 East Africa, mainly in the missionary field, and 

 the period covered in the narrative dates back to 

 the entry of Germany into the race for territory 

 that led to the partition of Africa. Apart from 

 the underlying love-story, which does duty for the 

 sub-title, this novel of adventure (in treatment 

 as well as in action) is remarkable for its fidelity 

 to detail and its trenchant analysis of character. 



NO. 2694, VOL. 107] 



To those who know something of the environ- 

 ments and are acquainted with the types of the 

 leading actors in this story — not excluding the 

 author — the interest is unflagging and the appeal 

 irresistible. Truly it is a section cut out of real 

 life, transparent and convincing. Names are un- 

 necessary. The mordant criticism of officials in 

 "the Service" (P.O. and CO.), frankly contrast- 

 ing with efficient German representatives, in the 

 opening up of East Africa to European diplomacy, 

 is further emphasised by the hero taking service 

 as director (Herr Direktor !) in an Anglo-German 

 undertaking for the exploitation of a certain con- 

 cession, known as "The Happy Valley," some- 

 where in the Kilimanjaro region, and thereby 

 achieving a remarkable success. 



It is a book well worth reading for its informa- 

 tion no less than for the story it tells. We con- 

 fess, however, to some irritation at the originality 

 of the author's treatment in places — e.g. his 

 abrupt changes of mood and tense, and the actual 

 "staging" of some of his lengthy dialogues, as 

 in a play. A. S. W. 



Artificial Light: Its Influence upon Civilization. 

 By M. Luckiesh. (The Century Books of Useful 

 Science.) Pp. xiv + 366, (London: University 

 of London Press, Ltd., 1920.) 12s. 6d. net. 



Mr, Luckiesh, who is well known as the author 

 of a number of works upon illumination of a 

 somewhat technical nature, has in this new 

 volume written an interesting popular account of 

 the development of artificial lighting. The influence 

 of light upon civilisation is a fascinating subject. 

 The author traces its early origins in the initial 

 chapters of the book, which are illustrated by 

 photographs of primitive pine-splinters, oil lamps, 

 etc., and alludes particularly to its use as an 

 element in religious ceremonial. Other chapters 

 deal with early gas lighting, electric incandescent 

 lamps and arcs, and the "light of the future." 

 Later various applications of light — domestic, in- 

 dustrial, and spectacular — are discussed, and a 

 chapter is devoted to artificial light in warfare. 

 The type and paper are excellent, and there are 

 insets of some remarkable photographs of light- 

 ing installations. The concealed lighting of the 

 statue of Liberty in New York harbour forms an 

 appropriate frontispiece, while several of the views 

 of street lighting are striking ; perhaps the most 

 pleasing of all is a view of the Panama-Pacific 

 Exposition at night. Generally speaking, the 

 author has dealt with developments and applica- 

 tions of lighting in a popular manner rather than 

 attempted a detailed analytical study of its effect 

 upon civilisation, though the figures tracing the 

 progressive diminution in the cost of light and its 

 influence on health, safety, and efficiency are in- 

 structive. In the final chapter, entitled " Light — 

 A Fine Art," the author writes with enthusiasm 

 on the applications of light and colour for spec- 

 tacular and decorative purposes. At the end of 

 the volume a series of references to works on 

 illumination and an adequate index are provided. 



